Antnio Lobo Antunes novels are known, in part, for their somber and tragic plots, wherein the protagonists often recall their traumatic existences and sometimes resort to suicide. This study aims to recast these novelistic experiences through the framework of Walter Benjamins concept of melancholy, as well as through an analysis of the uses and the representations of silence in Antunes works. To this end, I focus on two novels that illustrate this literary phenomenon in the authors most recente cycle of novels, designated as the cycle of silence by Antunes specialist, Ana Paula Arnaut. O arquiplago da insnia (2008) and Que cavalos so aqueles que fazem sombra no mar? (2009) examplify these concepts by facilitating a comparative approach that hightlights the cohesive presence of these themes while also evidencing their distinct and iterative manifestations.O arquiplago da insnia (2008) and Que cavalos so aqueles que fazem sombra no mar? (2009) examplify these concepts by facilitating a comparative approach that hightlights the cohesive presence of these themes while also evidencing their distinct and iterative manifestations.