Mario De La Torre-Espinosa

Mario De La Torre-Espinosa is a full professor at the University of Granada. Holding a PhD in Literary Theory and Comparative Literature, his research focuses on Spanish theater, comparative literature, gender studies, and film studies. He has been invited to lecture at universities such as Heidelberg (Germany), Collège de France (France), Mannheim (Germany), and Buenos Aires (Argentina). His most recent publications include Almodóvar y la cultura: del tardofranquismo a la Movida (Trea, 2020), El teatro independiente en Huelva: Teatro de las Marismas (University of Seville, 2022, recipient of the 2023 Lorca Prize for Best Theater Book), and Espacio, arte e identidad. Consideraciones semióticas (editor, Peter Lang, 2024). In 2023, he was invited by Mieke Bal to the Collège de France to deliver a lecture titled "Solitude and Exile in the LGBTQ+ Community."

He also authored the introduction to Entremeses Improptus (2024), a collection of unpublished texts by Fernando Arrabal. He is currently the director of the Department of Performing Arts at La Madraza, Contemporary Culture Center, University of Granada, where he has curated programs featuring artists such as Angélica Liddell, Luz Arcas, Alberto Conejero, Marina Otero, and Juana Dolores.

The project

Titles: The Presence of Angélica Liddell’s Theater in France: A Comparative Perspective

"Angélica Liddell's theater has become a cornerstone of the contemporary stage, distinguished by the fusion of a deeply personal lyrical voice with a tragic intensity that permeates her artistic work. Following a period of ostracism in Spain—due to the violent nature of her theatrical forms and the stark realism of her discourse challenging global injustices, including the Spanish artistic establishment—she found in France a space to freely develop her work without the economic constraints she faced in Spain. This marked the beginning of a productive relationship with France, solidified by the inclusion of La casa de la fuerza and Ricardo III in the 64th edition of the Festival d’Avignon and culminating last summer when she inaugurated the festival’s latest edition with Dämon. Among other accolades, she was awarded the insignia of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in France, recognizing her as "an author and creator whose literary and artistic contribution is essential," as noted by the French ambassador to Spain.

This research project continues the scholarly work I have been conducting on her oeuvre since the early stages of my academic career (Torre-Espinosa, 2014), where I analyzed her theater through philosophical, poetic, gender studies, and performance studies lenses. This time, I will adopt a comparative approach, exploring the relationship between her theatrical work and French thought and artistic creation. Specifically, I will examine the texts that have inspired her or with which she engages in dialogue (Rousseau, Diderot, Artaud) as well as the intertextual references in her staging, such as Fragonard."

Hosting institution: Sorbonne Université

Selective Bibliography

• Cepedello, María Paz; Torre-Espinosa, Mario de la et al. (eds.) (2024). Espacio, arte e identidades. Consideraciones semióticas. Berlín: Peter Lang. 978-3-631-90506-7
• Torre-Espinosa, Mario de la (2020). Almodóvar y la cultura: del tardofranquismo a la Movida. Gijón: TREA. ISBN 978-84-18105-07-4.
• “Formas de la posmemoria en el teatro autoficcional hispánico”. En Carrera Garrido, Miguel y Morales Ortiz, Gracia, Voces para la escena: dramaturgias actuales en España y América Latina (pp. 101-116). Madrid, Frankfurt am Main: Iberoamericana, Vervuert, 2024.
• 2024. “De la Biblia al satanismo en el teatro de Angélica Liddell: Terebrante y Vudú: (3318) Blixen”. Acotaciones, revista de investigación y creación teatral, (53), 23-49. 10.32621/ACOTACIONES.2024.53.06
• 2024. “Enunciación paratópica en las autoras autoficcionales dramáticas: el caso de Marina Otero y Bibiana Monje”. Rilce, Revista de Filología Hispánica 40(2), 481-502