Hector Jaimes
Bio
Héctor Jaimes (Venezuela, 1964) is Professor of Spanish and Latin American literature at NC State University, where he has taught since 1998. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, his M.A. from New York University and his B.A. from the Central University of Venezuela (Caracas). His research focuses on the intersection of Latin American literary and artistic production with contemporary literary and cultural theory, exploring how these creative forms interact with, critique, and expand upon current theoretical debates. He is the author of three books: The Mexican Novel in Times of Rupture: At the Intersection of Globalization and Postmodernism (2025), Filosofía del muralismo mexicano (2012) and La reescritura de la historia en el ensayo hispanoamericano (2001). He has also edited several books: Pedro Ángel Palou y la novela infinita: Lecturas críticas (2023), Mario Bellatin y las formas de la escritura (2020), The Mexican Crack Writers: History and Criticism (2017) and Octavio Paz: La dimensión estética del ensayo (2004). His research has also involved the study of rare and unpublished manuscripts; most notably, he has edited collections previously unpublished by Frida Kahlo, Tu hija Frida: Cartas a mamá (2016), and David Alfaro Siqueiros, Fundación del muralismo mexicano (2012).
Office Hours
- Tuesday: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Thursday: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Recent Publications
Jaimes, Héctor, ed. Jorge Volpi: La razón del discurso/El discurso de la razón (in progress).
Jaimes, Héctor. The Mexican Novel in Times of Rupture: At the Intersection of Globalization and Postmodernism (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2025).
Jaimes, Héctor. “From Heaven to Earth: Rivera, Siqueiros and the Mexican Muralist Project.” In Anti-Catholicism in the Mexican Revolution, 1913-1940. Eds. Jurgen Buchenau and David S. Dalton. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 2024. pp. 191-212.
Jaimes, Héctor. “Mario Bellatin.” In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature (Online). New York/Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023.
Jaimes, Héctor. “Paraíso clausurado: La forma con atributos.” In Pedro Ángel Palou y la novela infinita. Ed. Héctor Jaimes. Raleigh, NC: A Contracorriente, 2023. pp. 169-180.
Presentations
“History and the Archive in Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli.” XXVIII Annual Juan Bruce-Novoa Mexican Studies Conference. University of California, Irvine, 2024.
“La narrativa de Pedro Ángel Palou: Historia, estética y literatura.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA). San Francisco, CA, 2022 (virtual congress).
“Siqueiros y Rivera: ¿La estética radical o la radicalidad de la estética?” Latin American Studies Associatioin (LASA), 2021 (virtual congress).
“The Mexican Muralism and the question of Modernity.” Northeast Modern Language Association (NEMLA), 2021 (virtual congress).
“Fragmentos de la contemporaneidad: Muerte súbita de Álvaro Enrigue.” Transient Bodies and Gender Politics in 21st Century Mexico Conference. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2019.
“The Mexican Muralism: Between Art and Philosophy.” 2019 Conference on Mexican Muralists. California State University. Los Angeles, CA, 2019.
“Mario Bellatin: Una lectura sobre el dinero.” (Des)conciertos literarios/Literary (Dys)functions. UC-Mexicanistas. Santa Barbara, CA, 2018.
“Cuauhtémoc by Pedro Angel Palou: Entre mito e historia.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA). Barcelona, Spain, 2018.
“Spaces of love in Guadalupe Nettel’s Después del invierno.” Modern Language Association (MLA). Philadelphia, PA, 2017.
“Octavio Paz y el muralismo mexicano.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA). New York, NY, 2016.
“Veinte años después: La generación del ‘Crack’ y la literatura latinoamericana contemporánea.” Modern Language Association (MLA). Austin, TX, 2016.
“Frida Kahlo: Writing oneself. Letters to her mother.” Southern Eastern Council of Latin American Studies (SECOLAS). Charleston, SC, 2015.
Education
Ph.D. Latin American Literature University of Pennsylvania 1998
M.A. Latin American Literature New York University 1992
B.A. Philosophy Central University of Venezuela 1989
Area(s) of Expertise
Latin American Literature and Culture, Mexican Studies, Cultural Theory, Aesthetics
Publications
- From Heaven to Earth: Rivera, Siqueiros and the Mexican Muralist Project , Anti-Catholicism in the Mexican Revolution, 1913-1940 (2024)
- Paraíso clausurado: La forma con atributos , Pedro Ángel Palou y la novela infinita: Lecturas críticas (2023)
- Mario Bellatin y la filosofía del dinero , (2020)
- Mario Bellatin y las formas de la escritura , (2020)
- Octavio Paz: (re)readings of the Mexican Muralism , ARAUCARIA-REVISTA IBEROAMERICANA DE FILOSOFIA POLITICA Y HUMANIDADES (2020)
- You Are Always With Me: Letters to Mama , (2018)
- Introduction: The Mexican Crack Writers-Toward a New Literary Aesthetics , MEXICAN CRACK WRITERS: HISTORY AND CRITICISM (2017)
- The Mexican Crack Writers: History and Criticism , (2017)
- Toward a Philosophy of Love: Pedro Angel Palou's Qliphoth and La profundidad de la piel , MEXICAN CRACK WRITERS: HISTORY AND CRITICISM (2017)
- Tu hija Frida: Cartas a mamá , (2016)