Dr Thomas Nulley-Valdés is a lecturer in Spanish Studies (Language and Literature) and an emerging scholar of world literature with a focus on Spanish and Latin American literature of the 20th and 21st centuries.

His areas of research include world literature theories and methodologies, Latin America's historical identity discourse, anthologies and literary canonization, author studies, Latino literature in the USA and Chilean literary history.

“My research field analyses literary production and reception at national, regional or global strata using literary, historical, and sociological methods,” Dr Nulley-Valdés said. His research spans continents and numerous countries of Latin America as well as many genres, such as the novel, poetry, the short story, essays and anthologies.

Dr Nulley-Valdés has undertaken extensive fieldwork research of archival material and generated his own archive of author interviews with authors in Chile, The United States, Portugal, and Spain during his PhD candidature.

His first monograph McOndo Revisited: The Making of a Generation Defining Anthology in the Latin American Literature World is due to be published in July 2023. It analyses the artistic trajectories of the authors involved in the McOndo anthology through a complex evaluation of what he terms the ‘Latin American literary world.’

“I interviewed around 30 authors and gained valuable insights by interacting with them for my research. Some of my most memorable experiences were interviewing Alberto Fuguet in Santiago —the co-editor of the McOndo anthology which is the focus of my book—, as well as David Toscana in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lisbon, Edmundo Paz Soldán in Seville, Cristina Rivera Garza in Tampa, and Latino authors Naief Yehya and Giannina Braschi in their Brooklyn and Manhattan homes, respectively” Dr Nulley-Valdés said.

Dr Nulley-Valdés will soon be heading to Harvard University to attend and present at the 13^th Institute of World Literature (IWL) Program from 5-14 July 2023.

The program is being held at Harvard and features guest lectures and seminars by leading names in world literature, including American literary historian Professor David Damrosch, writer, poet and scholar Professor Mariano Siskind, and Professor Homi K. Bhabha, to name a few.

A lecturer in Spanish Studies, Dr Nulley-Valdés is teaching second-year Spanish to students in 2023, while additionally “Next semester, I will be teaching a literary history of Spain and Latin America called ‘Más que palabras’” he said.

“I love teaching and try to bring my passion, enthusiasm, and humour to every class. I try to make my classes interactive and fun whether it’s learning Spanish language grammar or studying art, literature, or intellectual history.”