Elsy Santillán Flor (Quito, December 23, 1957) is an Ecuadorian poet, fiction writer, playwright, and author of children’s literature. She’s also a lawyer by profession and has worked in Ecuador’s courts. From 1999-2002 she was secretary of Ecuadorian Society of Writers (SEDE). She was the recipient of the Jorge Luis Borges National Prize and the Pablo Palacio Prize. One of her plays received honorable mention at the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize in 2011. The majority of her short fiction was collected in “Los miedos juntos” (2009). In 2021, she published her latest work, a horror novel titled “Fantasmagórica aventura del grupo 21” [The Phantasmagorical Adventure of Group 21]. Some of her works have been translated into Hungarian and French.
Early Life and Education
Elsy Santillán Flor was born on December 23, 1957, in Quito, Ecuador. She grew up in the city’s historic center, a place she remembers fondly for its rich culture and preserved architecture. Raised by her mother, María Elena Flor Vásconez, Elsy was deeply influenced by the vast library her mother inherited from her grandfather. Surrounded by books from a young age, she developed a love for reading, devouring everything from fairy tales to classic literature. By the age of twelve, she had already read most of Agatha Christie’s novels. This early exposure to literature set the foundation for her future as a writer. Her intellectual household, where her mother was an avid reader and a poet, encouraged Elsy’s creative development. Though she pursued a career in law and worked in Ecuadorian courts, literature remained her true passion, leading her to explore various genres throughout her career.
Personal Life
Elsy grew up as an only child in a household shaped by her parents’ divorce when she was very young. Despite the challenges of growing up in a single-parent home, she found solace and inspiration in books. Her close relationship with her mother, a constant presence in her life, greatly shaped her literary interests. As an adult, Elsy became a mother of two sons, one of whom, David Sánchez Santillán, is a poet. While she paused her writing for a period after the birth of her first child, she returned to her craft with renewed vigor and has since established herself as a leading figure in Ecuadorian literature.
Literary Career
Elsy Santillán Flor has made significant contributions to Ecuadorian literature, writing across multiple genres including poetry, fiction, theater, and children’s literature. Her fascination with the supernatural and horror genres began during childhood, sparked by a vivid experience in which she believed she saw a ghost in her family home. This event deeply influenced her interest in horror and the fantastic, leading her to explore these themes in her work. Though she cites classical horror writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and Vernon Lee as inspirations, she takes pride in maintaining a distinctive voice, separate from the influences of Ecuadorian authors in these genres. Some of her notable works include Los miedos juntos (2009), a collection of short stories that navigate themes of fear and societal decay, and Fantasmagórica aventura del grupo 21 (2021), a novel aimed at young readers that blends nostalgia for her youth with supernatural elements. In addition to her fiction, she is known for her poetry, including En las cuevas ajenas de la noche (1998), where she delves into themes of human experience and philosophy.
Recognitions and Accolades
Elsy Santillán Flor’s literary achievements have been widely recognized. In 1995, she received the prestigious Jorge Luis Borges National Prize, followed by the Pablo Palacio Prize in 1997. Her contributions to theater earned her an honorable mention at the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize in 2011. Additionally, she shared the Casa de Escritores y Poetas de Bretaña Prize in 2012. These accolades reflect the breadth and quality of her work, which has also garnered international attention, with some of her stories translated into Hungarian and French.
Videos
Works
Fiction
- De mariposas, espejos y sueños (1987)
- De espantos y minucias (1992)
- Furtivas vibraciones olvidadas (1993)
- Gotas de cera en la ceniza (1999)
- Los miedos juntos (El Ángel Editor, 2009)
- Las ficciones de la soledad
- Tiniebla 13
- Fantasmagórica aventura del grupo 21 (De la Cuesta Editores, 2021)
Poetry
- En las cuevas ajenas de la noche (1998)
- Aristas en el tiempo nuevo
- Proscritas nimiedades
- Canción de lo injusto
Theater
- Danza imperfecta
- Cena para estúpidos
Children’s literature
- Maravilloso Agustín
- Las doce habitaciones de la magia (2002)
Co-author
- Deseabulos 1 (1993)
- Deseabulos 2 (2003)
- La certeza de los presagios., Cinco narradoras ecuatorianas
Her work has been included in the following anthologies
- Índice de la narrativa ecuatoriana (1992)
- Antología de narradoras ecuatorianas (Miguel Donoso Pareja, comp.; Libresa, 1997)
- Antología básica del cuento ecuatoriano (Eugenia Viteri, comp.; 5ª edición, 1998)
- Narradoras ecuatorianas de hoy, una antología crítica (Gloria da Cunha-Giabbai, comp.; Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR; 2000)
- Cuentan las mujeres (Cecilia Ansaldo Briones, comp.; Seix Barral-Planeta, 2001)