Rolando Pérez, Associate Professor, PhD, The Graduate Center of CUNY

OFFICE: 1349A HW

EMAIL: rperez@hunter.cuny.edu

OFFICE HOURS:

RESEARCH INTERESTS: While my general specialization is in the area of twentieth century Latin American literature, my research interests include the relationship between literature and art and between philosophy and literature. I have, for instance, written on Severo Sarduy and the Neo-Baroque image of thought, as well as on the very complex Peruvian writer, César Vallejo, from a philosophical perspective. My on-going projects consist of reading literary texts vis-à-vis the philosophical concepts of thinkers like Nietzsche, Deleuze, Guattari, Baudrillard, Badiou, Levinas, and Dussel, to name a few. Lastly, but certainly not least in the order of importance, is my interest in creative writing. And in 2011 I was honored with the publication of selections from my literary work in The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature.

PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS

On An(archy) and Schizoanalysis. New York: Autonomedia/Semiotext(e),1990.

Severo Sarduy and the Religion of the Text. Lanham: University Press of America, 1988.

ARTICLES

“Vallejo on Language and Politics,” Letras hispanas: Revista de literatura y cultura 5 (2008): http://letrashispanas.unlv.edu/vol5iss2/perez.pdf.

“César Vallejo’s Ars Poética of Nonsense: A Deleuzean Reading of Trilce.” Dissidences: Hispanic Journal of Theory and Criticism 4/5 (Fall 2008):  

http:// www.dissidences/4PerezVallejo.html.

“Bilingual Blues.” (Gustavo Pérez-Firmat). Encyclopedia of Hispanic-American Literature. Ed. Luz Elena Ramírez. New York: Facts on File 2008: 37-38.

“Pérez Firmat, Gustavo.” Encyclopedia of Hispanic-American Literature. Ed. Luz Elena Ramírez. New York: Facts on File 2008:  267-269.

 “Stavans, Ilan.” Encyclopedia of Hispanic-American Literature. Ed. Luz Elena Ramírez. New York: Facts on File 2008: 330-332.

“Barroco/Baroque.” The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Literature.  Vol. 1: A-L. Ed.  Danilo Figueredo. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2006: 65-67

“Cuban-American Literature” with D.H.  Figueredo.  The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Literature. Vol.  1: A-L. . Ed.  Danilo Figueredo. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2006: 200-201.

“Cuban Literature, History of” with D. H. Figueredo. The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Literature. Vol. 1 A-L. Ed.  Danilo Figueredo. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2006: 201-205.

“Teresa Dovalpage (1966-).” The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Literature.  Vol. 1: A-L.  Ed.  Danilo Figueredo. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2006: 263-264.

“Ricardo Pau-Llosa (1954-).” The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Literature.  Vol. 2: M-Z. Ed.  Danilo Figueredo Westport: Greenwood Press, 2006: 611-612.

“Severo Sarduy (1937-93).” The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Literature. Vol. 2: M-Z. Ed.  Danilo Figueredo.   Westport: Greenwood Press, 2006: 728-730.

“Irony, Love, and Political Economy in José Asunción Silva’s De sobremesa.” Hispanófila 150 (May 2007): 87-102.

What is ‘minor’ in Latino Literature.” MELUS: Journal of the Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States 30 (Winter 2005):  89-108.

“The Sadean Poetics of Solitude in Paz and Pizarnik.” Latin American Literary Review 33 (January/June 2005): 5-26.

“Love and Hatred of ‘French Theory’ in America.” Borderlands e journal 4  (2005): http://www.borderlandsejournal.adelaide.edu.au/.

“Cuban-Americans.”  Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture, and Society in the United States. 4 vols. Vol. I. Ed.  Ilan Stavans . New York: Grolier, 2005: 424-430.

“Severo Sarduy.” The Review of Contemporary Fiction 24. (Spring 2004): 94-138.

“Bruno Schulz: Literary Kabbalist of the Holocaust.” Occasional papers in Jewish history and thought, 1802-0175 ; no. 20. New York:  Hunter College of the City University of New York, 2002.

“Towards a Non‑Fascist or An(archical) Way of Life.” Deleuze and Guattari: Critical Assessments of Leading Philosophers:. 3 vol. Ed. Gary Genosko. London: Routledge, 2000: 748-758.

BOOK REVIEWS

Coloniality at Large: Latin America and the Postcolonial Debate. Eds. Mabel Moraña, Carlos A. Jáuregui, Enrique Dussel. Chapel Hill: Duke UP, 2008. In Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies 13 (2009): 221-223.

