Hortensia Calvo

Hortensia Calvo is the Doris Stone Director of the Latin American Library and Core Faculty member at Tulane University’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies. She specializes in Spanish American literary Baroque and early modern print culture. Previously, she served as Assistant Professor at Princeton University (1990–1996) and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Duke University (2002). Her administrative roles include Director of the Latin American Library since 2003 and membership in Fundación Amistad’s Board.

Education:

• Ph.D., Spanish, Yale University, 1990
• M.A., Spanish and Spanish American Literature, University of Illinois, 1984
• Licenciatura, Philosophy, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia, 1980

Research Interests: Dr. Calvo explores the intersection of literary and social history in early modern Latin America, with a focus on marginalized voices like Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s mentor, María Luisa Manrique. Her work bridges archival discovery and institutional memory, emphasizing the preservation of Latin American cultural heritage in academic libraries.

Publications: Her scholarship spans monographs on colonial literary networks and articles on library collections. Recent work includes a revised edition of Cartas de Lysi (2023) and analyses of Latin American books in U.S. academic libraries.

Awards:

• Summer Research Grants (Princeton University, 1992–1994)
• John Carter Brown Library Research Fellowship (1988)
• Edward A. and Samuel C. Suisman Fellowship (Yale University, 1986–1987)

Advising & Grants: While no formal advisees are listed, her leadership at the Latin American Library supports countless researchers. Her grants funded archival research, including studies of colonial manuscripts and Sor Juana’s correspondences.

Labs/Teams: The Latin American Library under her direction serves as a hub for Latin American studies, housing rare books, archives, and collaborative research initiatives.