Manuel Mantero
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manuel Mantero is a Spanish professor and writer (born in Seville on July 29, 1930). In 1969, Mantero moved to the United States and continued his work as a professor.
Move to the United States
He earned a law degree from the University of Seville, and a doctorate in law from the University of Salamanca, with a dissertation on philosophy and law in the work of the Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi (1957). He served as a professor in the University of Seville and contributor to the School of Hispanic American Studies, under the direction of Spain’s Higher Council of Scientific Research (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), as well as a member of the school journal, Estudios Americanos (American Studies.) In 1960, he moved to Madrid, with a hiatus in Rome, where he did research under the auspices of the Italian Government. During the 1960s, he developed an intense cultural and professional body work: literary critic, collaborator with newspapers and specialized publications, commentator on television or radio programs and a speaker on Spain’s lecture circuit. During the 60's, he worked as a professor at the University of Madrid. Mantero was a member of the Cervantes Institute in Madrid, and the National Institute of Legal Studies, both academic affiliates of the Higher Council of Scientific Research.
In 1969, Mantero moved to the United States as a full professor at Western Michigan University. In Western Michigan, he founded and edited the magazine Sagittarius, whose contributors included Jorge Luis Borges, Jorge Guillén, Vicente Aleixandre, Agustín Yáñez, Emilio Carballido. In 1973, he moved to the University of Georgia, where he occupied a special Chair as a Distinguished Literature Professor until August of the year 2000, the date of his retirement. Currently he is an emeritus distinguished research professor at the University of Georgia.
During the years Mantero resided outside of Spain, he never stopped returning to his native country or participating in its cultural traditions. Two of his most recent books, Había una ventana de colores (memorias) (There Was a Window of Colors (memoirs)) and Equipaje (poesía) (Luggage (poetry)), were initially released in Spain. The memoirs were introduced by Spain's Minister of Culture, Carmen Calvo, Prof. Jorge Urrutia, Technical Director of the Cervantes Institute, and writer/journalist Antonio Burgos. The book of verse was introduced in Madrid by Prof. Rogelio Blanco, Director General of Books, Archives and Libraries, and Prof. Juan Carlos Marset, poet and Delegate of Culture to the City Council of Seville.
