After finishing his bachelor’s degree in History and Spanish Philology (1989), he completed his PhD at the University of Vienna, publishing his thesis Die Kultur der Spanier in Österreich unter Ferdinand I. 1522 – 1564, in 1997. Since 2004, he is full professor of Ibero-Roman Literature and Culture at the University of Salzburg (Austria).  He is also a corresponding member of the Austrian Science Academy and member (reporter) of the Scientific Board of the Humanities and Social Sciences Division of the FWF (Austrian Science Fund). His research focuses on Spanish culture and literature of the Modern Era, 20th century Latin-American literature, Spanish-Austrian cultural relationships and the theory of biography and autobiography. He has been visiting professor at the University of São Paulo (1999); Federal University of Bahia (2000), University of Texas at Austin (2001/02); University of Colorado at Boulder (2004); Federal University of Paraná (2008) and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2010). Among his most notable publications are: (co-written with Birgit Wagner) Anspruch auf das Wort. Geschlecht, Wissen und Schreiben im 17. Jahrhundert. Suor Maria Celeste und Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (2002); "Record it, and let it be known". Song Lyrics, Gender, and Ethnicity in Brazil, Cuba, Martinique, and Trinidad and Tobago from 1920 to 1960 (2005); (co-written with Bernadette Hofinger, Harald Kufner, Christina Lutter, Judith Moser-Kroiss y Nicola Tschugmell) Die Korrespondenz Ferdinands I. Familienkorrespondenz. / The Correspondence of Ferdinand I. Family Correspondence Vol. 4: 1533/1534 ; vol. 5: 1535/1536 (2000, 2015); (co-written with Anja Tippner) Texte zur Theorie der Biographie und Autobiographie (2016).

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0755-4789