Jose Monleon: May 14, 1950-August 11, 2005

With great sadness, I write to say that our Spanish colleague and Vice-Chair of Romance Languages, José Monleón, passed away on the morning of August 11, a victim of the cancer he had been fighting courageously since February. Although he had been a member of the department for a relatively short time, José brought vision and optimism not only to the Spanish section, but to the department as a whole. The ultimate "team player," José believed that what was good for the department was good for Spanish, and he acted accordingly. Thanks to the initiative of José, with the effective partnership of Barbara Zecchi, the department initiated a successful foreign study program in Madrid. Under José's leadership, supported by Christian Delacampagne and Walter Stephens, the undergraduate programs in Romance Languages have been immeasurably strengthened thanks largely to suggestions put forward—with his signature modesty and quiet humor—by José. Thanks to his suggestions and efforts, aided by the good will of colleagues, José played a key role in creating a culture of solidarity across the different sections.

José was not simply a good teacher; he was a gifted one. His passion for literature, particularly the modern Spanish novel, drew upon his understanding of how deeply the historic events of the late nineteenth and twentieth century in Spain influenced literary perspectives. This was the subject of his last book, completed shortly before his illness, Literature and Dictatorship: The Novel under Franco. A tireless researcher and prolific writer, José published some six editions of modern Spanish authors such as Gustavo Bécquer, Juan Valera, and Benito Pérez Galdós. He also wrote a well-known study of the literature of the fantastic in Spanish: A Specter is Haunting Europe: A Socio-Historic Approach to the Fantastic. His many published articles and book chapters explored aspects of European history's influence on nineteenth- and twentieth-century Spanish literature. As a critic, José had a unique talent for exploring the interface of history and literature—a talent he communicated brilliantly in his seminars.

Born in Spain, José Monleón came to the United States for his university training. He received the B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego. Before joining our department in 2002, José taught at Dartmouth College and at UCLA.

José Monleón was with us for only three short years. But what a difference he made, and what a vast void he leaves! We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife, Barbara Zecchi, and their son, Michael.