Discover the Blasco Ibáñez
Visiting Scholar Program
Join an International Community Advancing the Study of Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
The University of Tulsa welcomes visiting scholars to work with one of the most comprehensive Ibáñez research collections in the world—an archivo vivo for dissertations, first books, and new lines of inquiry.
If your work engages Blasco’s novels, political writings, film adaptations, or reception history, this program is designed with you in mind.
Advanced doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and independent scholars are invited to spend a month in residence, with direct access to rare materials and a dedicated faculty host.
“La libertad no se implora de rodillas; se conquista en los campos de batalla de la inteligencia.” — Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
The Blasco Ibáñez Visiting Scholar Initiative
The Blasco Ibáñez Visiting Scholar Initiative at The University of Tulsa offers a focused, one-month research residency centered on the Christopher L. Anderson Collection and its affiliated archives. As part of TU’s longstanding strength in Hispanic literary studies, the program serves as a meeting point for scholars from Europe, the Americas, and beyond who are advancing new work on Blasco’s literary, political, and cinematic legacies.
Whether you are completing a dissertation chapter, shaping a first monograph, revisiting Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis, or exploring the “novelas sociales,” the residency is structured so that practical needs recede and your research takes precedence.
Is this for me?
If you recognize yourself in any of these descriptions, you are squarely within our intended audience:
Advanced PhD student refining a dissertation on Blasco or related Iberian / transatlantic topics
Early-career scholar preparing an article cluster or first book
Established researcher pursuing a new project on reception history, translation, film, or cultural memory
Independent scholar with a well-defined research agenda
No formal eligibility restrictions apply—you simply need a serious research project in dialogue with Blasco’s work or its contexts.
Key Benefits
On-campus lodging (up to one month)
Private, fully furnished apartment on the TU campus, typically available at no cost to visiting scholars for a one-month stay.
Private office in Oliphant Hall
Your own workspace in the School of Language and Literature, with printing, copying, and campus internet to support daily research.
Daily support for living expenses
Visiting scholars may be considered for a $30 per diem to help offset meals and incidental costs during the residency, subject to available funding.
Travel assistance for international and domestic scholars
Scholars can be considered for travel support—up to approximately $1,000 for international visitors and $500 for domestic visitors, particularly when home institutions cannot cover expenses. Availability of travel funds varies by year.
Dedicated faculty contact
From your initial inquiry through your time on campus, you work directly with Dr. Christopher L. Anderson, Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature, who curates the collection and advises visiting researchers.
Specific funding arrangements are discussed individually with each scholar once an inquiry is received.
A Library Unlike Any Other
At the heart of the program is the Christopher L. Anderson Collection, housed in McFarlin Library’s Pat and Arnold Brown Reading Room. Introduced in 2025, this collection brings together more than 715 books, films, and related materials devoted to Vicente Blasco Ibáñez and his international reception.
According to WorldCat, at least 32 works in the collection are not held by any other library worldwide, with an additional 92 titles unique to TU within the United States and dozens more found in only a handful of U.S. institutions. This density of rare material allows scholars to reconstruct early and modern responses to Blasco with an accuracy that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.
Among the collection’s 77 Blasco-related titles, more than four-fifths include true first editions—spanning novels, short story collections, political and historical writings, social commentary, speeches, and travel narratives. Here, you can follow the evolution of La horda, La vuelta al mundo de un novelista, or Los enemigos de la mujer across printings, covers, and paratexts that rarely survive in later reprints.
The Anderson Collection is complemented by Dr. Anderson’s private archive, accessible from your office in Oliphant Hall. This working archive includes:
Approximately 1,700 chapters, articles, reviews, theses, and other scholarly writings
Roughly 2,900 Blasco-related newspaper clippings, advertisements, and announcements from major U.S. newspapers
Together, these resources support projects on topics such as:
The transatlantic circulation of Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis and its film adaptations
The formation of early academic Hispanism around Blasco
The global afterlives of the “novelas sociales” in debates over secularism, class, and democracy
If your project depends on reconstructing reception histories, tracking variant editions, or situating Blasco within broader modernist networks, this is a library designed to sustain that work.
“A decisive source of inspiration and information for my forthcoming publication.”
— Dr. Cécile Fourrel de Frettes, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
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RESEARCH EXPERIENCE & SCHOLAR STORIES
Purpose: Humanize the program through testimonial and narrative.
Content:
Featured scholar:
Dr. Cécile Fourrel de Frettes, Université Sorbonne Paris NordResearch focus: Blasco’s social novels — La Catedral, El Intruso, La Bodega, La Horda
Duration: 1 month stay at McFarlin Library
Outcome: Advanced international publication and collaboration
Sidebar:
“Recent Visiting Scholars” — rotating list or mini-gallery of names/institutions.
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LIFE IN TULSA
Purpose: Highlight the city as an enriching cultural backdrop for scholarship.
Visual + text layout: alternating images and short captions.
Headline: “Beyond the Library: Life in Tulsa”
Intro copy:
While immersed in research, visiting scholars enjoy Tulsa’s vibrant cultural scene — from historic music halls to contemporary art districts.Featured locations:
Guthrie Green: outdoor concerts and community gatherings.
