De Urda writes book on prominent African writer

Juan De Urda, a professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, is the author of a recently published book, “Francisco Zamora: escribiendo la poscolonialidad (Francisco Zamora: writing postcoloniality).”

The book offers a critical overview of the work of Francisco Zamora Loboch, a member of the exile generation of Equatorial Guinean writers. A monograph on Zamora was long overdue, according to Dr. De Urda, since he is one of the most important writers of his generation. He has written novels, poetry and essays that are crucial to understanding those years of Guinean culture.

Loboch left Equatorial Guinea to attend college in Spain when it was still a colony; the independence of the country happened in 1968 during his absence, and he has not been able to ever go back again. He is a perfect example of postcolonial hybridity and exile writing.

Zamora rebuilt and recreated a country through personal and collective memories, telling the story of a nation that was not there anymore. The book was published by Peter Lang.