Massimo Blanco

Massimo Blanco is an Associate Professor of French Literature at Sapienza University of Rome, where he has been teaching since 2008. He is affiliated with the Department of European, American and Intercultural Studies within the Faculty of Humanities. His academic career includes numerous research grants, editorial roles, and significant contributions to the study of French literature, particularly focusing on 19th and 20th century poetry and symbolism.

His educational background includes:

• Classical high school diploma from Liceo Classico "Giosué Carducci" (1988)
• Degree in "Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures" from Sapienza University of Rome (1995, grade 110/110 with honors)
• Doctor of Research in French Studies from Sapienza University of Rome (2001)

Blanco's research spans multiple areas of French literature with particular emphasis on 19th and 20th century poetry. His work explores the intersections between literature and visual arts, examining how color, form, and imagery function across different artistic media. He has made significant contributions to the study of French symbolism, particularly the works of Mallarmé, Baudelaire, and Valéry, while also investigating surrealism and avant-garde movements. His recent research extends into digital humanities approaches to literary analysis, examining corpus linguistics and ideological patterns in surrealist poetry.

His most recent publications (2021-2024) demonstrate a continued focus on French symbolism while expanding into interdisciplinary territory. These works examine the relationship between text and visual representation, the role of color in literary expression, and the connections between French and German avant-garde movements. His scholarship reveals a consistent thread of analyzing how literary works engage with philosophical concepts of time, space, and embodiment, particularly through the lens of phenomenology and neuroscience.

Blanco has received numerous research grants supporting his scholarly work, including:

• FFABR 2017 grant (3,000 E)
• "Interactive Imagination" project (58,000 E)
• "Acrobati del futuro" project (8,000 E)
• Multiple grants for research on French workers' poetry, romanticism, and avant-garde movements

He has held various institutional roles at Sapienza University, including serving on faculty committees, coordinating Erasmus programs with French institutions, and reviewing for national research assessment bodies (ANVUR). As an educator, he has taught courses on French literature spanning from the 17th century theater to 20th century avant-garde movements, with particular focus on Baudelaire, Mallarmé, and French symbolism.

Blanco has also made significant editorial contributions, serving as director of "Laboratorio critico" (2011-2018), coordinator of "Costellazioni" (2016-2018), and reviewer for "Francofonia" (2017-2018). His scholarly work bridges traditional literary analysis with contemporary digital humanities approaches, creating a unique interdisciplinary perspective on French literary history.