Writers living outside of Ecuador - Ecuadorian Literature

Ramiro Oviedo

Ramiro Oviedo (Chambo, Ecuador, 1952) is a renowned poet and writer known for his literary contributions in Ecuador and France. He relocated to France in 1987, where he currently teaches Latin American literature at Université du Littoral. Oviedo has published several acclaimed books, including “Caminos de sombras” (Paths of Shadows) and “Entre la noche y el día” (Between Night and Day), which have garnered recognition and awards such as the prestigious National Poetry Prize of Ecuador. His captivating writing delves into the existential struggle for meaning in life and the challenges individuals face. Oviedo’s dedication to literature and teaching has made him a prominent figure in the international literary community, shaping the minds of aspiring writers and contributing significantly to the cultural exchange between Latin America and Europe.

Antonio Vidas

Antonio Vidas, pseudonym of Dimas Antonio Garcìa Vinces (Santa Ana, Ecuador, April 25, 1974) is an Ecuadorian poet. His works are deeply rooted in his country, family, and natural surroundings. Residing in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Vidas explored themes of nostalgia, migration, and the human experience in his poetry. He is the author of at least two poetry books: “El arpa del ceibo en llamas” (2010) and “El náufrago y la isla” (2011). Through his poems, Vidas reflects on his birthplace and invites readers on a journey of introspection and self-discovery.

George Perdomo Rodríguez

George Perdomo Rodríguez (Muisne, Esmeraldas, 1952) is an Ecuadorian writer and poet. After leaving his homeland, he settled in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Through his literary works, he explores themes of immigration, capturing the struggles, aspirations, and emotions of those who leave their homeland in search of a better life. George Perdomo Rodríguez’s writing reflects his own experiences and offers a profound understanding of the human condition, resonating with readers both in Ecuador and Spain. “His books include: Balada del emigrante,” “Los sueños de las palomas,” “Saga de emigrantes,” “Senderos de Espumas,” “Isla de Ensueños,” among others.

Sergio Ramírez Mercado

Sergio Ramírez Mercado (August 5, 1942) is a prominent Nicaraguan author and a recipient of the prestigious Cervantes Prize. In February of 2023, he accepted an offer of Ecuadorian citizenship from President Guillermo Lasso after being exiled from Nicaragua in 2021 and subsequently stripped of his nationality in 2023, along with 93 other individuals, by the government of Daniel Ortega, who branded them as traitors. He was a key figure in 1979 revolution, served in the leftist Government Junta of National Reconstruction and as vice president of the country 1985–1990 under the presidency of Daniel Ortega. He is currently residing in Spain, where he also holds citizenship, and had previously been granted citizenship by Colombia before being offered citizenship by Ecuador. Ramírez is widely recognized as Nicaragua’s “best-known living writer,” having authored numerous novels, short story collections, and works of non-fiction. Some of his work has been translated into English.

Wladimir Chávez

Wladimir Chávez, born Wladimir Alfredo Chávez Vaca (Quito, 1977) is an Ecuadorian novelist and short story writer. He has lived in Norway for over 20 years where he currently works as an associate professor of Spanish and Latin American literature in the Department of Languages, Literature and Culture at Østfold University College. In 2014 his collection of short stories “En el corazón del silencio” [In the Heart of Silence] won the Biennial Pichincha Prize. In 2018 his novel “El olor de las flores quemadas” [The Smell of Burning Flowers] won the Miguel Riofrío National Literary Award. Some of his work has been translated into English and Italian.

Margarita Dager-Uscocovich

Margarita Dager-Uscocovich (Guayaquil, October 31, 1967) is an Ecuadorian fiction writer, poet, and columnist. Her debut novel, “No es tiempo de morir” was published in Spanish in 2018 and in English in 2019. Her second novel “Las queremos vivas” (2021), deals with the global trafficking of women, and has Guayaquil and Charlotte, N.C as settings. Her short stories and micro-stories have been published in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay and the United States. Her poems have been published in the online magazine labelmelatina.com. She is a columnist for the Destinos section of the online magazine La Nota Latina in Miami, FL and Revista Latina NC. She currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Rocío Durán-Barba

Rocío Durán-Barba (Quito, 19??) is an Ecuadorian writer, novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and painter. Her creative pursuits have taken her to Paris, where she has resided for many years. Proficient in both Spanish and French, Rocío has authored an impressive collection of over 50 books. Her debut novel, “París sueño eterno” (1997), garnered attention and was subsequently translated into French by the renowned translator Claude Couffon in 2003, titled “Ici ou nulle part.” Alongside her writing career, Rocío Durán-Barba worked as a consultant for UNESCO in Paris, leveraging her expertise to contribute to the organization’s mission. She also served as an advisor for UNESCO at the Ecuadorian Embassy. In addition to her literary achievements, Rocío is an accomplished painter, showcasing her artistic expressions through exhibitions held in various countries.

