Nicolás Kanellos (born January 31, 1945, in New York City, New York) is founder and director of

Arte Público Press Arte Público Press is a publishing house associated with the University of Houston (Houston, Texas). It is the largest US publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by Hispanic-American authors, publishing approximately 30 titles per ye ...

, the oldest and largest Hispanic publishing house, as well as Revista Chicana-Riqueña, the first Hispanic literary magazine which later became The Amerícas Review. He is the Brown Foundation professor of

Hispanic studies Hispanism (sometimes referred to as Hispanic studies or Spanish studies) is the study of the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking world, principally that of Spain and Hispanic America. It may also entail studying Spanish language an ...

at the University of Houston.

Biography

Nicolás Kanellos was born on January 31, 1945, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York, to Puerto Rican and Greek parents. He grew up in

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, New Jersey, near a commercial book bindery. His aunt, Providencia Garcia, developed the Latin division of one of the largest Latin music publishers in the world, and was a significant influence on him. Kanellos earned a B.A. in Spanish literature in 1966 from

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University () is a private university with its main campuses in New Jersey, located in Madison / Florham Park and in Teaneck / Hackensack. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University offers more than 100 degree prog ...

and an M.A. in Romance languages from

UT Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

in 1968 before earning his doctorate in 1974 in Austin as well. He taught Hispanic literature at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

from 1971 until 1979, when he began teaching at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

and founded Arte Publico Press. Since its founding Arte Público Press has published over 600 books. While in Indiana he founded Revista Chicana-Riqueña with Luis Davila in 1972.

Awards

Source: * 1969–1970, Gulbenkian Foundation Fellow * 1976, Eli Lilly Foundation Fellow * 1979, National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow * 1979, Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines * 1986–1987, Ford Foundation Fellow * 1988, White House Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature * 1989, American Book Award (publisher-editor) * 1996, Denali Press Award,

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

* 2014, Enrique Anderson Imbert, North American Academy of the Spanish Language * 2016, Cruz de la Orden de Isabel la Católica

Selected publications

* Kanellos, Nicolás (1999). Nochebuena: Hispanic American Christmas Stories, Oxford University Press, * Kanellos, Nicolás (2001). Herencia: The Anthology of Hispanic Literature of the United States, Oxford University Press, * Kanellos, Nicolás (2011). Hispanic Immigrant Literature: El Sueño del Retorno, University of Texas Press,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanellos, Nicolás 21st-century American businesspeople American book publishing company founders Businesspeople from New York City Businesspeople from Houston 1945 births Living people People from Jersey City, New Jersey University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts alumni Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni American people of Greek descent Indiana University faculty University of Houston faculty 21st-century American publishers (people) 20th-century American publishers (people) 20th-century American businesspeople American Hispanists American people of Puerto Rican descent