The Cervantes Chair or Cátedra Cervantes at the University of Edinburgh was inaugurated in May 2023 with the appointment of Professor Alexis Grohmann. It is the result of collaboration between the University, the Consulate General of Spain in Edinburgh, and the Instituto Cervantes in Manchester. It represents a new model for the presence of the Instituto Cervantes in the world. This collaboration means that for the first time, the Cervantes Institute, which has 92 centres across four continents and in 47 countries, will be organising events and activities open to the public in Scotland.
The Cervantes Chair is a platform for promoting Spanish and Iberian languages, arts, culture, and science across Scotland.
Mission
The Cervantes Chair collaborates with Scottish cultural institutions to offer a diverse range of events related to the Spanish language, arts, culture, and science. These events aim to promote the study of Spanish languages (including Castilian, Galician, Catalan, and Basque) and to celebrate and foster cultural connections between Scotland and Spain. In education, the focus is on training local primary and secondary teachers in Spanish to encourage the continuation of these links for generations to come.
We are delighted to have been selected as the partner for the Cervantes Institute in Scotland and proud to host the world’s first ever Cervantes Chair here at the University. It means more opportunities for communities across Scotland to engage with and connect with Spanish language, literature and culture and deepen our existing connections and partnerships between Scotland and Spain.
Cultural programme 2025
Literary Journeys: A Conversation with María José Solano | Viajes literarios: una conversación con María José Solano
Tuesday, 8 April, 5:45 - 6:30pm50 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LH. Project Room 1.06
Book Launch:'Outside Paradise' by Bernardo Atxaga
Thursday, 1 May, 6pm 50 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LH. Project Room 1.06
Professor Alexis Grohmann
Professor Alexis Grohmann was appointed to the first Cervantes Chair in May 2023. Professor Grohmann is Professor of Contemporary Spanish Literature at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of over 200 publications in the fields of contemporary Spanish and European literatures, including the first full-length study of the novels of Javier Marías, Coming into One's Own: The Novelistic Development of Javier Marías, as well as other books on Marías, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, digression in European literature, and the Spanish newspaper column. In 2016, he was elected as a foreign correspondent to Spain's Royal Academy. In 2020, he formed part of the jury of the European literature prize Premio Formentor de las Letras. In 2022, he was appointed as the director of the Arturo Pérez-Reverte Chair at the Universidad de Murcia. Since 2022, he writes a newspaper column for the Spanish newspaper The Objective.
This collaboration is not just for the University, it's not just for the city; it's for Scotland.
About the Instituto Cervantes
The Cervantes Institute is the official Spanish Language and Cultural centre. It is a non-profit organisation founded by the Spanish Government in 1991. Its mission is to promote and support the teaching, study, and use of Spanish abroad, as well as to promote Spanish and Hispanic cultures more generally.
Join our mailing list
Related Links:
This article was published on