Essays on the Literary Baroque in Spain and Spanish America by John Beverly. London: Tamesis, 2008. Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies 13 (2009): 226-228.

Parable Hunter by Ricardo Pau-Llosa (Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon UP, 2008). Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas 78 (May 2009): 147-150.

CREATIVE WRITING

Selections from The Lining of Our Souls, The Electric Comedy, and The Divine Duty of Servants.

The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature. Ed. Ilan Stavans. NY: W. W. Norton, 2011.

The Lining of Our Souls: Excursions into selected paintings of Edward Hopper –New/revised

edition. Illustrated. Preface by Gail Levin. New York: Cool Grove Press, April 2002.

The Electric Comedy (poetry, a post-modern version of Dante’s Divina Commedia). New York: Cool Grove Press, 2000.

The Divine Duty of Servants: A Book of Worship (fiction, based on the artwork of Polish writer/artist and Holocaust victim, Bruno Schulz) New YorkL Cool Grove Press, 1999.

The Lining of Our Souls (prose poems based on selected paintings by Edward Hopper. New York: Stranger Books, 1995.

The Odyssey (fiction) New York: Brook House Press, 1990).

The Odyssey (fiction) Online. Alexander Street Press: Latino Literature database 2005.

Tea Ceremonies for Winter (poetry). Online. Alexander Street Press: Latino Literature database 2005

H is for Box (play). Online. Alexander Street Press: Latino Literature database 2005

The House that Ate Their Brains.  (play). Online. Alexander Street Press: Latino Literature database 2005.

Plays and Playthings. (play). Online. Alexander Street Press: Latino Literature database 2005.

Janus Dies?  (play). Online. Alexander Street Press: Latino Literature database 2005.

FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS

Severo Sarduy and the Neo-Baroque Image of Thought in the Visual Arts. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press (Purdue Studies in Romance Literatures). November 2011.

 “No Poetry Without Poetics: A Manifesto that is a Plea for Manifestos.” In Agorapoetics: Poetics after  Postmodernism. Ed. Intro. Rolando Perez. Proceedings from the conference held at SUNY/Stony Brook    (February 29, 2008), Beyond the Ancient Diaphora: Poetics After Postmodernism. Collaborators: Peter Carravetta, Eugenio Mazzarella, Paolo Valesio, and Alessandro Carrera. Aurora, CO: The Davies Group, Publishers. Publication date: Fall 2011.

“The Cid: War Machine, Self-Made Noble, and Mythic Hero of Menéndez Pidal's Nationalist Epic.” In Celebrating the Cid: A University of New Mexico Homage. Seminary of Medieval Studies. Hispanic Society, N.Y. Fall 2011.

Review. Esther Whitfield, Cuban Currency: The Dollar and the “Special Period” Fiction (U. of Minnesota Press, 2008). In Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies. Publication date: Fall  2011.

 “Borges and Bruno Schulz on the Infinite Book of the Kabbalah.” Proceedings from the conference held at Hofstra University (November 13-14, 2009), Borges and Us: Then and Always. Publisher and publication date: N/A.

 “Nietzsche’s Reading of Cervantes’ ‘Cruel’ Humor in Don Quixote.”Proceedings from the conference held at Hofstra University (April 10-12, 2008), At Whom Are We Laughing?: Humor in Romance Language Literatures. Ed. Gregory Pell. Edwin Mellen Press. Date of publication: N/A.

“The Proto Liberation Theology of César Vallejo and the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas and Enrique Dussel.” Double Edges. Ed. William Watkins. New York: SUNY Press, International Association for Philosophy and Literature. Publication date: N/A.

“Ricardo Pau-Llosa” in Encuentro de la cultura cubana. Http: www.cubaencuentro.com/es. Date: N/A.

PAPERS, LECTURES AND SEMINARS

“Severo Sarduy and the Self-Portrait of a Body in Poetry.” The Genre of the Self Portrait in Hispanic Poetry. NEMLA (Northeast Modern Language Association). Rutgers University, New Burnswick. April 7, 2011.

“Tungsten and César Vallejo’s Fidelity to the Event of Marxism for Latin America” Visions of History and Politics. International Association for Philosophy and Literature (IAPL). University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina, Canada. May 27, 2010.

“Borges and Bruno Schulz on the Infinite Book of the Kabbalah.” Borges and Us: Then and Always. Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY). November 13-14, 2009. Date of lecture: November 14, 2009.

“The Proto Liberation Theology of César Vallejo and the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas and Enrique Dussel.” Levinas at the Limits of Alterity. International Association for Philosophy and Literature (IAPL). Brunel University. London, UK. June 3, 2009.

