Humberto E. Robles

Humberto E. Robles (Manta, Manabí, Aug 18, 1938 – Miami, May 20, 2021) was an Ecuadorian writer and a renowned specialist in Ecuadorian and Latin American literatures. He retired from Northwestern University in 2003 after teaching for over 30 years and maintained a remarkable level of scholarly productivity until his death. His notable accomplishments included being named a member of the Ecuadorian Academy of Language, a prestigious cultural institution in Latin America. Professor Robles’s research focused on various topics within Spanish American literature, and he contributed extensively to encyclopedias, journals, and book collections. He authored several influential books and held significant academic positions throughout his career, making significant contributions to the field of literature.

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Carlos Coello García

Carlos Coello García (Manta, 1983) is an Ecuadorian lawyer, writer, and poet. He lives in the city of Santa Ana in the Manabi province. He has published three poetry collections: “La inspiración de un fantasma” (2002) “La creación perfecta” (2009) and “El origen del mal y otros poemas” (2017). His novel, “Leyendas de un fauno” (2018), is the first book in a fantasy trilogy. His latest book, “Oculto” (2022) is a horror novel. Some of his poems and stories have been published in newspapers in his province and digital blogs.

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Santos Miranda Rojas

Santos Miranda Rojas (Guayaquil, September 12, 1940) is an Ecuadorian novelist and short story writer. He has lived in the city of Manta in the province of Manabi for many years and mostly identifies as Mantanese or Manabite. He was president of the Manabi chapter of the House of Ecuadorian Culture, president of the Manabi chapter of the Latin American Union of Writers, first president of the cultural group Alfaro Camina, director of the Sunday supplement Séptimo Día of the newspaper El Mercurio of Manta. Among his many accolades are the following: First Prize of the Oswaldo Castro Intriago Biennial Novel Award, presented by the House of Ecuadorian Culture, Manabi; the Intercollegiate Read Book Competition, sponsored by the Municipality of Quito; In 2000, his short story “El Niño Pintor” won silver at an international competition hosted by the government of Argentina, the Buenos Aires Lions Club, the Organization of American States, and the Spanish Embassy. Among his best known works is the novel, “La Casa del Nené” (2009) and the narrative book “Criollismo Mágico” (2014).

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Damia Mendoza Zambrano

Damia Mendoza Zambrano (Manta, 1966) is an Ecuadorian poet, singer-songwriter, researcher, and university professor. As a poet, she’s represented Ecuador at international festivals in Taiwan, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Cuba, Canada, Argentina, Morroco, and the United States, among others. Her poetry books include, Sueños de Gaviota (1986), El despertar de Gaviota (2001), Desliz (2002), Tras los Cristales de mi Mar (2007), and Hojas de mi noche larga (2012). Her poems have also been published in several anthologies. Some of her poems have been translated into Italian, English and French.

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José Viliulfo Cedeño Sánchez

Dr. José Viliulfo Cedeño Sánchez (Manta, January 21, 1928 – Manta, February 27, 1986) was an Ecuadorian writer, poet, historian, archaeologist, and university professor. He was a founder and secretary of the Manta Cultural Group, he wrote various textbooks on philosophy, Ecuadorian territorial rights, literature and ethics. His poems were published in, “Itinerario del hombre” and “Voces Manabitas.” In 1985, his most notable book was published, “La Confederación Manteña,” a historical study of Manta’s roots. Two schools in the Manabi province bear his name.

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Natalí Romero Torres

Natalí Romero Torres (Manta) is a doctor, clinical sexologist, poet, and writer. She is the author of the poetry collection “El amor en tacones” (2018). Alexis Cuzme, director of the publishing house Tinta Ácida, commented that “El amor en tacones” was written for women. The book’s themes include sensuality, love, heartbreak, disappointment, and emotional support.

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Pedro Gil Flores

Pedro Gil Flores (Manta, May, 18, 1971 – January 22, 2022) was an Ecuadorian poet and short story writer. He published his first book of poems at the age of 17, Paren la Guerra que yo no juego (1988), followed by Delirium Tremens (1993), Con unas arrugas en la sangre (1997), He llevado una vida feliz (2001) Sano Juicio (2003), 17 Puñaladas no son nada (2010) and Crónico, Poemas del Siquiátrico Sagrado Corazón (2012). In 2014 Gil published a book of short stories titled El príncipe de los canallas (2o14). He has directed a writing workshop at the Eloy Alfaro Lay University of Manabí (ULEAM). He was called the “Ecuadorian Rimbaud” by the literary historian Hernán Rodríguez Castelo. He coordinated the poetry workshop of the Portoviejo branch of the House of Ecuadorian Culture.

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Hugo Mayo

Hugo Mayo, pen name of Miguel Augusto Egas Miranda (Manta, November 24, 1895 – Guayaquil, April 5, 1988), was an Ecuadorian avant-garde poet who is referred to as “one of the most influential figures of the 20th century” in the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Although he produced most of his poetry while living in Guayaquil, he published most of his poetry outside of Ecuador, so he was not well known in his native country, but was regarded as one of the best poets of his time in other countries such as Argentina and Peru. El zaguán de aluminio, originally written in 1921 but released in 1982, is perhaps his most famous work. The book was supposed to be published in 1922, but its lone copy was lost or stolen from the publishing house before publication. In the introductory notes of the 1982 version, he wrote: “The true originals of El zaguán de aluminio were destroyed long ago. These lines are what I most recall about those poems. May some hypocritical reader pardon me if I am untrue; they are things of memory, bygone years, and fate.” He was the older brother of the poet José María Egas (1896–1982).

Pen name

In 1921, he chose “Hugo Mayo” as his pen name, and he used it for the rest of his life. He was a huge fan of Victor Hugo, thus the name “Hugo,” and “Mayo,” which stood for May, the European springtime month.

Works

  • El regreso (1973)
  • Poemas de Hugo Mayo (1976)
  • El zaguán de aluminio (1982)
  • Chamarasca (1984)
  • Colección la rosa de papel (1986)