The Library Unbound: Milne Library News

Fall 2025 Alden Scholar Series Lecture by Dr. Gustavo Arango

Please join us on Wednesday September 24^th, at 6 pm for the Fall 2025 Alden Scholar Series Lecture by Dr. Gustavo Arango from SUNY Oneonta’s World Languages and Literatures Department. In this lecture Dr. Arango will discuss his recently published book, Caribbean Troubadour: Perspectives on the Life and Works of Gabriel García Márquez (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books and Rowman and Littlefield, 2023, link to publisher's website). In this book, Dr. Arango brings special attention to García Márquez’s Caribbean background, as well as the deep roots of his works in the tradition of the medieval troubadours. Archival materials, never before published in English, give the final touches to this portrayal of one of the most influential Latin American writers of the twentieth century. 

This hybrid event is eligible for a LEAD Credit and is accessible via Microsoft Teams through this Campus Connection link, or in-person in the Alden Room (Milne 300), which is located on the third floor of the Milne Library. Following the lecture there will be a reception in Milne 318 where attendees can enjoy light refreshments and continue conversation with Dr. Arango about his scholarship. In-person attendees who are not associated with SUNY Oneonta can obtain a visitor parking pass from University Police for the day of the event. The event is open to the whole community, all are welcome!

Dr. Gustavo Arango is a Professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature at SUNY Oneonta. In addition to his recently published book, Caribbean Troubadour: Perspectives of the Life and Works of Gabriel García Márquez, he is also the author of the book Un ramo de nomeolvides (A Bouquet of Forget-me-nots), on the beginnings of Gabriel García Márquez as a journalist in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia; a biography of the Argentinian writer Julio Cortázar, Un tal Cortázar (A Certain Cortázar); and collections of essays, journalistic articles and short stories.

His novel Santa María del Diablo won the International Latino Book Award 2015, for the Best Historical Novel in Spanish. For his work as the editor of the literary magazine of the Colombian newspaper El Universal (1992-1998), Dr. Arango received the Colombian National Prize of Journalism Simón Bolívar (Bogotá, 1992). He was also the honored writer during the New York Hispanic/ Latino Book Fair, in October 2013.

The Alden Scholar Series began as a collaborative effort between SUNY Oneonta’s History Department and Milne Library in 2012. Held in the Alden Room, SUNY Oneonta’s University Archives and Special Collections, the Alden Scholar Series celebrates SUNY Oneonta faculty members who have published scholarly books or produced book-length projects within the last five years. Each lecture will focus on the featured publication of the faculty member and will be followed by a Q&A period from the audience. 

To explore previous talks or learn more about the Alden Scholar Series, please visit our Alden Scholar Series LibGuide. The Alden Scholar Series Coordinating Committee looks forward to the continued success of this program through this and future lectures. We hope to see you either in the Alden Room or via Teams on September 24^th at 6 pm for Dr. Gustavo Arango’s lecture!

Perspectives on the Life and Works of Gabriel García Márquez by Gustavo Arango

Call Number: PQ 8180. 17 .A73 2023

ISBN: 9781666916331

Publication Date: 2023-04-21

Perspectives on the life and works of Gabriel García Márquez: Caribbean Troubadour explores both the big picture and the small details about the Colombian Nobel Prize winner: his development as an artist, the construction of his public persona, the characteristics and the significance of his most relevant works, the secrets and the agonies of his trade, the blurred line between fact and fiction, and the recurrent themes of solitude, truth, love. Arango brings special attention to García Márquez's Caribbean background, as well as the deep roots of his works in the tradition of the medieval troubadours. Archival materials, never before published in English, give the final touches to this portrayal of one of the most influential Latin American writers of the twentieth century.