“Sarduy and the Poem-Object.” Latin American Poetic Artifacts, from 19^th to the 21^st Century. ” NEMLA (Northeast Modern Language Association). Boston. Feb 27, 2009.

“The Cid: Mercenary Soldier, Self-Made Noble, or the Mythic Hero of Menéndez Pidal’s Nationalist Epic?” Current Research in Spanish Medieval Language and Literature. MLA Conference, San Francisco, CA. Tuesday, December 30, 2008.

“Vallejo on Language and Politics” “Voy a hablar de la esperanza/I’m going to speak about hope” International Poetry Symposium Celebrating the Work of César Vallejo. Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. Friday, October 31, 2008

“Milan Kundera and Severo Sarduy: On the Matter of Kitsch.” At Whom Are We Laughing?: Humor in Romance Language Literatures . Dept. of Romance Languages and Literatures, Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. Saturday, April 12, 2008.

“Nietzsche’s Reading of Cervantes’ ‘Cruel’ Humor in Don Quixote.” At Whom Are We Laughing: Humor in Romance Language Literatures. Dept. of Romance Languages and Literatures, Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. Friday, April 11, 2008.

“No Poetry Without Poetics: A Manifesto that is a Plea for Manifestos.” Beyond the Ancient Diaphora: Poetics After Postmodernism. SUNY/Stony Brook. Speakers: Peter Carravetta, Eugenio Mazzarella, Paolo Valesio, and Alessandro Carrera. Moderator: Peter Carravetta, The Alphonse D’Amato Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies at SUNY/Stony Brook. Friday, February 29, 2008.

“Severo Sarduy on Kepler, Borromini, and the Anamorphic Image.” Twenty-First Annual Conference for Literature, Science, and the Arts.” Bowdoin College. Portland, Maine. November 3, 2007.

“The Irony of Kitsch in Milan Kundera and Severo Sarduy.” International Society for Humor Studies. Salve Regina University, Newport, RI. July 1, 2007.

“The Cid: Mercenary Soldier, Self-Made Noble, or the Mythic Hero of Menéndez Pidal’s Nationalist Epic?” 13^th Annual Carolina Conference on Romance Literatures.  University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill. March 30, 2007.

“Bruno Schulz and the Double Edged Chiaroscuro of Matter and Spirit.” Presented at the Graduate Center/Martin E. Segal Theater for The Republic of Dreams, Bruno Schulz Symposium with the Double Edge Theatre. February 26, 2007.

“César Vallejo’s Poetics of Nonsense: A Deleuzean Reading of Trilce I.” Tercer Congreso Internacional: Escritura, Individuo y Sociedad en España, y las Américas. Universidad de Puerto Rico/Arecibo. November 17, 2006.

The Electric Comedy. Reading and discussion at the “Critical Conjunctions: Latin American and Latino Intellectuals at the New Millennium” conference, sponsored by the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program, Hofstra University. Friday, April 23, 2004.

“Irony, Love, and Political Economy in José Asunción Silva’s De sobremesa.” The Graduate Center  of the City University of New York. October 31, 2003.

How to Interpret a Text, or Anything Else. On the occasion of the publication of Dei Parlanti: Studi e Ipotesi su Metodo e Retorica dell'Interpretare (Valerio Ed., 2002). Peter Carravetta, Paolo Valesio, and Rolando Pérez.New York University, Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò. December 9, 2002.

The Lining of Our Souls: Excursions into Selected Paintings of Edward Hopper. Reading. English Department. Hunter College.Wednesday. May 8, 2002.

“Bruno Schulz: A Polish-Jewish Kafka.” Presented at the Anne Bass Schneider Seminar on Jewish History and Thought. Hunter College. April 4, 2001.

Semiotext(e): Deleuze and Guattari: On The Edge. Concept/Percept/Language. Speakers:

Jean-Jacques Lecercle, Juan Gil, Claude Imbert, Edouard Glissant. Moderator: Rolando Pérez. 

Columbia University, Maison Française. Buell Hall. Friday. April 16, 1999.

ENCYCLOPEDIA CITATIONS

Bibliography, biographical information, and interview in Contemporary Authors, Vol 160. 1998. Gale Research, Inc; Contemporary Authors New Revisions Series, Vol. 117 2003. Gale Research, Inc.

The Writers Directory. 15^th edition (2000)-20th edition, 2005. Detroit: St. James Press.

Who’s Who Among Hispanic Americans, Third Edition, 1994-1995. Gale Research, Inc.

Latinos in English : a Selected Bibliography of Latino Fiction Writers of the United States.

Ed. Ilan Stavans. New York: Mercantile Library of New York, 1992.