In the 2022-23 academic year, TORCH was pleased to welcome Professor Érico Nogueira as the Global South Visiting Professor. Érico, a Professor of Latin at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo in Brazil, shares insights from his time in the city of spires:
"I can say that mine was an unforgettable experience. It was simply great to be in Oxford and enjoy a very stimulating intellectual milieu. I had a huge support from both TORCH and All Souls College staffs, access to libraries and rare book collections, and opportunity to talk about poetry – my passion – and discuss my research with very intelligent people. Intelligent conversation is really something to cherish, these days.
To me, the All Souls Visiting Fellows Colloquium Series – consisting of a 30-minute talk given by a Visiting Fellow every two weeks in term – was absolutely incomparable, in terms of networking and (what is more) fun. The talks were great, the after-talk interactions lively, and the people there very open and approachable. I made many acquaintances during these events, learned a great many things I didn’t know, and gave what some of my colleagues said was a memorable talk on my own poetry and poetics. Professor Avner Offer went so far as to say mine was the best talk he’d seen in 20 years. He is of course extremely kind and generous.
The Global South Professorship has become a true landmark in my career and in my life. I do have been collaborating with some people whom I met in Oxford. One of them is Andrew McNeillie, the legendary poetry editor (Clutag Press), who published my longish poem The Secret Death and is now a good friend. Now I feature in his highly selective catalogue alongside Seamus Heaney and Geoffrey Hill. In terms of recognition, it is more than I’ve ever imagined."
The TORCH Global South Professorship is now called the TORCH Global Visiting Professorship, and accepts applications from humanities-based academics and practitioners from G77 countries. For the next round of applications for 2026-27, keep your eye on this space.
