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Papers by Maxim Rigaux

Millars. Espai i Història, 2019

This article highlights how Juan Latino (ca.1518-ca.1595), a former black slave of the illustriou... more This article highlights how Juan Latino (ca.1518-ca.1595), a former black slave of the illustrious Fernández de Córdoba family, creates a highly complex literary persona through the two volumes of Latin poetry he published in the 1570s in Granada. I will pay special attention to Latino's staging of a mirror effect in the "Austrias Carmen", a two-book epic on the Christian victory in the battle of Lepanto. This technique enables the poet to place his patron Pedro de Deza at the centre of attention alongside his own authorial figure. In my analysis, I will compare Latino's textual strategies to Diego Velázquez's use of the mirror in "Las Meninas".

En este ensayo destaco cómo Juan Latino (ca.1518-ca.1595), antiguo esclavo de la ilustre familia Fernández de Córdoba, crea una persona literaria com-pleja a través de sus dos volúmenes de poesía publicadas en 1573 y 1576 en Granada. Prestaré atención especial a la manera en que Latino establece un efecto espejo en el "Austrias Carmen", un poema épico de dos cantos en latín que celebra la victoria cristiana en la batalla de Lepanto. Este recurso literario le da la oportunidad de fijar la atención no solo en su mecenas Pedro de Deza, pero también en su propia figura como poeta único. Compararé las estrategias textuales de Latino con el uso del efecto espejo en "Las Meninas" de Diego Velázquez.

eHumanista. Journal of Iberian Studies, 2018

Juan Latino’s second volume of poetry, published in 1576 in Granada, deals with the dynastic tran... more Juan Latino’s second volume of poetry, published in 1576 in Granada, deals with the dynastic transfers of the royal bodies of Philip II’s family from tombs dispersed over the country to the palace-monastery El Escorial. In this essay, I explore the different functions of Latino's use of prosopopoeia, a rhetorical figure of speech that gives a face to an abstract or absent entity, in the appearances of Charles V and Mother Granada. I show how the two visions and speeches of these personifications are used to shape the cultural memory and identity of the city.

Hispanic Review, 2016

This article explores the functions of apostrophe and other strategies of mediated reception in J... more This article explores the functions of apostrophe and other strategies of mediated reception in Juan Latino’s Austrias Carmen (1573), a two-book epic poem in Latin on the Battle of Lepanto. Latino’s epic repeatedly invites the narratee to fix his or her gaze on remarkable spectacles, creating a tension between narrative and discursive time. In the first part of the article, I examine how Latino uses apostrophes directed at his patron Pedro de Deza to establish a close link between the addressee of the epic—Deza—and the Habsburg dynasty, while at the same time encouraging Deza to visualize the scenes described. In the second part, I question the shift within the poem from apostrophes explicitly addressing Deza towards ones directed at an implicit narratee. Latino’s purpose, I argue, is therefore to put before the eyes of the narratee his marvelous artistic skills as a painter with words.

Handelingen. Tijdschrift van de Koninklijke Zuid-Nederlandse Maatschappij voor Taal-, Letterkunde en Geschiedenis, 2015

The battle of Lepanto (October 7, 1571) signified an important victory for Christian Europe again... more The battle of Lepanto (October 7, 1571) signified an important victory for Christian Europe against the Ottoman Empire. In the Spanish area, six poets (re)shaped the naval battle as the central theme of their epic poems. The focus of this paper will be on the first epic poem that was published after Lepanto: the Austrias Carmen of the former black slave Juan Latino (1518-1594/7). In my analysis of Latino’s representation of the Ottoman admiral Ali Pasha I will argue that the author’s use of the classical tradition leads to an ambiguous portrait of the cultural Other.

Conference Presentations by Maxim Rigaux

At an early stage in its history, Latin went from a vernacular language to the most pervasive and... more At an early stage in its history, Latin went from a vernacular language to the most pervasive and enduring cosmopolitan language in European history. Latin did not only function as the language for international diplomacy, but, more importantly, it also served as the Church's liturgical language all over Europe and gave form to an intellectual climate that stimulated an extensive literary production. Literature written in Latin, from Roman Antiquity over the long Middle Ages to the early modern period, preserved and renewed literary and aesthetic standards. It laid the foundation for a European literature (and culture), which crossed national boundaries. Not surprisingly, 'Great Authors' such as Dante, Rimbaud, etc. that are now mainly known for their works in vernacular languages, also wrote several works in Latin.

Book Reviews by Maxim Rigaux

Caplletra, 2021

Ressenya sobre el llibre: Eulàlia Miralles & Pep Valsalobre (eds.), Joan Pujol, Els poemes de... more Ressenya sobre el llibre: Eulàlia Miralles & Pep Valsalobre (eds.), Joan Pujol, Els poemes de Lepant, Barcelona, Barcino, col. «Biblioteca Barcino», 2019, 192 p., ISBN: 978-84-7226-841-8.

The Dutch Review by Maxim Rigaux