Antonio Sacoto Salamea

Antonio Sacoto Salamea (Biblián, Cañar, Ecuador, November 30, 1932) is an Ecuadorian literary critic, essayist, and university professor. He has a PhD from Columbia University in New York. He has served as Director of Latin American Studies and Dean of the College of Romance Languages at the City University of New York (CUNY). He has written around 20 books about Ecuadorian and Latin American literature. His first book was “The Indian in the Ecuadorian novel” (1967), wherein he analyzed the works of Jorge Icaza and Juan León Mera. The municipal library of the city of Azogues is named in his honor. He has been a member of the Ecuadorian Academy of Language since 2012.

Fernando Itúrburu

Fernando Itúrburu Rivadeneira (Guayaquil, 1960) is a writer, poet, essayist, literary critic, translator, and renowned scholar of Latin American literature. He is a Spanish professor in the Languages department at SUNY Plattsburgh where he has taught Latin American colonial and 20th century literatures, Cultural Studies, Women’s Studies, and Creative Writing. Often in collaboration with American professor Alexis Levitin, also of SUNY Plattsburgh, he has translated various Ecuadorian poets from Spanish to English. In 2009, they published “Tapestry of the Sun. A Bilingual Anthology of Ecuadorian Poets,” which includes first-time translations of various Ecuadorian poets, largely from Guayaquil. Their translations of Ecuadorian poetry have also appeared in several literary journals. He was a member of the Guayaquil literary group Sicoseo. He has been a member of the House of Ecuadorian Culture since 1984.

Alfredo Noriega

Afredo Noriega Fernández (Quito, 1962) is an Ecuadorian writer, novelist, short story writer, and playwright. In the early 1980’s he was a member of the writing workshop of Miguel Donoso Pareja and founded the group La Pequeñalulupa. In 1985, he moved to Paris, France where he studied linguistics at the Sorbonne Nouvelle. He lived in Paris and Brussels for many years and now lives in Cardiff, United Kingdom. He has worked as a Spanish professor at universities. He is a highly-acclaimed author of noir novels. Some of his best-known work includes the 2002 novel “De que nada se sabe,” (translated into French as C’est dur de mourir au printemps), its 2010 sequel “Tan solo morir” (translated as Mourir, la belle affaire), and the trilogy’s final book, the 2019 novel “Eso si nunca.” The trilogy’s first novel, “De que nada se sabe,” was adapted into a film in 2008 titled “Cuando me toque a mí” by director Víctor Arregui who co-wrote the screenplay with him. He has published novels, short story collections, poetry collections, and plays. His stories have been included in several national and international anthologies.

Carla Badillo Coronado

Carla Badillo Coronado (Quito, 1985) is an Ecuadorian poet, writer, journalist, translator, and travel writer based in Lisbon, Portugal. Her poetry books have won numerous prestigious awards. In 2010, she received the Moradalsur Award for her poetry collection “Belongings / Pertenencias”; in 2011, she won the César Dávila Andrade National Poetry Award for her book “Partituras Incompletas”; and in 2015, her poetry book “El color de la granada” won the Loewe Foundation International Poetry Prize for Young Creation. Her short novel “Abierta sigue la noche” received honorable mention at both the 2015 La Linares Prize and the 2017 Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize.

Bernardita Maldonado

Bernardita Maldonado (Loja, 1969) is an Ecuadorian poet and writer. She has resided in Spain for over 25 years. She is the author of several poetry collections, including “Biografía de los pájaros” (2007) and “Con todos los soles lejanos” (2015). She has compiled the poetry of Héctor Manuel Carrión and written an introduction to it. Her native city of Loja honored her as “Woman of Letters 2015.” She is a member of the Ecuadorian House of Culture in Loja.

Vladimiro Rivas

Vladimiro Rivas Iturralde (Latacunga, June 5, 1944) is an Ecuadorian novelist, short story writer, biographer, opera critic, essayist, editor, translator, and award-winning university professor. He has been a resident of Mexico since 1973 and also holds Mexican citizenship. Since its establishment in 1974, he has been a professor at the Azcapotzalco Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City. He has produced eight collections of short stories, two novels, and five nonfiction books. Some of his work has been translated to English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Bulgarian. He has also been the editor of anthologies of Ecuadorian writers, such as the acclaimed “Cuento ecuatoriano contemporáneo,” which was released in Mexico in 2001 and promptly translated into English as “Contemporary Ecuadorian Short Stories” in 2002.

Margarita Borja

Margarita Borja (Quito, 1983) is an Ecuadorian writer, journalist, translator, and literary critic. She has lived in Leipzip, Germany since 2007, where her daughters were born and raised. Since 2012 she has written an international opinion column for the Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo. In 2015, she published a collection of 32 of her opinion columns as a book, “Una latina en Alemania: historias de dos mundos” [A Latina in Germany: Stories of Two Worlds]. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications.

Arturo Montesinos Malo

Arturo Montesinos Malo (Cuenca, August 31, 1913 – May 23, 2009) was an Ecuadorian novelist, professor, and translator who lived in the United States for many years where he worked as a translator at the United Nations in New York. In 1959, he received the “José de la Cuadra” Award for his short story collection “Arcilla indócil,” which is considered by many to be his best work. Some of his Spanish-to-English translations of contemporary writers’ short stories and poems appeared in Letras del Ecuador.