Lorand Chairs

Dr. Emile Lorand (1931-2005) from Ixelles left his estate to Vrije Universiteit Brussel upon his death. In his will, he specifically stated that the bequest should be used for the benefit of the 'Department of Romance Philology' at the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.

The Emile Lorand Chairs are used to invite specialists from international universities to teach Italian, Spanish, and French language and literature, as well as intermediality, at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. While their research topics and methodologies may differ, they consistently contribute to enriching the academic programs in the language and literature disciplines.

In addition to the 'Cattedra Emile Lorand di linguistica e Letteratura italiana,' the 'Cátedra Emile Lorand: lingüística española y estudios literarios,' the 'Chaire Emile Lorand en littérature française,' and the 'Emile Lorand Chair in Intermedial Studies,' an annual Emile Lorand Prize is also awarded for the best master’s thesis in Romance languages (French, Italian, and Spanish) in both literature and linguistics.