Mario Vargas Llosa’s La fiesta del chivo: History, Reality, and Literature

The Mario Vargas Llosa chair at City College presents seminars for graduate and undergraduate students every Fall semester at the Department of Classical and Modern Languages. https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/cmll/catedra-vargas-llosa

Days and Room: Tuesday, 24 October (NAC 5/223 at CCNY); Thursday, 26 October (NAC 5/223 at CCNY); Friday, 27 October (Instituto Cervantes) Hours: 4:30-8:30 pm

Course Number: Undergraduate: SPAN 39000  Graduate: SPAN V3900

Offered through the Cátedra Mario Vargas Llosa and the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literature at the City College of New York, CUNY, with the cooperation of the Instituto Cervantes, this one-credit (1) seminar focuses on the historical novel La fiesta del chivo, by Mario Vargas Llosa, about the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. It echoes a recurrent theme in Latin American literature as seen in major novels such as El señor presidente (Miguel Angel Asturias, 1946), Yo, el supremo (Augusto Roa Bastos, 1974), El recurso del método (Alejo Carpentier, 1974), and El otoño del patriarca (Gabriel García Márquez, 1975). La fiesta del chivo‘s multiple focalizations as well as its singular treatment of time and voices, allow for a meditation on power and its limits. This course, taught by the acclaimed Mexican writer Mónica Levin with Distinguished Professor Raquel Chang-Rodríguez, will examine novelistic form– point of view and counterpoint–as keys to the fictionalization of history, narrative persuasive power, and our understanding of the human condition.

Text: La fiesta del chivo/The Feast of the Goat (any ed. in Spanish or English) Knowledge of Spanish/Participation in Spanish or English

For graduate registration contact Prof. Angel Estévez, Director M.A. Program in Spanish aestevez@ccny.cuny.edu

For undergraduate registration contact Deputy Chair, Prof. Bettina Lerner blerner@ccny.cuny.edu

For general information contact The Dept. of Classical & Modern at 212-650-6731 or Prof. Raquel Chang-Rodríguez rchangrodriguez@ccny.cuny.edu

https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/catedra-mario-vargas-at-ccny

Inauguración de la cátedra Vargas Llosa en City College

La ceremonia de inauguración de la nueva cátedra Vargas Llosa se llevó a cabo con todos los honores, el 4 de noviembre, 2013, en el Great Hall de uno de los edificios más bellos de City College (Shephard Hall).

Mario Vargas Llosa

Mario Vargas Llosa, ganador del Premio Nobel recibió la efusiva recepción de la facultad y el estudiantado, respondiendo con comentario sobre la diversidad y la esperanza de acabar con los prejuicios que, dijo Vargas Llosa, son generalmente el producto de aislamiento. La presidente de City College, Lisa Coico, dio la bienvenida en castellano. Introdujo el evento el Chair del Departamento de Foreign Languages & Literatures, Dr. Carlos Riobó. Entre los presentes estuvieron la Dra. Raquel Chang-Rodríguez, Distinguished Professor de CCNY, el Decano del depto. de humanidades, Eric Weitz, y el Dr. Efraín Kristal, Professor and Chair, UCLA Department of Comparative Literature, que presentó
«Discreet and Injudicious Heroes in the Novels of Mario Vargas Llosa».
Cátedra Vargas Llosa:
Established by the Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library Foundation, the creation of the Cátedra Vargas Llosa is an academic project that aspires to become one of the most prestigious and innovative initiatives in Europe and the Americas. The Cátedra Vargas Llosa is open to universities, educational institutions, and organizations. Its aim is to promote the study of contemporary literature and culture and to encourage new Ibero-American writers. To fulfill these objectives the Cátedra will partner with prestigious institutions worldwide through lectures, symposia, readings and writing workshops, and seminars on current international affairs.

The City College of New York is committed to teaching and research in the Humanities and the Arts and supports the study of and engagement with a wide variety of global languages and literatures. The Cátedra Vargas Llosa project at City College will enrich the educational experience on campus and foster communication within the academic community of New York City
and internationally.

Related articles

• Inauguración de la Cátedra Vargas Llosa (escritorial.org)