From the Editor

We all knew that it was coming, as the news arriving from England was not reassuring; still, it was difficult to accept that someone with the energy and determination of Alan D. Deyermond could leave us for good, as he did on September 19, 2009.

Alan Deyermond graced La corónica’s pages with numerous contributions, beginning in fall 1974, when he published a brief summary of his paper titled “Lyric Traditions in Non-Lyrical Genres” to be presented that year at the MLA (3.1: 3), through his participation in the 2002 forum, “The Genre of the ‘Sentimental Romance’” (31.2: 266–73). Alan’s last appearance in our pages was in spring 2006, when Joseph T. Snow reported on his investidura as Doctor Honoris causa at the University of Valencia (“Investido Alan Deyermond por la Universidad de Valencia Doctor Honoris Causa” 34.2: 264-67).

Alan Deyermond in Valencia after being invested with the degree of Doctor Honoris causa, with (left to right) Antonia Sánchez Macarro, Jaime Siles and Joan Oleza. Behind Alan is José Luis Canet.

On the Mediber listserv, my predecessor, George Greenia, evoked Alan’s thoughtfulness and scholarly excellence two days after his death: “He LOVED it when I asked him to clarify or adjust something to make it better, clearer. He set the gold standard among our contributors”. Alan’s knowledge was as deep as his kindness, and we all mourn the loss of one of the great scholars of Spanish literature who was also, and above all, a teacher and a mentor. His voice made a tremendous impact on several generations of Hispanists and will continue to be heard by future students and scholars.

His former student and long-time friend Jane Connolly remembers Alan’s professional and personal life and has worked very hard to compile a list of publications in time for this issue. It is no small accomplishment, given the vast scope of Alan’s scholarship and the fact that Jane had to do some detective work with the help of his daugther, Ruth. Finding Alan’s most recent curriculum vitae also turned out to be a real challenge, as his department had shredded the 2009 version after their research assessment was completed.

The CV that Ruth managed to find had many omissions and several enigmatic entries. Jane solved all the problems and then adapted the list of publications to the MLA guidelines for bibliographies and citations. Alan objected to this system, but we are sure that he would forgive us.

In addition to this note, La corónica is planning a special number as a tribute to his enduring legacy. Murió el omne, mas non murió el su nombre.

The senior editorial team joins me in expressing our gratitude to Dean Jacqueline Fetrow, Associate Provost Mark Welker, and Chair of the Department of Romance Languages Byron Wells at Wake Forest University. We also thank Dean Joseph Steinmetz and Associate Dean Paul D’Anieri of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas. Without their continued financial support, this journal could not continue.