UVA Spanish Professor Inducted into Prestigious Order of Don Quijote

University of Virginia Spanish professor Fernando Operé, a globally acclaimed poet, literary critic and scholar of colonial and 19th-century Latin American literature, has been honored with the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society's most selective recognition.

On Feb. 8, following an afternoon performance by UVA’s Spanish Theatre Group of the Spanish play, “Ana el once de marzo,” an unsuspecting Operé was summoned on stage by his Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese colleagues, David Gies and Matthew Street, for the surprise announcement of his induction into Sigma Delta Pi’s prestigious Order of Don Quijote.

The highest honor conferred by Sigma Delta Pi, the Order of Don Quijote recognizes exceptional and meritorious service in the fields of Hispanic scholarship, the teaching of Spanish, and the promotion of good relations between English-speaking countries and those of Spanish speech. 

A prolific scholar and artist who has written 20 books of poetry published in Spain, Argentina and the United States, Operé is the first inductee welcomed into the Order of Don Quijote since 2002. Operé joins such renowned literary figures as Carlos Fuentes, Carmen Laforet, Fernando Arrabal, Camilo José Cela in the Order, as well other highly accomplished literary artists and scholars.

“When you have worked with love and enthusiasm for many long years, it is very satisfying to feel expressions of recognition,” Operé said Monday. “This recognition is very special because I feel that I have been invited to join a plethora of great Hispanists who have left their marks with their work.”

Operé’s celebrated teaching career on Grounds spans four decades, following the completion of his Ph.D. in Latin American history at the University of Virginia. In addition to his poetry, Operé has published nine books of history and delivered recitals and dramatic performances around the world, while also directing more than 50 plays at the University of Virginia.

Receiving the news of his induction into the Order of Don Quijote following Saturday’s performance of the last play he directed made the honor even more special, he said.

“I felt surrounded by colleagues, friends, professors and people from the world of letters,” Operé said.

"A singular and inspiring figure"

Matthew Street, senior lecturer of Spanish and department advisor for UVA’s Sigma Delta Pi chapter, said Operé’s long running and wide-ranging contributions make him a worthy addition to the Order of Don Quijote.

"From poetry to scholarly rigor, from theatrical artistry to the promotion of intercultural experiences, Fernando Operé has built bridges across disciplines, cultures and generations,” Street said. “His passion for knowledge and commitment to human connection make him a singular and inspiring figure for all of us."

Over four decades, Operé has also overseen the creation of growth of the UVA in Valencia program, cementing its standing as the University’s oldest education abroad program in continuous operation. Through Operé’s visionary leadership of the UVA in Valencia program, Street said, “more than 10,000 students have experienced the transformative impact that only study abroad can provide.”

Another his colleagues, Spanish professor Samuel Amago, called Operé “the living, beating heart of the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.”

“What is remarkable about Fernando is how he has infused his love of Spanish-language literature and culture into so many aspects of our collective life at UVA,” Amago said, praising Operé’s commitment to bringing Spanish-language theater to the University and Charlottesville communities while publishing dozens of books of poetry and scholarship as one of their department’s most productive scholars.

“It’s an inspiring reminder that Spanish faculty have a joyful responsibility to engage with broad publics wherever they may be found,” Amago added. “While so many faculty are content simply to teach their classes and write their books, Fernando has always intuited that there is more to the well-lived academic life. His induction into Sigma Delta Pi’s Order of Don Quijote is a sign of the positive impact he has had on students and colleagues and community members over his long and accomplished career.”

UVA’s Sigma Delta Pi chapter has earned national recognition from the honor society’s governing body, receiving the Phoenix Award (2013-2014) and being named an Honor and Merit Chapter in multiple years (2013-2014, 2015-2016, and 2020-2021). Committed to promoting Spanish language, literature and culture both at UVA and within the local community, Sigma Delta Pi chapter hosts academic and social events on Grounds, and its student members volunteer at the public Spanish immersion school, Albemarle County Schools’ Mountain View Elementary and CATEC (Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center).