richard - Ecuadorian Literature

Natasha Salguero

Natasha Salguero Bravo is a novelist, poet, journalist and nonfiction writer. She was born in Quito, Ecuador on October 2, 1952. In 1989, using a male pseudonym, her novel Azulinaciones won the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit National Literature Prize, making her the first woman to win the prize. That same year she won the Gabriela Mistral Poetry Prize for Azulinaciones.

Julio Pazos Barrera

Julio Pazos Barrera is a poet, writer, teacher, and cook. He was born in Baños, Ecuador on August 19, 1944. In 1979, Pazos’ poetry book La ciudad de las visiones was awarded the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize. In 1982, his book Levantamiento del país con textos libres was awarded Latin America’s most prestigious literary award, the Casa de las Américas Prize (Havana, Cuba). Pazos is the editor-in-chief of the magazine Letras del Ecuador published by the Ecuadorian House of Culture. He is a member of the Ecuadorian Academy of Language. In 2010, Pazos was awarded Ecuador’s top literary prize Premio Eugenio Espejo by President Rafael Correa.

Marcelo Lalama Basante

Marcelo Lalama Basante (Riobamba, 1942 – Quito, 2017) was an Ecuadorian novelist and a medical doctor. His debut novel “Los Nazarenos” won the Aurelio Espinoza Pólit Prize in the year 2000 and the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize in 2001. His other works include “Santamaría de los Volcanes” (awarded First Prize in Literature from the Central University of Ecuador in 2008) and “Hospital Real de la Misericordia” (2013).

Carlos Benavides Vega

Carlos Benavides Vega, pseudonym: Álvaro San Félix (Guayaquil, March 9, 1931 – Quito, September 29, 1999) was an Ecuadorian poet, actor and playwright. He was a member of Club 7, a Guayaquil-based poets’ group founded in the 1950s. In 1954, Benavides was among one of five members who together published a poetry collection titled “Club 7.” He was a pioneer of historical drama, authoring the plays, “La herida de Dios” (1978; winner of the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize) about Gabriel Garcia Moreno, “Espejo, elias Chushig” (1979), and “Caudillos en llamas” (1980). He also co-wrote “Una loca Estrella,” a historical play about Manuelita Sáenz, with Pedro Saad Herrería.

Marco Vinicio Rueda

Father Marco Vinicio Rueda Gomezjurado was a Jesuit priest, philosopher, anthropologist, writer, educator. He was born in Quito, Ecuador on August 12, 1914 and died in the same city on March 13, 2005. Rueda was an exponent of Zen in Ecuador. Rueda’s most notable books are concerned with philosophy, anthropology and Zen.

Jorge Dávila Vázquez

Jorge Dávila Vázquez is a writer, professor and film critic. Dávila Vázquez was born on February 14, 1947 in Cuenca, Ecuador. Dávila Vázquez has written novels, plays, short stories, poetry and nonfiction. He is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize, for his experimental novel María Joaquina en la vida y en la muerte (1976), and for his short story collection Este mundo es el camino (1980). His short story book El libro de los sueños (2001) won the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize. In 2016, Dávila was awarded Ecuador’s top literary prize, the Eugenio Espejo Award.

Ana Estrella Santos

Ana Estrella Santos is a dialectologist and writer who won the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize in 2013 for her short story book La curiosidad mató al alemán. Estrella is the director of the Language and Literature department of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador in Quito, where she also teaches. She earned her PhD in Hispanic Philology and General Linguistics from the National Distance Education University (Madrid, Spain).

Hans Behr

Hans Behr Martínez (Guayaquil, October 31, 1962) is an award-winning Ecuadorian novelist, short story writer, and children’s literature author. In 1999, his novel “Los senderos de Emaús” won the national literature contest organized by the House of Ecuadorian Culture. In 2009, his novel “Maratón” (originally titled Acaso si lloviese) won the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize. In 2014 his novel “Las luces de la felicidad” won the Ángel Felicísimo Rojas National Literature Contest. In 2020, his science fiction novel “Firmamento” won the La Linares Short Novel Prize.

