This fall, the Hispanic studies department will host "Carlos Fuentes Beyond Borders," a commemoration honoring former professor-at-large and Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes, who died last May after suffering an internal hemorrhage. Through a series of bilingual talks given by Fuentes' former students and colleagues, the Rochambeau House event will celebrate his life and career Oct. 8 and 9.
Julio Ortega, a professor of Hispanic studies who had known Fuentes since 1969, will moderate, opening with an explanation about the Transatlantic Project at Brown, a Hispanic studies program that promotes student and faculty dialogue surrounding social and political issues between Spain and the Americas.
Speakers will include former president of Chile and professor-at-large Ricardo Lagos, professors from Princeton and New York University and Fuentes' former students and mentees, according to the official commemoration program.
By beginning the ceremony with a former student and finishing with Lagos, the event will come full circle in touching upon each of Fuentes' major life contributions, Ortega said.
An internationally renowned author, Fuentes was associated with the Latin American boom of the 1960s and 1970s, during which several Latin American authors gained global acclaim. Fuentes won numerous awards for his work, including Mexico's National Prize for Arts and Sciences and the Miguel de Cervantes Prize. The son of a Mexican diplomat, Fuentes was also politically active, speaking out on American foreign policy and Mexican politics and serving for two years as the Mexican ambassador to France.
"Fuentes was a much admired member of the Brown community," wrote former president Ruth Simmons in a May press release, noting his interaction with students and literary achievements. "He lived a long, full and storied life, and he enriched our community through his work and many lasting contributions."
Ortega served as Fuentes' biographer, writing a short book, "Retrato de Carlos Fuentes," on the author's life and work. He praised Fuentes during an interview in May for excelling in his many roles as a "professor, writer and scholar."
"He always was planning a new novel, a new article and conferences," Ortega told The Herald in May. "We're going to miss him because we really have lost a relationship with the future that we used to have in the Spanish language."
Fuentes also taught at Harvard, Princeton and Columbia before arriving at Brown as a professor-at-large in 1996.
Fuentes was "very important at Brown because of the impact of his work," Ortega said. "He has been crucial in synchronizing our teaching to the literary international scene of new writing."
"Professor-at-large is a very special position for very well-known people at the top of their field," and Fuentes' role will not be an easy one to fill, Ortega said.
An earlier version of this article was published online May 23.
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