Feminists - Ecuadorian Literature

Raquel Rodas Morales

Raquel Rodas Morales (Paute, Azuay, June 1940-Quito, November 1, 2018) was an Ecuadorian writer, historian, and feminist. She dedicated her life to teaching, studying philosophy, and conducting research from a feminist perspective on the contributions of influential women in the history of Ecuador, such as Tránsito Amaguaña, Dolores Cacuango, and María Luisa Gómez de la Torre. Raquel Rodas authored numerous books dedicated to women’s history and the feminist movement. Her extensive research and writings have significantly contributed to the understanding of women’s experiences, the impact of patriarchy, and the struggles faced by women throughout history. The Metropolitan Council of Quito awarded her the Mention of Honor for Relevant Services to the City.

Julia Rendón Abrahamson

Julia Rendón Abrahamson (Quito, 1978) is an Ecuadorian writer. She has authored the novel “Lengua ajena” (2022), which explores profound themes of identity and belonging. In addition to her novel, Rendón Abrahamson has released two collections of short stories, including “Yeguas y terneros” (2021) and “La casa está muy grande” (2015). Her remarkable talent has garnered recognition, including being awarded the Montserrat Roig Grant for Literary Creation in 2021 by the City Hall of Barcelona, as part of UNESCO’s City of Literature program. Rendón Abrahamson’s educational background is just as impressive, with degrees from renowned institutions such as Boston College, Parsons School of Design, the National University of the Arts in Argentina, and the Argentine institute Casa de Letras. She also teaches creative writing workshops and founded Espacio Cultural PezPlátano in Quito.

Rosaura Emelia Galarza

Rosaura Emelia Galarza Heyman (Guaranda, 1877 – February 13, 1966) was an Ecuadorian teacher, journalist, writer, and a pioneer in the field of women’s publishing. She was the founder of Ondina del Guayas, a monthly women’s magazine of literature and variety, which was edited in Guayaquil between 1907 and 1910. In addition, Galarza and her sister Celina María Galarza founded the magazine Flora in Quito in 1917, which became the most important women’s magazine published in Quito. Galarza also created other magazines, including Primavera in Riobamba, Hacia El Ideal and Álbum Bolivarense in Guaranda. Along with Zoila Ugarte de Landívar, Victoria Vásconez Cuvi, and María Angélica Idrobo, all teachers at the Liceo Fernández Madrid, Galarza was a founder and director of the magazine Alas in 1934. Galarza left behind a legacy of promoting women’s education and empowerment through her writing and activism.

Victoria Vásconez Cuvi

Victoria Vásconez Cuvi (Latacunga, September 7, 1891 – Quito, May 29, 1939) was an Ecuadorian writer and feminist. She was part of a literary circle that included Zoila Ugarte de Landívar and Morayma Ofyr Carvajal. Vásconez Cuvi was an influential figure in her time, having served as a member of various organizations such as the Bolivarian Society and the International Commission of the Second Pan American Congress. Her works include “Ensayos Literarios,” “Problemas Educativos,” “Vida de Mariana de Jesús,” and “Actividades Sociales y Domésticas de la Mujer.” A school in Latacunga, Unidad Educativa Victoria Vasconez Cuvi, bears her name.

Mireya Romero Plaza

Mireya Romero Plaza de Bravomalo, aka Mireya de Bravomalo or Mireya Romero y Cordero (Quito, January 29, 1929 – July 2014) was an Ecuadorian poet, novelist, and feminist. In 1953, at the age of 23, she published a novel entitled, “La pena fuimos nosotras,” which was read by many women and that put her in the forefront of feminism in Ecuador in the 50’s. In 1956, she published a poetry book entitled, “Heliofina,” prologued by poet Francisco Granizo Rivadeneira. She sometimes used the pseudonym Marga del Río.

María Luisa Lecaro

María Luisa Lecaro Pinto was an early 20th-century Ecuadorian poet from Guayaquil who wrote under the pseudonym Tatá. In 1927, she came in second place in a poetry contest sponsored by the journal Savia, with Hugo Mayo taking first place. She was the sister of cartoonist and caricaturist Guillermo Lecaro Pinto, known by the pseudonym Lekropín, director of humorous and anticlerical journals in the city of Guayaquil, and to whom she dedicated one of her best-known poems. Her work, which had been ignored for decades, was rediscovered thanks to the poetry anthology “Del Vanguardismo hasta el 50” [From Avant-garde To 1950], published by the Ecuadorian writer and literary critic Rodrigo Pesántez Rodas in 1999.