López Named Edwin B. and Leonore R. Williams Professor of Romance Languages

Ignacio Javier López, Professor and Chair of Romance Languages, has been appointed Edwin B. and Leonore R. Williams Professor of Romance Languages. A highly distinguished scholar of the literary history of Spain from the 19th century to the present, López has authored six books on the modern Spanish novel, including Revolución, Restauración y novela and La novela ideológica, 1875-1880, and dozens of articles exploring a range of topics in romanticism, the modern period, surrealism (Prados, Larrea, Dalí, and Buñuel), and Spanish post-modernity. Currently he is the General Editor of Hispanic Review, a position he has held for nine years. His scholarship and service have been recognized with many honors, awards, and fellowships, including awards from the Ministerio de Cultura, Spain, and the Program for Cultural Cooperation U.S./Spain. López has served as Chair of the Department of Romance Languages for 15 years.

The late Edwin B. and Leonore R. Williams established this chair through their estate in 1982. Edwin B. Williams served on the faculty of the Department of Romance Languages from 1919 to 1962. He served as Chair of the Department of Romance Languages (1931-1938), Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (1938-1951), and Provost of the University (1951-1956). Leonore R. Williams was an active member of University life for more than 60 years. She was a founder of the Faculty Tea Club and was an honorary board member of the Penn Women’s Club. The Edwin B. and Leonore R. Williams Humanities and Languages Hall was named in their honor in 1972.