|
With his
boundless energy and unwavering commitment to quality
teaching and research no faculty member contributed more
than John to the vibrancy of Roosevelt University. While a
bright beam has been extinguished well before its time, we
should never forget the path that has been illuminated as
this university considers its future direction.
—Howard Stein |
John Barry died
stating that there was a literary movement in Spanish in
Chicago. That's why in each poem, in each story and even
in each article that is published in Spanish in Chicago,
we will find the echo of John's Voces. For your generosity
and confidence, the only thing left to say is thank you,
John.
—Contratiempo
Magazine |
|
John had an
indestructible faith in us, those who write in Spanish in
Chicago. He encouraged us all, he included many of us in
the Anthology published in 1999, he translated to English
short stories by most of us and he indefatigably worked to
find a publishing company to print them. He was more
confident on us than ourselves.
—Leda Schiavo |
It was the first
time that I saw and felt those light eyes of a mischievous
kid but tiptoeing in a constant looking, those eyes
inseparable from a smile with a little irony that made you
accomplice of tireless searches. A look that reconciled me
with this country because it embodied the best of this
society. A look that finally was seeing, was seeing me.
—Josefina de Abad |
John Barry was
born in 1946 in Evanston, Illinois. After a career as a
jazz musician, he
earned his PhD from the University of Chicago. He was a
Professor of Latin-American Literature and Spanish at Roosevelt
University for almost three decades. He invested the last
twenty years of his professional life in the study and promotion
of literature in Spanish created in Chicago. 
