Dear Student,
I am writing with a heavy heart to share the sad news that José Antonio Mazzotti, the King Felipe VI of Spain Professor of Spanish Culture, and Professor of Romance Studies, passed away on the afternoon of Thursday, September 5.
In addition to being a poet and literary activist, José Antonio was a world-renowned scholar on colonial Latin American studies, Latin American and Spanish poetry, Andean studies, film studies, and endangered languages, and was also considered the foremost expert on writer and chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega, "El Inca" (1539-1616).
Originally from Perú, José Antonio Mazzotti arrived at the Department of Romance Studies at Tufts in 2005 as an Associate Professor and then was soon promoted to Professor in 2006. He served as the chair of the department from 2006 to 2012, and was appointed to his named professorship in 2016 in recognition of his significant scholarly accomplishments.
Prior to his arrival at Tufts, José Antonio held the title of Gardner Cowles Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literature at Harvard University from 2002 to 2005 and was an Assistant Professor from 1997 to 2002, also at Harvard University. He received his PhD in Colonial Latin American Literature from Princeton University in 1993, where he also earned his MA in 1991, and held an MA in Latin American literature from the University of Pittsburgh. He did his undergraduate work at the prestigious Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú in Lima.
José Antonio was a remarkably prolific scholar, authoring many books including The Creole Invention of Perú: Ethnic Nation and Epic Poetry in Colonial Lima (Cambria Press, 2019), El zorro y la luna. Poemas reunidos 1981-2016 (Casa de las Américas, 2018), Encontrando un inca: ensayos escogidos sobre el Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (Universidad de La Habana, 2018), Lima fundida: épica y nación criolla en el Perú (Vervuert & Iberoamericana, 2016) and Encontrando un inca: ensayos escogidos sobre el Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (Axiara, 2016). His collection El Zorro y la Luna. Poemas reunidos 1981-2016 received the José Lezama Lima International Prize of Poetry from Casa de las Américas, Cuba, in 2018.
José Antonio also served as President of the International Association of Peruvianists since 1995 and as Director of the Revista de Crítica Literaria Latinoamericana since 2010. He received multiple awards and honors over the course of his academic career, as well as grants from the National Science Foundation, the American Philosophical Society, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. As one of the most important authorities on Colonial Literature in the Americas, he was frequently invited to Spain as a keynote speaker for conferences and symposia on one of his subjects of study.
José Antonio is survived by his beloved wife, Barbara Corbett, lecturer in the Departments of History and Romance Studies, his sons, and his close colleagues and friends.
A poetry event on campus will be held to celebrate his life and work at a later date. In the meantime, please join me as we extend our compassion and condolences to all who knew and loved José Antonio.
During difficult moments such as these, I encourage you to connect and spend time with your friends, your classmates, and your loved ones, whether at or outside of Tufts. On campus there also are multiple points of support for students that can respond to individual and group needs. Here’s how to get started:
