Since the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936, Spain has experienced a series of profound transformations that have marked the trajectory of its literature to this day. This lecture will survey the changes that Spanish literature (the novel, in the main) has undergone in this historical context in order to shed light on contemporary writing, especially that of the democratic period.
In his Inaugural Lecture for the University of Edinburgh, Professor Alexis Grohmann (Chair of Contemporary Spanish Literature) will look at the challenges that Spanish literature - and those who study and teach it - face, viewed through the prism of key twentieth- and twenty-first-century developments and the trajectory of certain paradigmatic writers and genres. He will also trace the emergence of new genres, such as the newspaper column by writers.
Please note that this is a rescheduled event which was postponed in February due to extreme weather. Tickets are free but must be booked through Eventbrite.
About the Inaugural Lectures
This event is part of a series of Inaugural Lectures at the University of Edinburgh, where newly appointed Professors or Chairs give free public talks on their current and recent research. Other highlights for 2018 in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) include Laura Bradley, Personal Chair of German and Theatre, on 15th February, and Celeste-Marie Bernier, Personal Chair in English Literature and Professor of Black Studies (date to be confirmed).
About Alexis Grohmann
Alexis Grohmann has written widely on the work of Javier Marías, the Spanish newspaper column by writers, and contemporary, post-1970, Spanish narratives. He is currently completing a monographic study of the novels of Arturo Pérez-Reverte and has prepared a book of essays by Javier Marías entitled ‘Between Eternities’ for Penguin Books and Knopf, translated by Margaret Jull-Costa.
He has supervised students on various topics at MA, MSc and PhD level, ranging from the critical theories of María Zambrano, Jesús Aguirre and José Aranguren, to the fairy tales of Carmen Martín-Gaite. He is happy to supervise postgraduate work in most areas of 20th- and 21st-century Spanish literature and culture.
