David Arbesú

David Arbesú is Professor of Spanish at the University of South Florida, serving as Head of the Spanish Section and Graduate Program Director for the MA in Spanish within the Department of World Languages. He has presented at over 70 national and international conferences on medieval and Golden Age Spanish literature.

His research specializes in manuscript studies, codicology, and palaeography, with significant contributions to Golden Age textual scholarship and Florida colonial history. Arbesú has discovered key historical manuscripts including Pedro Menéndez de Avilés' conquest records and legal proceedings concerning colonial Florida, demonstrating interdisciplinary expertise in literary analysis and historical documentation.

Recent publications (2018-2023) reveal sustained focus on critical editions of medieval Spanish texts like Sendebar and Libro de los gatos, alongside colonial Florida manuscripts. His work consistently bridges philological precision with historical context, producing authoritative editions that illuminate textual transmission and cultural frameworks of Iberian literature.

Arbesú serves on the Editorial Board of Harvard UP’s Dumbarton Oaks’ Medieval Library Spanish Series and as Book Review Editor for La corónica: A Journal of Medieval Hispanic Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, maintaining active leadership in scholarly publication standards.