1
The University of Tulsa Home of the Blasco Ibáñez Legacy.
A global destination for research, collaboration, and discovery dedicated to the Valencian novelist who reshaped modern literary realism and political narrative.
Bringing together first editions, rare periodicals, film history, and archival scholarship, The University of Tulsa offers one of the most extensive on-site resources for the study of Vicente Blasco Ibáñez in the United States.
2
A Vision Rooted in Scholarship
The University of Tulsa has established the Blasco Ibáñez Visiting Scholar Initiative and the Blasco Ibáñez Research Collection to position Tulsa as a leading U.S. center for research on Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, the influential Valencian novelist, journalist, and political writer. By combining an exceptional on-site collection with dedicated support for visiting scholars, the program advances international scholarship on one of Spain’s most consequential literary voices.
Located in McFarlin Library’s Pat and Arnold Brown Reading Room, the Christopher L. Anderson Collection anchors this vision: approximately 715 books, films, and related materials, with a remarkably high concentration of first editions and unique or near-unique holdings in the U.S. and worldwide. The Visiting Scholar Initiative complements these resources with free on-campus lodging, private office space in Oliphant Hall, robust internet and printing access, a daily stipend, and tiered travel support for both domestic and international researchers.
Our mission is to make Tulsa the foremost center for Blasco Ibáñez studies in the United States, offering scholars sustained, in-person engagement with a uniquely rich constellation of texts, archives, and cinematic legacies.
3
The Christopher L. Anderson Collection of Blasco Ibanez Works
Housed in the Pat and Arnold Brown Reading Room at McFarlin Library, the Christopher L. Anderson Collection offers scholars a concentrated view of Vicente Blasco Ibáñez’s literary, political, and cinematic afterlives. Introduced in 2025, the collection brings together approximately 715 books, films, and related materials, making it one of the most substantial on-site resources for Blasco research in the United States.
According to WorldCat, at least 32 items held here are not found in any other library worldwide; 92 more are held only at Tulsa within the U.S., and another 60 appear in just two or three U.S. libraries. Taken together, these 184 items represent more than a quarter of the collection and underscore its rarity for scholars seeking primary and early reception materials.
715+ books, films, and related materials devoted to Blasco Ibáñez and his reception.
32 works unique worldwide, with dozens more held only at Tulsa or at a small handful of U.S. institutions.
Over 80% of 77 Blasco-related titles include true first editions, spanning novels, story collections, historical and political writings, social commentary, speeches, and travelogues.
Arte y Libertad
The collection also preserves the only U.S. copy (though incomplete) of Arte y Libertad, the Valencia-based, Blasco-centered periodical that, beginning in 2000 under editors J.L. León Roca, Francisco Carsí, and later Amparo Ferrer, brought thousands of Valencians a bimonthly publication dedicated to their native son and to the cultural history of the region.
Beyond the shelves
Visiting scholars also benefit from Dr. Anderson’s private archive, which complements the library holdings with approximately 1,700 chapters, articles, reviews, theses, and other writings, along with around 2,900 newspaper clippings, advertisements, and announcements from major U.S. newspapers such as The New York Times, Philadelphia Enquirer, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle.
First Editions and Authorial Presence
Among the collection’s 77 Blasco-related titles, more than four-fifths include true first editions, allowing scholars to work closely with the texts as they first entered the literary marketplace. This concentration of first printings—across novels, political essays, social commentaries, and travel narratives—makes it possible to track authorial revisions, publisher strategies, and the evolution of Blasco’s public image through bindings, covers, and other paratextual details that are often lost in later reprints.
4
For Visiting Blasco Ibanez Scholars
The Blasco Ibáñez Visiting Scholar Initiative welcomes researchers from around the world who wish to work closely with primary editions, reception history, and archival materials on Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. Scholars at all career stages are invited to reside on campus, use McFarlin Library and Oliphant Hall as their daily base of operations, and contribute to an ongoing international conversation on Blasco’s literary and cultural legacy.
Scholarly Environment
Scholarly Environment
McFarlin Library
Pat and Arnold Brown Reading Room, where the Anderson Collection invites close work with first editions, rare periodicals, and reception documents.
Oliphant Hall
A quiet office in the School of Language and Literature that places visiting scholars in daily contact with faculty working in Hispanic studies, comparative literature, and film.
Tulsa as context
An arts-oriented city where previous Blasco events have included museum visits, historic Art Deco walks, and public film discussions that link Ibáñez’s work to broader cultural histories.
Inquiries about the Blasco Ibáñez Visiting Scholar Initiative may be directed to Dr. Christopher L. Anderson through the program’s contact form.
5
Scholar in Residence: Dr. Cécile Fourrel de Frettes
In early 2025, Dr. Cécile Fourrel de Frettes, Assistant Professor at Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, undertook a month-long research stay at McFarlin Library to work on Vicente Blasco Ibáñez’s “social novels.” Centering her project on La Catedral, El intruso, La bodega, and La horda, she drew on rare first editions, early biographical studies, and a wide range of critical materials that are difficult or impossible to access in France or Spain.
Working across both the Christopher L. Anderson Collection and the associated archive of press materials and scholarship, Dr. Fourrel de Frettes reconstructed the early academic Hispanism that helped shape the international reception of Blasco Ibáñez. Her research catalogued over thirty bibliographic entries spanning primary editions, early biographies, foundational critical studies, and modern scholarship, directly advancing her forthcoming publication on the social novels.
She describes the Tulsa collections as “a decisive source of inspiration and information” for both her book project and for deepening her understanding of the history of academic Hispanism around Blasco Ibáñez.
Her stay also contributed to a broader aim of the Visiting Scholar Initiative: strengthening academic collaboration among France, Spain, and the United States around Blasco studies.
Key Works Studied
- La Catedral (1903)
- El intruso (1904)
- La bodega (1905)
- La horda (1905/1906)
Key Works Studied
- La Catedral (1903)
- El intruso (1904)
- La bodega (1905)
- La horda (1905/1906)
Key Works Studied
- La Catedral (1903)
- El intruso (1904)
- La bodega (1905)
- La horda (1905/1906)
6
“A Global Network of Inquiry”
Purpose: Frame TU as part of an international academic community.
Content:
Short narrative connecting the Blasco initiative with European and Latin American studies.
Subtle literary motif or quote from Ibáñez about art and liberty.
CTA: “Join Our Research Community” → [Contact form]
7
Closing — “Continue the Journey”
Purpose: Conclude with quiet authority and invitation.
Content:
Short, lyrical paragraph tying TU’s legacy to the ongoing rediscovery of Ibáñez’s works.
Row of final CTAs:
“Apply as a Visiting Scholar” → [Program page]
“Browse the Blasco Ibáñez Library” → [Books page]
“Contact the Program” → [Contact form]