UTalca presented a key work on Raúl Zurita at the Cervantes Institute in Madrid
With this international launch, the University of Talca reaffirms its commitment to bringing academic excellence and Latin American literature to new global audiences.
The University of Talca Press celebrated a milestone in its internationalization and cultural engagement strategy by presenting the book "An Approach to the Poetry of Raúl Zurita. Two Perspectives" at the Cervantes Institute in Madrid. This work, co-published with the University of Alicante (UA) in Spain, compiles two decades of joint research on the Chilean poet by professors José Carlos Rovira and Eva Valero Juan.
The event was inaugurated by the director of the Cervantes Institute, Luis García Montero, and brought together essential figures such as the poet Raúl Zurita himself, doctor honoris causa from the UA, the authors, and the director of the University of Talca Publishing House, Marcela Albornoz Dachelet.
Also in attendance were the Chilean ambassador to Spain, Javier Velasco Villegas, and the distinguished Nicaraguan writer Sergio Ramírez Mercado, winner of the Cervantes Prize in 2017 - the most important in Spanish-language literature - and in 2011 the José Donoso Ibero-American Prize for Literature, awarded by the University of Talca, among many other international recognitions.
In her speech, Director Marcela Albornoz Dachelet emphasized the strategic importance of the presentation as a reflection of the global projection of the University of Talca, an institution that operates from the heart of the Maule Region, Chile, "but with a clear global vocation."
“It is an immense honor to be here today in this significant and globally prestigious cultural space, the Cervantes Institute in Madrid, to celebrate a momentous milestone for our publishing house,” he declared.
He emphasized the publishing house's role as an active agent enriching the intellectual and cultural capital of the Maule region and Chile, projecting it to the world. He stressed that the co-publication with the University of Alicante is "the most recent and brilliant manifestation of this alliance, a collaboration that is fundamental for the international visibility of Latin American literature and criticism."
In the same vein, he mentioned other efforts such as the talks on the José Donoso Prize Collection in Berlin (2023), together with Cristina Rivera Garza and Samanta Schweblin; and the presentation in New York (2024) together with Lina Meruane, stating that this new book is the “perfect synthesis of our role: a catalog of excellence, a work of knowledge transfer, and a fruit of international collaboration.”
Voices of the authors
The meeting, which reinforces the close collaboration between Spanish and Chilean institutions, highlighted the importance of Zurita's work, one of the essential voices of Latin American poetry.
Eva Valero Juan, author of the book and director of the Department of Spanish Philology at the University of Alicante, emphasized that the book “stems from the desire to understand a poetry that continues to expand.” She underscored that Zurita is “an author whose writing projects itself toward the landscapes, memory, and history of Chile, but also toward the universal experience of pain and hope.”
For his part, José Carlos Rovira, also an author and professor emeritus at the University of Alicante, recalled the impact of listening to the poet, alluding to verses such as “words that remained forever among the rocks, the sea, and the mountains.” He defined the volume as “an exercise in closeness and an attempt to organize years of readings, correspondence, and conversations with Zurita.”
During the presentation, the poet Raúl Zurita offered an emotional reading of some fragments of his works, moving the audience at the Cervantes Institute and highlighting the power of his own words.
About the work
An Approach to the Poetry of Raúl Zurita: Two Perspectives is the result of nearly two decades of critical and intellectual work. The volume offers a detailed and human reading of Zurita's poetic project, exploring its trajectory from Purgatorio to his landscape interventions, and addressing manuscripts, correspondence, and critical notes.
The authors conclude that Zurita's poetry "requires a double look," not only because of the co-authorship of the study, but also because of the hybrid nature of the work that "repositions Latin American poetry in the 21st century."
With this international launch, the University of Talca Press reaffirms its commitment to bringing academic excellence and Latin American literature to new global audiences.
Availability and open access
In line with the policy of democratizing knowledge promoted by the University of Talca Press, the book *An Approach to the Poetry of Raúl Zurita: Two Perspectives* is available for free download in the Ebooks section of the press's website. Editorial.
The book presentation can be viewed on the Instituto Cervantes YouTube channel, at the following link:
