An Explanation of the Birds (Antunes, Antonio Lobo)

Year 1995
Pages 261

Worth buying if: you follow Antonio Lobo Antunes’s lyrical, introspective prose.

Skip it if: you want plot-driven, fast-paced thrillers.

Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780802134202. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.

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Summary

A 1995 prose work by Antonio Lobo Antunes, this Grove Press edition delivers a lyrical, intense narrative voice across 261 pages that blends memory, observation, and existential reflection.

Why this book now

Readers seeking a compact, mid‑career Antunes work can revisit his 1995 Grove release for its concentrated style and thematic resonance.

30-second preview

Two quick cards, fifteen seconds each.

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1-sentence hook

Antonio Lobo Antunes offers a distinctive, character-driven exploration in An Explanation of the Birds—poetic, dense, and unmistakably personal.

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Best for readers who...

Good fit if you want...

  • you follow Antonio Lobo Antunes’s lyrical, introspective prose.
  • you prefer character-focused, contemplative literary fiction.

Maybe skip if...

  • you want plot-driven, fast-paced thrillers.
  • you expect straightforward, conventional narrative structure.
  • You only want something with very current references and examples.

Mood / Vibe Tags

lyrical introspective meditative Medium length Older edition

Decided it fits?

Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780802134202

Worth buying if: you follow Antonio Lobo Antunes’s lyrical, introspective prose.

Skip it if: you want plot-driven, fast-paced thrillers.

Buy This Edition on Amazon

Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.

Reader guide

Cues to help you decide faster.

Reading commitment

Light Short sit-downs

At 261 pages, expect a sustained, attentive reading experience that rewards close attention to language and recurring motifs rather than quick plot turns.

What stands out here

This listing highlights the 1995 Grove Press edition of An Explanation of the Birds, emphasizing Antunes’s voice and the book’s place in his oeuvre.

Best way to approach it

Approach slowly and reread passages to savor Antunes’s dense sentences and thematic echoes rather than skimming for plot.

Exact edition: ISBN-13 9780802134202

Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.