Department of Spanish

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.