Cain’s Ballroom: legendary live music venue.
Bob Dylan Center: world-class museum of modern American songwriting.
Tulsa’s First Friday Art Crawl: monthly downtown arts event.
Supporting visuals: urban scenes, gallery interiors, local color photography.
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LODGING & CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT
Purpose: Offer a sense of comfort and logistical confidence.
Content:
Text:
Visiting scholars are housed in private, fully furnished apartments within walking distance of McFarlin Library and Oliphant Hall.Images:
On-campus housing exterior and interior (optional small gallery).
TU architectural highlights: McFarlin Library façade, Kendall Hall courtyard.
Note:
Emphasize proximity: “A five-minute walk from your door to the archive.”
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APPLY OR INQUIRE
Purpose: Encourage action.
Content:
Headline: “Start Your Research Journey”
Brief text:
Outline eligibility (open to scholars at all career stages), typical duration (one month), and rolling review process.CTA Buttons:
“Apply Now” → application form link
“Contact Dr. Anderson” → mailto link (christopheranderson520@gmail.com)
Optional footer line:
Part of the Blasco Ibáñez at TU Initiative — advancing global research and cultural exchange.
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A Vision Rooted in Scholarship
The University of Tulsa has established the Blasco Ibáñez Visiting Scholar Initiative and the Blasco Ibáñez Research Collection to position Tulsa as a leading U.S. center for research on Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, the influential Valencian novelist, journalist, and political writer. By combining an exceptional on-site collection with dedicated support for visiting scholars, the program advances international scholarship on one of Spain’s most consequential literary voices.
Located in McFarlin Library’s Pat and Arnold Brown Reading Room, the Christopher L. Anderson Collection anchors this vision: approximately 715 books, films, and related materials, with a remarkably high concentration of first editions and unique or near-unique holdings in the U.S. and worldwide. The Visiting Scholar Initiative complements these resources with free on-campus lodging, private office space in Oliphant Hall, robust internet and printing access, a daily stipend, and tiered travel support for both domestic and international researchers.
Our mission is to make Tulsa the foremost center for Blasco Ibáñez studies in the United States, offering scholars sustained, in-person engagement with a uniquely rich constellation of texts, archives, and cinematic legacies.
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A Vision Rooted in Scholarship
The University of Tulsa has established the Blasco Ibáñez Visiting Scholar Initiative and the Blasco Ibáñez Research Collection to position Tulsa as a leading U.S. center for research on Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, the influential Valencian novelist, journalist, and political writer. By combining an exceptional on-site collection with dedicated support for visiting scholars, the program advances international scholarship on one of Spain’s most consequential literary voices.
Located in McFarlin Library’s Pat and Arnold Brown Reading Room, the Christopher L. Anderson Collection anchors this vision: approximately 715 books, films, and related materials, with a remarkably high concentration of first editions and unique or near-unique holdings in the U.S. and worldwide. The Visiting Scholar Initiative complements these resources with free on-campus lodging, private office space in Oliphant Hall, robust internet and printing access, a daily stipend, and tiered travel support for both domestic and international researchers.
Our mission is to make Tulsa the foremost center for Blasco Ibáñez studies in the United States, offering scholars sustained, in-person engagement with a uniquely rich constellation of texts, archives, and cinematic legacies.
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Scholar in Residence: Dr. Cécile Fourrel de Frettes
In early 2025, Dr. Cécile Fourrel de Frettes, Assistant Professor at Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, undertook a month-long research stay at McFarlin Library to work on Vicente Blasco Ibáñez’s “social novels.” Centering her project on La Catedral, El intruso, La bodega, and La horda, she drew on rare first editions, early biographical studies, and a wide range of critical materials that are difficult or impossible to access in France or Spain.
Working across both the Christopher L. Anderson Collection and the associated archive of press materials and scholarship, Dr. Fourrel de Frettes reconstructed the early academic Hispanism that helped shape the international reception of Blasco Ibáñez. Her research catalogued over thirty bibliographic entries spanning primary editions, early biographies, foundational critical studies, and modern scholarship, directly advancing her forthcoming publication on the social novels.
She describes the Tulsa collections as “a decisive source of inspiration and information” for both her book project and for deepening her understanding of the history of academic Hispanism around Blasco Ibáñez.
Her stay also contributed to a broader aim of the Visiting Scholar Initiative: strengthening academic collaboration among France, Spain, and the United States around Blasco studies.
Key Works Studied
- La Catedral (1903)
- El intruso (1904)
- La bodega (1905)
- La horda (1905/1906)
Research Layers Consulted
- Multiple primary editions across the 20th and 21st centuries
- Early biographical accounts (ca. 1900–1978)
- Early critical and Hispanist studies (1908–1972)
- Modern scholarship through the early 21st century
Outcomes
- Identification of rare and out-of-print editions unavailable in her home country
- Enriched reconstruction of Blasco Ibáñez’s early and modern reception
- Strengthened cross-national collaboration between France, Spain, and the U.S.