TAMIU Professor Presents at Literary Conferences in France, Hungary
Just in time for the holidays, a Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) professor recently returned from his travels in Hungary and France after having presented at two prestigious, international conferences.
Dr. José Cardona-López, Regents Professor of Spanish, gave a presentation at the 11th International Colloquium on Hispanic Studies in Budapest, Hungary. The Colloquium was entitled, “The Modern Novel in the Hispanic World.”
The Conference, held in late October, was organized by the Research Center on Latin America and the Spanish Department of Eötvös Loránd University. Researchers from numerous countries in Europe and México attended.
“In my presentation, I discussed how in the fragmentary structure so frequent in the modern novel or nouvelle, its discourse gains in ironic expression while the analogue of the traditional structure of this narrative form dissolves,” explained Dr. Cardona-López, “My paper was called ‘Structures and Enunciation in the Modern Short Novel,’ and I read it at the closing session of the Conference. It was attended by all participants.”
The second conference, “International Colloquium: The Plural Forms of Literary Genericity,” was held in November in Paris at the Faculty of Letters of the Sorbonne University, said Cardona-López. There, he presented about the origins of the short novel.
“I presented and discussed on how the short novel has emerged and how with the passage of time, it has adopted its own characteristics until it became what it is now known as a modern Short Novel or nouvelle,” he said, “I also presented some theoretical reflections that have been made on the short novel since the 18th century in Germany.”
Dr. Cardona-López said both conferences provided him opportunities to expand his professional and research perspectives.
“They were highly critical and professional experiences,” he said, “I was able to personally meet numerous colleagues who work in a very dedicated manner on the theoretical aspects of literature, particularly short novels. The experience gained and the presentations that I gave are going to help me advance on a new book project about the modern Short Novel.”
Originally from Palmira, Colombia, Cardona-López earned his Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Kentucky and an M.A. in Spanish from the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY. His B.S. in agricultural engineering was earned at the National University in Palmira. He has been a member of the TAMIU faculty since 1997.
The author of the internationally renowned novel, “Sueños para una siesta” (Dreams for a Nap) and several short story books, he received the prestigious “Laurel Trilce de Oro” (Golden Laurel Trilce), a Peruvian Award for his Lifelong Contribution to Literature, in 2015.
His book, Teoría y práctica de la nouvelle (Theory and Practice of the Nouvelle), is devoted to the study and discussion of the most important theoretical approaches to the "short novel" or nouvelle, a narrative genre that presently is having a revival in the United States and several Hispanic countries. His articles and essays on the Spanish American literature have appeared in prestigious academic journals.
His short story books include “Al otro lado del acaso” (The Other Side of Perhaps), “La puerta del espejo” (The Door of the Mirror), “Todo es adrede” (Everything is Deliberate), and “Siete y tres nueve” (Seven and Three Nine). In 2014, he published his short novel, entitled, Mercedes, in the form of an e-book.
Some of his short stories have been included in anthologies published in Canada, Colombia, Spain, the United States and Perú. Short stories and micro-fictions of him have appeared in printed and electronic magazines from Colombia and abroad.
For more information, please contact Cardona-López at 956.326.2690, email cardona@tamiu.edu or visit the Anthony J. and Georgia A. Pellegrino Hall, room 314F.
The Spring Semester 2019 at TAMIU begins Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. Online registration is underway at tamiu.edu. University offices close for a State-authorized holiday Friday, Dec. 21 and re-open Wednesday, Jan. 2.
For more information on TAMIU, contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services, email prmis@tamiu.edu, or visit the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268.