Representation of the posthuman imaginary in the literature of Gonçalo M. Tavares

Abstract

The literature of Gonçalo M. Tavares tackles essential issues pertaining to human contem-porary life in a world dominated by constant change, by uncertainty, ambiguity, and para-dox. The author himself often puts forward the idea of literary and moral responsibility of the writer at the beginning of the 21st century, the urgency of being aware of the complexi-ty of the world and taking it seriously, questioning and provoking disquiet, restlessness, and discomfort in the reader in the face of such fundamental issues as the fate of the hu-man being in a technological and globalised world, its relationship with technology and science , as well as the human impact on the natural world. This article thus aims at provi-ding a brief analysis of some of the most salient characteristics of Gonçalo M. Tavares’s poetics in light of the concept of the posthuman, through a close reading of his most pro-minent works. The books belonging to the tetralogy O Reino and titles such as Uma Vi-agem à Índia, Atlas do Corpo e da Imaginação, and Breves Notas sobre Ciência will be included in our posthuman reading of Tavares’s literary universe.