Memories from the Archive: A Life, by Roberto González Echevarría (translated by Jonathan Tittler)

“Every student of Latin American literature should read this book.” – Rolena Adorno, Sterling Professor Emerita of Spanish, Yale University.

Memories from the Archive: A Life is the memoir of Roberto González Echevarría, one of the most distinguished scholars in Latin American literature and culture of his time. Awarded a Guggenheim grant, honorary doctorates, a National Medal for the Humanities, and the Premio de la Crítica, González Echevarría’s work has defined the field for over five decades.

In this memoir, he rejects traditional autobiographical conventions, instead exploring memory, chance, and the gaps in his recollections. His narrative intertwines personal stories, including his rise from a Jesuit school and public institutions in Cuba to becoming a multilingual scholar at Yale. González Echevarría recounts how he transformed the Department of Spanish at Yale, turning it into the nation’s leading department. He also delves into his personal life, including the profound loss of his youngest child to cancer, while maintaining an extraordinary academic productivity.

Written with honesty, humor, and a touch of rebelliousness, Memories from the Archive is the story of a man who continually surpasses himself, both personally and professionally, shaping the future of Latin American studies.

“This excellent translation is a gift to Anglophone readers, who will be treated to a thrilling account of the birth of post-structuralism, wonderful portraits of figures ranging from Severo Sarduy to Paul de Man, frank accounts of the travails and triumphs of American academic life, and moving passages about the exilic experience of a towering reader and writer—one who, though Cuban by birth and conviction, became nothing short of universal.” – Nicolás Medina Mora, Senior Editor, Nexos