Dr Valdi Astvaldsson BA (Hons), PhD

(1) Non-Western Cultures in Latin American Literature.

The aim is to study the ways in which non-western peoples and cultures are represented in Latin American literature. The issue of representation is crucial, for there are as yet relatively few native and black writers and it is necessary to look critically at literature that claims to represent non-western peoples.

(2) Central American Literature and Culture.

My focus on the work of Manlio Argueta has led to a wider interest in Central American literature. In particular, I am looking at the relationship between the literature produced from the 1950s and what has been published since the late 1980s. This includes looking at an increasing body of literary work by Mayan writers in Guatemala.

Recent Publications:

Astvaldsson (ed.), Permeable Borders: Pre-Hispanic Myth in Latin American Literature. Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, 88 (6), 2011, (special issue).

Astvaldsson (ed.), Creation and Endurance: Pre-Hispanic Myth in Latin American Literature. Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, 89 (5), 2012, (special issue).

Craft, Linda, Astvaldur Astvaldsson and Ana Patricia Rodríguez (eds), Desde la hamaca al trono…y más allá: Lecturas críticas de la obra de Manlio Argueta (San Salvador: Universidad Tecnológica, 2013).

‘Mitos, paisaje y modernidad en la literatura latinoamericana’. In Magdalena Chocano, William Rowe y Helena Usandizaga (eds), Huellas del mito prehispánico en la literatura latinoamericana (Madrid/Frankfurt: Iberoamericana/Vervuert, 2011), 67-90.

‘Un mundo sonoro: naturaleza, lenguaje y resistencia en la poesía de Humberto Ak’abal’. In José Carlos Rovira and Eva Valero Juan (eds), Mito, palabra e historia en la tradición literaria latinoamericana (Madrid/Frankfurt: Iberoamericana/Vervuert, 2013): 133-151.