The contributors provide welcome and pertinent insights into the ways in which transhispanic writers, artists, and directors have conceptualized historical and contemporary traumas. . . it will no doubt be a key text for years to come.

Folklore

A consistently illuminating collection of essays, Espectros: Ghostly Hauntings in Contemporary Transhispanic Narratives is the first critical anthology about the figure of the ghost and the aesthetic of haunting to focus on narrative, film, and photography produced in Latin America, Spain, and the Latino Diaspora.... A skillfully organized collection, this anthology represents a pioneering effort to explore a neglected arena in Transhispanic cultural studies. The authors of these twelve essays persuasively illustrate the relevance of studying the figure of the ghost in its many forms, challenging us to expand the scope of Hispanic Studies as a whole. Ribas-Casasayas and Petersen offer an important and influential anthology. Readable, thought-provoking, and at times deeply moving, Espectros: Ghostly Hauntings in Contemporary Transhispanic Narratives is an essential companion to any scholar working in Latin American, Latino, or Peninsular Studies who is interested in spectral criticism.

Hispania

To the growing list of studies on the horror genre we will need to add Alberto Ribas Casasayas and Amanda L. Petersen’s Espectros: Ghostly Hauntings in Contemporary Transhispanic Narratives, a compilation of never-before published essays that posits itself as the “first volume-length exploration of the spectral in literature, film, and photography of Latin America, Spain, and the Latino diaspora.” Indeed it is a multifaceted and interdisciplinary study that presents the reader with an amalgam of works that show an inherent connection between differing art formats and to the horror of specters in our everyday waking—and sleeping—life.... In the end, this compilation goes beyond simply being a book dedicated to horror.... This collection leaves behind the recourse of a facile analysis of a tried-and-true (or widely recognized) horror text, instead choosing to offer a fresh take on the ways in which espectros can be a relevant and committed force in our daily existence.

Chasqui: Revista de Literature Latinoamericana

Espectros: Ghostly Hauntings in Contemporary Transhispanic Narratives is a unique and welcome collaboration, the cultural and geographical breadth of which is inspiring, and the theoretical aim of which is most timely and provocative.

Cincinnati Romance Review

The editors and authors of the remarkable collection Espectros: Ghostly Hauntings in Contemporary Transhispanic Narratives trace a spectral geography that connects the violent histories of Spain and Spanish America. This is an interesting lens through which to explore the use and aesthetics of haunting. . . . The body of writing compiled in Espectros allows readers to understand how trauma is woven into the very fabric of Hispanic history, on both sides of the Atlantic. However, these essays also help us consider ways of treating and moving forward with our conditions as subjects who are always and already haunted—of envisioning treatments of our collective pasts and presents that denote a greater and more meaningful sense of mutual respect and responsibility.

Revista de Estudios Hispánicos

Ultimately, this collection is a welcome contribution to its field, as it provides convincing summaries for some of the key aspects of theory relating to specters and brings together a number of intelligent articles that capture a noteworthy rise in themes of haunting among transhispanic narratives. It attempts to relay subtle distinctions in approaches to these concepts with no pretense of being the last word on the subject. Casting a wide net across both a theoretical and a territorial perspective, Espectros handles ghosts and specters just as they might demand, with respect and attention but without a sense of definitiveness or foreclosure.

Iberoamericana