Raúl Vallejo, born César Raúl Enrique Vallejo Corral (Manta, June 28, 1959) is an Ecuadorian novelist, short story writer, poet, politician and academic. He has served as the Minister of Education in the administrations of presidents Rodrigo Borja Cevallos, Alfredo Palacio and Rafael Correa, who also named him Minister of Culture and Patrimony. In the realm of literature, he is one of today’s most prolific writers, and has won many national and international awards, such as the Royal Spanish Academy Award (Spain), José Lezama Lima Poetry Prize (Cuba). In 1999 his books Huellas de amor eterno (short stories) won the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize and Acoso Textual (a novel) won his second Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize.
José Lezama Lima Poetry Prize
Raúl Vallejo was awarded this price for his work Mística del tabernario (2017), he is the second Ecuadorian to receive the prize, which has been awarded by the Casa de las Américas (Cuba) since 2000. The first Ecuadorian to win the prize is Humberto Vinueza for his book Obra cierta. Antología poética (2012).
List of awards
- Winner of the “Ismael Pérez Pazmiño” Short Story National Prize, 70 Años de diario El Universo, 1991, for his book: Fiesta de solitarios
- Winner of the “Joaquin Gallegos Lara” Literature Prize, 1992, for: Fiesta de solitarios
- Winner of the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit National Literature Prize, 1999, for: Huellas de amor eterno
- Winner of the Joaquin Gallegos Lara, 1999, for the novel: Acoso textual
- Winner of the VI Bienal de Poesía de Cuenca, 2006, for his book: Crónicas de un mestizo
- Winner of the story contest of the Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, 2014, for: Marilyn en el Caribe
- Honorable mention in the VII edición del Premio Internacional de Ensayo Mariano Picón Salas, 2015, for: Bolívar y Manuela. La palabra apasionada de los patriotas amantes
- Winner of the II convocatoria del premio internacional de novela Héctor Rojas Herazo, 2015, for El perpetuo exiliado
- Winner of the Premio Real Academia Española 2018, for El perpetuo exiliado