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Tilmann Altenberg

Dr Tilmann Altenberg

Reader in Hispanic Studies

School of Modern Languages

Email
AltenbergTG@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 29208 74584
Campuses
66a Park Place, Room 1.14, Cathays, Cardiff, CF10 3AS
Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Overview

I have a distinguished track record of research in a range of areas. In particular, I have built a reputation for my work on Cuban-Mexican poet José María Heredia, the picaresque novel, adaptations of Don Quijote, Juan Valera's novels, as well as Spanish-American writers Alejo Carpentier and Roberto Bolaño.

In recent years, my research activity has principally focused on completing the scholarly edition of the complete poetry of José María Heredia (published in 2020) and exploring Argentine representations of the 1982 Falklands War.

Since 2009, I have been the general editor of the peer-reviewed open-access online journal New Readings (Cardiff University Press).

As Founding Director and curator of the Santander Collection of Hispanic Comics and Graphic Literature, since its inception in 2011 I have grown this special collec­tion into a university asset for research on comics and graphic novels.

Publication

2023

2022

2020

2019

2018

2016

2015

2014

2013

2011

2009

2008

2007

2006

2004

2003

  • Altenberg, T. 2003. La epistolaridad de Pepita Jiménez de Juan Valera. In: Stenzel, H. and Wolfzettel, F. eds. Estrategias narrativas y construcciones de una 'realidad': Lecturas de las 'Novelas contemporáneas' de Galdós y otras novelas de la época.. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: Ediciones del Cabildo Insular de Gran Canaria, pp. 227-248.

2002

2001

2000

Articles

Book sections

Books

Research

Following the publication of an article on Roberto Bolaño's novel 2666 in 2018 and a major critical edition in 2020 (see below for details), my current research focuses principally on the following two areas:

  • The Malvinas/Falklands War in Argentine culture
  • Latin American national poets

Malvinas/Falklands War

Over the last few years, I have been working on representations of the 1982 Malvinas/Falklands conflict, with a particular focus on Argentine comics. Initial findings were published as a co-authored article (open access) in 2019: 'Blending Fact and Fiction in Graphic War Narratives: A Diachronic Analysis of Argentine Falklands War Comics'. The next step in this research project approaches the armed conflict from the angle of iconic events in relation to the Argentine war trauma narrative.

Latin American national poets

My second large-scale research project considers the social processes by which the so-called national poets in Latin America have been elevated to glory. A first approach to the topic is through José María Heredia, whose rise to, and subsequent fall from, the category of a national poet is being considered alongside that of José Martí and Nicolás Guillén.

Critical edition of J. M. Heredia

In 2020 I published the first rigorous critical edition of the complete poetry of Cuban-Mexican author José María Heredia (Iberoamericana/Vervuert; digital edition by de Gruyter). The edition of 1,121 pages culminates my work on this poet, which began with my well-received 2001 monograph Melancolía en la poesía de José María Heredia (also Iberoamericana/Vervuert; reedited in 2011 by Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes).

Teaching

Since 1999 I have been teaching a wide range of modules to undergraduate and postgraduate students, and supervised research projects at MA, PhD and post-doc level.

Contributions to team-taught modules:

  • 1968 student revolt in Latin America
  • Magical Realism
  • Intertextuality
  • Close reading of poetry
  • Narratology
  • Study skills

Modules I have divised and delivered:

  • Introduction to the Study of Hispanic Literature
  • The Spanish American novela testimonio (Ricardo Pozas, Miguel Barnet, Gabriel García Márquez)
  • Slaveholder Societies in the 19th-Century Spanish American Novel (Cirilo Villaverde: Cecilia Valdés and Jorge Isaacs: María)
  • Spanish Golden Age Poetry
  • Fernando de Rojas: La Celestina
  • Emilia Pardo Bazán: Los Pazos de Ulloa and La madre Naturaleza
  • The Short Fiction of Leopoldo Alas «Clarín»
  • Juan Valera: Pepita Jiménez and Genio y figura
  • Editing Poetry: José María Heredia
  • The Spanish American novela de la tierra and the Novel of the Mexican Revolution
  • Textual and Visual Representations of the Mexican Revolution
  • Inventing Latin America in Literature, Film and Popular Culture
  • Don Quijote: Novel and Films
  • Spanish-American Poetry
  • Spanish-American Short Stories
  • Interlingual Subtitling (MA)

