1936-2016: Homage to Federico García Lorca 80 Years After his Death

California State University, Long Beach
November 17th, 2016

CALL FOR SCHOLARLY AND CREATIVE PRESENTATIONS

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Anthony Geist (Washington University)

Abstract deadline: September 1st, 2016

It is a pleasure to invite you to our “1936-2016: Homage to Federico García Lorca 80 Years After his Death”. The conference is organized by the Department of Romance, German, and Russian Languages and Literatures from the California State University, Long Beach and will take place in the Anatol Center on November 17th, 2016. Abstracts for both creative projects and scholarly presentations are welcome.

Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) is, together with Cervantes, the most studied and internationally recognized and influential Spanish author. Lorca is very well known as a poet and dramatist, but he was also a musician, a draughtsman, an actor, and also authored a film script. Lorca traveled to New York in 1929-1930 getting in touch with Harlem Renaissance authors such as Nella Larsen. He was also influenced by jazz, by the poetry of Walt Whitman, as well as by Mexican Avant-Garde artists such as Emilio Amero, among others. After his stay in New York, he travelled also to Cuba, and in the 30’s he became a celebrity in Argentina and Uruguay. His art combines the most atavistic and traditional influences from Andalusian folklore with the most daring avant-garde techniques; freedom of expression and social commitment fuse in his works in an unprecedented way.

Lorca’s assassination by Francoist fascist authorities took place at the very beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and set the note of brutality that, sadly, would be held in Spain in the following years. The history of Lorca’s assassination has still today many gaps that remain unexplained. His remains are still lost in one of the more than 2000 common graves that hold nearly 150000 unidentified bodies of victims of one of the most terrible fratricidal wars in History.

Lorca has become more than an author. He is a symbol of freedom of expression and a very important figure for the gay rights, and anti-war movements in the 20th Century. Many cities and institutions worldwide are commemorating this sad anniversary with cultural and literary events.

We invite those interested from any field to submit proposals to explore any theme related to the figure of Lorca. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

Lorca’s Literature
Lorca and Music
Lorca and Art
Lorca and Film
Lorca and Other Literatures
Lorca and Politics
Lorca and the Spanish Civil War
Lorca and the Americas
Collaborations with Lorca
Translations
Film Adaptations
Lorca as a Fictional Character
Lorca and Activism
History
Art, Music, Creative Writing, Dance, Theater, etc, Inspired by/Honoring Lorca’s Figure

Guide for authors: The presentations will be limited to 15 minutes.
To submit your abstract for consideration, please send it to lorcacoloquio@gmail.com by September 1st, 2016.
For any enquiries regarding the conference, please contact: daniel.herreracepero@csulb.edu

We look forward to seeing you at Long Beach.

Sincerely,
Dr. Daniel Herrera Cepero
Chair of the Organizing Committee