Glossary of Jorge Icaza’s Huasipungo

Bernard M. Dulsey translated Jorge Icaza‘s most famous novel Huaspingo (1934) as “The Villagers” in 1964 (Southern Illinois University Press). This is the glossary containing the definitions of Quechua and Spanish words contained in the book.

Eliécer Cárdenas

Eliécer Cárdenas Espinosa (Cañar, December 10, 1950 – Cuenca, September 26, 2021) was a renowned Ecuadorian writer, encompassing the realms of novel writing, short stories, playwriting, and journalism. His novel “Polvo y ceniza” (1979) stands as the highest-selling novel in Ecuadorian history, solidifying his literary success. With a remarkable body of work comprising more than 20 books, including novels, collections of short stories, plays, and nonfiction, Cárdenas proved to be a prolific author. His play “Morir en Vilcabamba” (1988) received the esteemed Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize in recognition of its excellence. In 1991, he was elected as the president of the Azuay branch of the House of Ecuadorian Culture. Moreover, Cárdenas became a member of the Ecuadorian Academy of Language in 2016. He was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper El Tiempo in Cuenca and served as the director of the Municipal Library in the same city. Furthermore, Eliécer Cárdenas had the esteemed privilege of serving as a jury member for the Casa de las Américas Prize in the novel genre, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the Spanish-speaking world, held annually in Cuba.

Jorge Carrera Andrade

Jorge Carrera Andrade (Quito, September 18, 1903 – Quito, November 7, 1978) was an Ecuadorian writer, poet, diplomat, and university professor. He was widely regarded as one of the most influential Latin American poets of the twentieth century both during his lifetime and after his death. Muna Lee’s critically-acclaimed translation of his poetry collection, Secret Country (1946), brought him to prominence in the United States. He lectured at Stony Brook University in the Department of Romance Languages in 1970-1972, he also guest lectured at Harvard University and Vassar College during this period. Most of his poetry has been translated into French, German, Russian and English.

“The images of Jorge Carrera Andrade are so extraordinarily clear, so connected to the primitive I imagine I am…participating in a vision already lost to the world. It is a place melancholy but grand.”
William Carlos William

Iván Égüez

Iván Égüez (Quito , 1944) is an Ecuadorian novelist, short story writer, and poet. He has written 7 novels, 7 short story books, and 6 poetry books. His novel “La Linares” was the first recipient of the prestigious Aurelio Espinosa Pólit National Literature Prize in 1975. Controversy ensued when the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, which awards the prize, announced “La Linares” as the prize’s winner, because the book’s main protagonist is a prostitute. It has since gone through a dozen editions in Ecuador and abroad and has been translated into several languages. The “La Linares Short Novel Prize,” which is awarded by the Eugenio Espejo Campaign for Books and Reading, bears the name of Égüez’s groundbreaking work. He was also well known nationally and internationally for his poetry books.

Alexis Zaldumbide

Alexis Zaldumbide Manosalvas (Quito, 1982), is an Ecuadorian author who has artfully bridged the realms of literature and music, crafting narratives that resonate deeply with themes of solitude, complexity, and the nuanced dance of human emotions. With “Habitaciones con música de fondo,” he captivated the literary world and secured the prestigious XLIII Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize in 2018, an accolade that underscored his adeptness at weaving intricate tales that explore the profound depths of isolation against a backdrop of a richly textured reality. Before this notable achievement, Zaldumbide had already demonstrated his versatile talent through children’s literature with “La puerta azul” and “Las valerosas hazañas de Pedro Mayo,” both published in 2013.

Andrea Crespo

Andrea Priscila Crespo Granda (Guayaquil, October 4, 1983) is an Ecuadorian poet. In 2016 her book of poetry “Registro de la habitada” was awarded the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize. In 2017 her next book of poetry “Libro Hémbrico” won the House of Ecuadorian Culture’s David Ledesma Vásquez National Poetry Contest. She currently teaches at the University of the Arts in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Lucrecia Maldonado

Lucrecia Maldonado (Quito, May 24, 1962) has written novels, poetry, short stories, children’s literature, and nonfiction. Since 1991 Maldonado has been a language and literature professor at the American School of Quito. Her first novel “Salvo el calvario” (2005) won the prestigious Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize.