Profile

Pedro M. Cátedra (Las Gabias, Granada, 1954) received his PhD from the University Autónoma of Barcelona, where he worked as Associate Professor (1976-1986). Since 1987 he has been Full Professor at the University of Salamanca. He has directed Extraordinary Chairs, such as the Cátedra Don Juan de Borbón (University of Lisbon, University of Salamanca, Fundación Duques de Soria), and was appointed first holder (2023-2024) of the Franco Maria Ricci Extraordinary Chair (University of Parma, City of Parma and Franco Maria Ricci Foundation). He has been Visiting Professor at numerous African, American and European research centres and universities. He directs or has directed research centres, such as the Instituto de Historia del Libro y de la Lectura (1997-), the Instituto Biblioteca Hispánica del CiLengua (2005-2011), the Seminario de Estudios Medievales y Renacentistas (SEMYR) (1995-), or the Instituto Universitario de Estudios Medievales y Renacentistas y de Humanidades Digitales of the Universidad de Salamanca (2013-).
He is numerary member of the Real Academia Española, corresponding member of the Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, international fellow of the British Academy, and corresponding member of the Academia de Bones Lletres de Barcelona.
He has been awarded international and national prizes, such as, among others, ‘Premio Internazionale Antonio Feltrinelli» (2024), Alexander von Humboldt Preiss (1999), ‘Premi Menéndez Pelayo’ Institut d’Estudis Catalans (1992), etc.
His research activity essentially covers the areas of Romance philology, the Literary History of the Middle Ages, Humanism and the Renaissance, with incursions into the Baroque, up to and including the 19th century. At the same time, he has dealt extensively with the History of Book, Reading and Written Culture, as well as the dissemination and reception of written and oral texts in the aforementioned periods and also in the 18th century, especially in relation to the figure and production of Giambattista Bodoni in Parma. A theoretical and methodological line focused on the use of literature, which has resulted in numerous monographs among the most cited in his speciality. These and his other research work have resulted in more than 250 contributions, a significant number of which are books. He has also dedicated himself to the publishing activity of scientific production and, in some cases, of the creative works, founding, directing or co-editing more than twenty publishing projects or series, including scientific journals.