Department of Spanish
History
Written by Ramón García Castro, translated by Roberto Castillo Sandoval, and updated by Ariana Huberman.
Español
La enseñanza del español o castellano (como se dice según las regiones donde se habla) en Haverford data del final de la guerra civil española. Entre la gran cantidad de españoles que abandonó su país se hallaban Manuel y Elisa Asensio. Haverford College les dio la posibilidad de enseñar español incorporados al departamento de francés, que era la lengua popular en esa época. Como era la costumbre se instalaron en el College y su casa se denominó “la casa hispánica” hasta hoy.
Asensio fue un profesor popular porque además de enseñar el idioma recibía a los alumnos en reuniones donde continuaban ejercitándose en el idioma. En 1971 el profesor Asensio decidió jubilarse y se inició la búsqueda de reemplazante. Mi profesor Peter Earle de la Universidad de Pennsylvania me dijo que solicitara, pero las cosas cambiaron por el camino. En febrero de 1972 los estudiantes puertorriqueños y afroamericanos se tomaron la rectoría y exigieron más atención para sus aspectos culturales. Yo estaba escribiendo mi tesis sobre Alejo Carpentier, cubano galo.
Había otro candidato compañero mío de promoción, Manuel García-Barrio, español, muy interesado en teatro. El comité solicitó y se le autorizó para que se creara un departamento de castellano independiente, separado de la tutela del francés y que incorporara el español latinoamericano, mostrando la riqueza del boom literario de América Latina. Esto correspondía justamente al deseo de las minorías de los estudiantes caribeños y afroamericanos.
Entonces el departamento de español se creó oficialmente durante la primavera de 1972 con Manuel García-Barrio, español, y Ramón García-Castro, chileno, uno dedicado a lo peninsular y yo, a lo latinoamericano.
Como se desconocía lo latinoamericano, la biblioteca no tenía nada de la literatura más de moda en ese momento. Pero el College dio fondos y la biblioteca aceptó todos mis pedidos para quedar más al día en una literatura esencial.
Al mismo tiempo tuve que inventar varios cursos para que se enseñara hasta en inglés la novelística del boom.
Creé también de manera especial la literatura del Caribe que no se enseñaba en los colleges del área, pero que estaba listo para brotar en varios lugares y así pasó.
Además yo había trabajado ocho años en el Instituto de Literatura Comparada de Santiago de Chile, bajo la dirección del profesor Roque Esteban Scarpa, Académico de la Lengua y una personalidad en el mundo literario español. Así es que estaba acostumbrado a recibir a todos los intelectuales internacionales que pasaban por Santiago. Esta experiencia la usé en Haverford para invitar a muchísimos intelectuales de la literatura del área vasta de nuestro idioma. Por eso dieron conferencias Nicanor Parra, José Donoso y Gabriela Roepke de Chile, Rosario Ferré, Rafael Ramos Otero y Luis Rafael Sánchez de Puerto Rico, Alfredo Bryce Echenique del Perú, Manuel Puig de la Argentina, Reynaldo Arenas y Guillermo Cabrera Infante de Cuba, etc.
Por otra parte García-Barrio trajo al famosísimo Juan Goytisolo.
Desde el principio la cantidad de alumnos superó el número recomendable en clases, por eso hubo profesores ayudantes como Hilda Pato que hicieron un magnífico papel.
En los años ochenta y noventa el departamento contrató al profesor Israel Burshatin de Cuba, a la profesora Graciela Michelotti de la Argentina, y al novelista y músico chileno Roberto Castillo Sandoval, que todavía forman parte esencial del departamento.
—Ramón García-Castro, Professor Emeritus of Spanish
Entre el 2006 y el 2010, el departamento contrató a las profesoras Ana López Sánchez de España, a Aurelia Gómez Unamuno de México y a Ariana Huberman de Argentina. El profesor Israel Burshatin dejó de enseñar en el 2018.
English
The teaching of Spanish—called español or castellano in Spanish America—at Haverford dates back to the end of the Spanish Civil War (1939). Among the many Spaniards who fled Spain after Franco’s victory were Manuel Asensio and Elisa Pi de Asensio. Haverford gave them the opportunity to teach Spanish, as part of the department of French, the language of choice at the time. As it was the custom, they lived on campus, and their house began to be known as “The Hispanic House”, as it is still called.
Manuel Asensio became a popular professor because in addition to teaching the language he would host students at his home in tertulias where they would continue to perfect their Spanish. In 1971, professor Asensio decided to retire, and the College set about looking for his replacement. My professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Peter Earle, suggested that I apply for the job. However, new developments changed the course of events. In February 1972, Puerto Rican and Black students took over the President’s office and demanded that more attention be paid to their cultural backgrounds. At the time, I was writing my thesis on Alejo Carpentier, a French-Cuban writer.
A classmate of mine, Manuel García-Barrio, a Spaniard specializing in theater, was interested in the job. The search committee then decided to request that the College create an independent department of Spanish that would not depend administratively on the French Department and that would incorporate Latin American language and culture to its offerings, including, for example, the richness brought forth by the so-called “Boom” of Latin American literature, then in full burst. This was precisely what the protesting Caribbean and Black students were demanding.
The Spanish Department was then created officially in the Spring of 1972, staffed by Manuel García-Barrio and Ramón García-Castro, from Spain and Chile, respectively; the former specialized in Spain and the latter in Latin America.
Since Latin America was not known at the College, Magill had none of the books in vogue at the moment, but with College funding, the library accepted all of my requests for new books, and Haverford was then up-to-date in the essential literature.
At the same time, I had to design several new courses on the “Boom” novels, including courses taught in English.
I devoted special attention to Caribbean literature, which was not taught in local colleges but that was ready to emerge; several other schools followed suit.
I had worked for eight years at the Comparative Literature Institute in Santiago, Chile, under the direction of Roque Esteban Scarpa, a member of the Spanish Language Academy and well-known figure in literary circles, so I was used to hosting all the international intellectuals who came to Santiago. I used that experience at Haverford, and I invited many intellectuals and writers from the broad Spanish-speaking world to come to campus, among them Nicanor Parra, José Donoso, and Gabriela Roepke from Chile; Rosario Ferré, Rafael Ramos Otero and Luis Rafael Sánchez from Puerto Rico; Alfredo Bryce Echenique from Perú, Manuel Puig from Argentina, Reynaldo Arenas and Guillermo Cabrera Infante from Cuba, etc.
On the other hand, García Barrio brought the very famous writer Juan Goytisolo to campus.
From the beginning, the amount of students in Spanish classes was higher than the recommended maximum, that is why we hired adjunct professors like Hilda Pato who did a magnificent job.
In the eighties and nineties, the department hired professor Israel Burshatin from Cuba; Graciela Michelotti from Argentina, and the Chilean novelist and musician Roberto Castillo Sandoval. Profs. Michelotti and Castillo are still an essential part of the Department.
—Ramón García-Castro, Professor Emeritus of Spanish
Between 2006 and 2010 the department hired Professor Ana López Sanchez from Spain, Aurelia Gómez Unamuno from México, and Ariana Huberman from Argentina. Professor Israel Burshatin retired in 2018.
Distinguished Visitor Letters
These letters were written between Ramón García Castro and the eminent authors from Spain and Latin America that he invited to speak at the college between 1973 and 1981. There is also an exchange between Prof. Israel Burshatin and Spanish author Juan Goytisolo. This collection represents a peek into the history of the Spanish Department as it was becoming established at Haverford College.