Enquiries from prospective research students are particularly welcome in the following topic areas:

  • Falklands War / Guerra de Malvinas
  • Mexican Revolution
  • Spanish American poetry, in particular Nicanor Parra's antipoesía
  • Picaresque novel
  • 19th- and 20th-century Latin American literature
  • Audiovisual translation involving Spanish
  • Hispanic comics
  • Comics narratology and aesthetics
  • Comics translation
  • Comics adaptation

Biography

Education and qualifications

  • 2003: Postgraduate Diploma: Teaching in Higher Education – Universität Hamburg (Germany)
  • 1999: Dr phil in Hispanic Literature – Universität Hamburg (Germany) (summa cum laude)
  • 1995: State Exam for Teaching in Secondary Education: Spanish, German, Pedagogy – Universität Hamburg (Germany)
  • 1991: University Diploma: Teaching German as a Second Language – Universität Bonn (Germany)
  • 1989 – 1995: Undergraduate studies at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn (Germany), Universidad de Chile (Santiago de Chile), Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal) and Universität Hamburg (Germany)

Honours and awards

  • 2019: Inaugural Award for Outstanding Journal Reviewers (Liverpool University Press)
  • 2016: Nomination for ‘Most Inspiring Teacher’ award (School of Modern Languages)

Professional memberships

  • Since 2016: Comics Studies Society (Founding Member)
  • Since 2015: Asociación Cultural Tebeosfera (ACT)
  • Since 2014: European Society for Periodical Research (ESPRit)
  • Since 2007: Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland (AHGBI)
  • 2009 - 2015: Society for Latin American Studies (SLAS)
  • 1998 - 2017: Modern Language Association (MLA)
  • 1998 - 2016: German Association of Hispanists (DHV)

Academic positions

  • 2017 - present: Reader in Hispanic Studies, Cardiff University
  • 2008 - 2017: Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies, Cardiff University
  • 2006 - 2008: Lecturer in Hispanic Studies, Cardiff University
  • 1999 - 2005: Assistant Professor of Hispanic Literature, Universität Hamburg (Germany)
  • 1996 - 1999: Research and Teaching Assistant, Universität Hamburg (Germany)

Committees and reviewing

Peer reviewing

I have been a peer reviewer for the following academic journals:

  • Bulletin of Hispanic Studies
  • Bulletin of Spanish Studies
  • Journal of Romance Studies
  • Modern Languages Open
  • Journal of European Comic Art
  • Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance
  • Languages, Texts and Society Journal
  • Nueva Revista de Filología Hispánica (Mexico)
  • La Colmena (Mexico)
  • ES Review: Spanish Journal of English Studies (Spain)

External committees

  • 2014 - 2016: Member of the Board of Trustess of the Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland
  • 2012 - 2016: Member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland (Treasurer)

Appointments as External Examiner

  • 2020: External PhD Examiner – Swansea University
  • 2018: External PhD Examiner – Swansea University
  • 2015 - 2019: BA Latin American and Hispanic Studies & MRes Hispanic Studies – University of Liverpool
  • 2014 - 2019: BA Spanish & MA Translation – Swansea University

Supervisions

Enquiries from prospective research students are particularly welcome in the following topic areas:

  • Falklands War / Guerra de Malvinas
  • Mexican Revolution
  • Spanish American poetry, in particular Nicanor Parra's antipoesía
  • Picaresque novel
  • 19th- and 20th-century Latin American literature
  • Audiovisual translation involving Spanish
  • Hispanic comics
  • Comics narratology and aesthetics
  • Comics translation
  • Comics adaptation