Born and raised in Chile, Pedro is currently writing his doctoral dissertation on Fernando Alegría’s literature and legacy (1918-2005). Fernando Alegría was a renowned intellectual in literary studies in both the United States and Latin America during the 20th century. Pedro’s main research interests also include Latin American essay and Hispanic American/Brazilian fiction from 19th century to the present. He participates as an editor at UCLA in Mester, a graduate student academic journal, and in Párrafo, an art and literary magazine. Outside of his professional life, he engages in playing sports, creative writing, going to the movies, and travelling.

Education

  • PhD Hispanic Languages and Literatures, UCLA (expected 2026)
  • M.A. Spanish, University of Colorado (2020).
  • B.A. Hispanic Literature and Linguistics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (2016).

Research

My main doctoral research focuses on the legacy of Fernando Alegría (1918-2005). Originally from Chile, Alegría migrated to the United States in 1940, settling primarily in northern California. There, he served as both a professor and a diplomat. His literature connects the Anglo-Saxon and Latin American worlds, fostering unity across the Americas. Alegría, a committed humanist, actively engaged with societal and political issues throughout his career. My second research focus it on contemporary Brazilian fiction. Recently, I have been working on travel and migration fiction in novels by Chico Buarque and Bernardo Carvalho.

Publications

Cuevas-Collante, Pedro. “Autoridad en el Contrapunteo Cubano del tabaco y el azúcar (1940) de Fernando Ortiz”, Revista Contextos, N° 37, 2017, 59-75.

Presentations

      • “The Hispanic-continental voice through War: The 20th Century in Fernando Alegría’s Literature,” NeMLA 2025. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. March, 2025.
      • “Globalización y cultura latinoamericana en ensayos de Juan Villoro y Beatriz Sarlo” at ‘Metamorfosis mexicana: 200 años de cambios literarios y culturales’ Conference. Organized by The Colegio de Jalisco and UCLA. Los Angeles, California. October 24, 2024.
      • “La escritura testimonial de Fernando Alegría (1918-. 2005)” at ‘Testimonio y ficción en América Latina en el siglo XXI’ Conference, University of Bologna. Italy. September, 2024.
      • “La condición transnacional en la obra narrativa y la figura de Fernando Alegría (1918-2005)” at XV JALLA. Universidad Católica de Chile. Santiago, Chile. August, 2024.
      • “Os brasileiros transatlânticos na globalização nos romances de Chico Buarque e Bernardo Carvalho,” MLA 2023. San Francisco, California. January 6, 2023.
      • “Globalização e literatura brasileira contemporânea,” BRASA XV. Online. March, 2022.
      • “Investigating Portuguese Characters in Brazilian Literature,” MLA 2021. Online. January 2021.
      • “Portugueses de Papel: Exploring Lusophobia and desidentificação in Brazillian literature” [co-speaker], 15th Annual International Conference of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations, DH 2022. Online. 2020.
      • “Quem são os Portugueses de Papel?” [co-speaker] at ‘VII Jornada Regional sobre Personagens Portuguesas da Ficção Brasileira’ organized by “Portugueses de Papel”. Gabinete Português de Leitura da Salvador, Baia. Brazil. October 2019.
      • “Liminalidad en literatura contemporánea argentina,” 2nd International Meeting of Fantastic Literature and Science Fiction. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Santiago, Chile. June 2019.
      • “Autoridad del Padre en Contrapunteo Cubano del tabaco y el azúcar (1940) de Fernando Ortiz y Safari Accidental (2005) de Juan Villoro,” 1st Conference of Education and Literature, Universidad Autónoma de Chile. Santiago, Chile. June 2019.
      • “Símbolos y autoridad en Contrapunteo Cubano del tabaco y el azúcar (1940) de Fernando Ortiz y Safari Accidental (2005) de Juan Villoro,” 4th LALISA Conference at Western Washington University. Bellingham, Washington. April 2019.
      • “Marginalidad en literatura chilena contemporánea,” Transatlantic Chile Conference, Brown University and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Santiago, Chile. 2016.
      • “Autoridad en el Contrapunteo Cubano del tabaco y el azúcar (1940) de Fernando Ortiz” at ‘Congreso de humanidades’. Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación. Santiago, Chile. 2016.