Raúl Rojas Hidalgo (born 1944) is an Ecuadorian poet and novelist. His collection of poetry, “Como el agua” [Like Water], was published by the House of Ecuadorian Culture in 1988. In 1990, his novel “Una buena razón para matar” [A Good Reason To Kill] was featured in the First Ecuadorian Novel Biennial. In 2004, Rojas published another collection of poetry called “Salmos de amor a las seis de la tarde” [Love Psalms at Six in the Evening].
Controversy over the marketing of Raúl Rojas Hidalgo’s novel “Una buena razón para matar,” which participated in the First Ecuadorian Novel Biennial
The Biennial contest required participants to submit an unpublished novel manuscript along with a sealed envelope containing the author’s name. A panel of judges consisting of other authors and scholars selected a winner and then opened the envelope to reveal the author’s identity. Although Rojas’ novel, “Una buena razón para matar,” was backed by one of the judges, Jorge Enrique Adoum, it did not win the competition. Later, after Rojas’ book was published, Adoum accused the publisher, editor, and author of using dishonest marketing tactics. He claimed that he did not make or sign any statement printed in the book’s marketing materials and denied the book’s assertion that the reason it lost the Biennial was due to political reasons.
Works
Poetry
- Como el agua (Editorial Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, 1988)
- Salmos de amor a las seis de la tarde (2004)
Novel
- Una buena razón para matar (Indugraf del Ecuador, 1990) – ISBN 978-9978-82-104-6
Name variations
- Luis Raúl Rojas Hidalgo
- Raúl Rojas Hidalgo
- Raúl Rojas