CURRICULUM VITAE
Prof. em. Dr. phil. habil. Alfonso de Toro is a Romanist who studied philosophy (social theory, formal logic and philosophy of science), German and Romance languages and literature (French, Latin American and Spanish literary studies and cultural theory) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich from 1973-1977. He graduated with a Magister Artium from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1977 and went to Kiel and later to Hamburg, where he taught as an assistant and then as a private lecturer between 1978 and 1992. In 1979 he attended the seminars of Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes in Paris. He received his „Dr. phil.“ from the University of Munich in 1982 with a subject about
Die Zeitstruktur im Gegenwartsroman am Beispiel von G. García Márquez, Cien años de soledad, M. Vargas Llosa, La casa verde und A. Robbe-Grillet La maison de rendez-vous (Narr Verlag) and his „Habilitation“ (Post-Doc) from the University of Hamburg in 1992 with a work about Von den Ähnlichkeiten und Differenzen. Ehre und Drama des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts in Italien und Spanie. Since 1993 he has been Full Professor of Romance Philology (for French, Spanish, Latin America and Portuguese Literature), in the field of Literary Theory, Theory of Cultural, Theatre at the Institute of Romance Languages and Literature of the University of Leipzig. He is since 2015 Professor Emeritus at the same university and he has beem one of the Directors of the Institute of Romance Languages and Literature the same University since 1993 after he has taught at the Universities of Kiel and Hamburg from 1978 until 1992.
De Toro is the founder and Director of the „Ibero-American Research Center“ and of the „Francophone Research Center“ of Leipzig, as well as the Director of scientific series: Theory and Criticism of Culture and Literature, Theory and Practice in Theater, Passages (all at Olms Verlag; Hildesheim, Zürich, New York) and Transversalité. Études et recherches sur les transitions, oscillations et interstices littéraires, transculturels et transdisciplinaires (L’Harmattan, Paris). Prof. de Toro has a long list of Books and Essays in the most prestigious publishing houses, Encyclopaedias, and Journals of the discipline as Kindlers Literatur Lexikon, Coloquio Anglo-Germano, Dispositio, Acta Literaria, Gestos, Iberoromania, Iberoamericana, Revista Canadiense de Estudios Hispánicos, Revista La Torre, Revista Iberoamericana de Literatura, Romanische Forschungen,Semiosis, Segismundo, Maske und Kothurn, Zeitschrift für Ästhetik and he has given more than three hundred lectures, woks shops and courses in Europe, USA, Latin America, in Israel and in the Maghreb; he has also been visiting professor at Universities in Spain, France, Latin America, USA and Israel.
His numerous publications in more than twelve languages deal with theater, narrative, and poetry in France, the Maghreb, Spain, Latin America, and Italy; as well as with literature and culture, Post-Modern, Post-Colonial theories as well Hybridity and Diaspora theory. An additional area of focus is philosophy (scientific theory, epistemology and social theory). His work has appeared among the best publications in his field in journals in Latin and North America, Europe, and the Maghreb. Since 1984, de Toro has held more than three hundred lectures and courses as a guest professor in Latin and North America, Europe, Israel, and the Maghreb.
HONORS AND AWARDS
Prof. Dr. Alfonso de Toro was appointed „Corresponding Member of the Chilean Language Academy Abroad“ on July 27, 2014. The reasons for Professor de Toro’s appointment within the Academy include his exceptionally successful career and great contribution to the study of literature and culture. Ceremonial act in Santiago de Chile, 07/21/2014.
Prof. de Toro has been awarded the 15th June 2009 with the Gabriela Mistral decoration and with the Rank of Great Officer which is the highest decoration that the Chilean Government has for Chilean and foreigner personalities as recognition for the merits for the development of bilateral relations between both countries.
The French Ministry of Education and Research has awarded Prof. Dr. Alfonso de Toro, with a decree from July 10th 2015, the title of „Officier dans l’ordre des Palmes académiques” for his extraordinary merits in the Franco-German university cooperation. The award created by Napoléon to honor prestigious members of the university is one of the most important distinctions that the French Government can bestow.
MUSIC STUDIES 1966-1973
Alfonso de Toro first studied music in Santiago/Chile, piano with Rudolf Lehman, music theory with Lucila Cesped and flute with Juan Bravo. From 1969-1970 he studied piano with Claudio Arrau and Rafael de Silva at The Piano School in New York and London, and from 1971-1973 in London and Munich.