Jorge Icaza Coronel (Quito, June 10, 1906 – Ibidem, May 26, 1978) is indisputably the most renowned Ecuadorian author of the 20th century. His impactful storytelling, exemplified in critically acclaimed novels such as “Huasipungo” and “El Chulla Romero y Flores,” presented an unflinching portrayal of Ecuadorian societal conditions, particularly the trials of indigenous and mestizo communities. Icaza’s “Huasipungo,” which brought the issue of rural exploitation to the global stage, has been translated into more than 15 languages, including two English versions, signifying his far-reaching influence. His status as Ecuador’s literary giant is not just confined to his homeland; his work has significantly shaped Latin American literature. His later role as Ecuador’s ambassador to Russia further exemplifies his multifaceted contributions. Icaza’s legacy has transcended time; his work continues to inspire and influence, marking him as a towering figure in Ecuadorian and Latin American literature of the 20th century.

Playwright

Jorge Icaza began his literary career as a playwright. El Intruso was published in 1928, La Comedia sin Nombre in 1929, Cuál es in 1931, Sin Sentido in 1932, and Flagelo in 1936. After his 1933 playscript, El Dictador, was rejected, Icaza shifted his focus to writing novels about Ecuador’s social conditions, particularly the oppression of its indigenous people.

Novelist

With the publication of Huasipungo in 1934, Jorge Icaza achieved international fame. The book is one of the best known Indigenista novels (Indigenista literature is a literary trend that deals with the indigenous peoples of Latin America and their problems). Fragments of the book first appeared in English translation in Russia, where it was welcomed enthusiastically by Russia’s peasant socialist class. Jorge Icaza was later appointed Ecuador’s ambassador to Russia. (1973-1977).

The first complete edition of Huasipungo was translated into English in 1962 by Mervyn Savill and published in England by Dennis Dobson Ltd. An “authorized” translation appeared in 1964 by Bernard M. Dulsey, and was published by Southern Illinois University Press in Carbondale, IL as “The Villagers”.

Read an essay on Bernard M. Dulsey’s translation of Jorge Icaza’s novel Huasipungo.

Listen to Jorge Icaza read from selected chapters of his books.

Adaption of some of Icaza’s novels for the stage

In 1970, with his wife Marina Moncayo, Jorge Icaza wanted to stage the theatrical version of “Huasipungo” but the civil dictatorial government of Velasco Ibarra prohibited it from being performed. Ricardo Descalzi del Castillo, at Icaza’s request, was the one who adapted Huasipungo for the stage. A year later, Icaza premiered his theatrical version of “El Chulla Romero y Flores” with great success in Quito.

Personal life

Parents

Jorge Icaza Coronel was born in Quito, in the Vergel neighborhood, on July 10, 1906. His father, José Antonio Icaza Manzo, was a liberal from Babahoyo who died in 1909 of a perforated ulcer when Jorge Icaza was only three years old. His mother, Carmen Amelia Coronel Pareja, was from Riobamba.

A short time later his mother married a merchant named José Alejandro Peñaherrera Oña.

Jorge Icaza relocated to Chimborazo with his mother, Amelia Coronel Pareja, where his family owned a farm. It was then that as a boy Icaza came into contact with the Indians of these lands, their language and customs, and, especially, their plight: their mistreatment in the hands of the white landowners and mestizo overseers—which later served as a theme in his novel “Huasipungo” and other works.

Marriage

In 1936, Icaza married stage actress Marina Moncayo, with whom he had a daughter, Cristina Icaza Moncayo, in 1934. They had a second daughter, Fenia Icaza Moncayo, in 1937. He met Moncayo while writing plays for the National Theater Company (Compañía Nacional de Teatro). Icaza and Moncayo remained married until his death in 1978.

Bookstore owner

In 1937, together with Ecuadorian novelist Pedro Jorge Vera and the Peruvian writer Genaro Carnero Checa (who was living in exile in Ecuador), he founded the bookstore named Agencia General de Publicaciones [General Publications Agency], located at Mejía No. 78, between the streets Venezuela and García Moreno. The bookstore became a place where intellectuals met, however it did not produce a considerable profit. The following year he began directing the magazine “The Union of Writers and Artists.”

Politics and diplomatic career

Jorge Icaza had connections with the political left and consistently infused his works with social themes. He was present at the inauguration of Venezuelan President Rómulo Gallegos, a fellow writer.

In 1949, Icaza served as a cultural attaché in Buenos Aires, Argentina, under the Plaza Gallo administration. By 1959, he became the director of the National Library. During this period, he also embarked on an international tour, visiting countries like China, the Soviet Union, and several in Europe. In 1973, he lectured in the United States and later represented Ecuador as an Ambassador to the USSR, Poland, and West Germany.

In 1963, Icaza’s work “Huasipungo” was translated into Russian, and he participated in the Zionist Congress in Rio de Janeiro. Three years later, in 1966, a Cuban edition of “Huasipungo” was released in 100,000 copies. However, Icaza did not receive any royalties for this edition due to Cuba’s policy since Castro’s rise to power.

Death

Jorge Icaza died of stomach cancer at the age of 71 on May 26, 1978 in Quito, Ecuador. He had started writing two new novels, “Los Jauregui” and “La milagrosa,” but was unable to finish them before his passing.

Legacy

A short documentary about Jorge Icaza.

Huasipungo in English translation

Fragments of the book first appeared in English translation in Russia, where it was welcomed enthusiastically by Russia’s peasant socialist class. The complete edition of Huasipungo was first translated into the English language in 1962 by Mervyn Savill and published in England by Dennis Dobson Ltd. An “authorized” translation appeared in 1964 by Bernard M. Dulsey, and was published in 1964 by Southern Illinois University Press in Carbondale, IL as The Villagers. Read a preview of Dulsey’s English translation here.

Publications

Year of Publication	Literary work	Genre	Notes
1928	El intruso	Play
1929	La comedia sin nombre	Play
1931	¿Cuál es? y Como ellos quieren	Play
1932	Sin sentido	Play
1933	El dictador	Play
1933	Barro de la sierra	Short Story
1934	Huasipungo	Novel	Read it for free here.
1935	En las calles	Novel	Read it for free here.
1936	Flagelo	Play	Read it for free here.
1937	Cholos	Novel	Read it for free here.
1942	Media vida deslumbrados	Novel
1948	Huairapamushcas	Novel
1958	El chulla Romero y Flores	Novel
1961	Obras escogidas	Selected works
1969	Relatos	Short Story
1972	Atrapados	Novel

Partial list of Jorge Icaza’s works in translation

Original Title	Language	Title	Translator	Publisher	Year
El chulla Romero y Flores	German	Caballero in geborgtem Frack	Horst Lothar Teweleit	Berlin Verl. Volk u. Welt	1965
El chulla Romero y Flores	French	L’homme De Quito	Claude Couffon	Les Lettres francaises, Nº833, 14-20 juillet 1960.	1960
El chulla Romero y Flores	French	L’homme De Quito	Claude Couffon	Albin Michel	1993
Huasipungo	German	Huasi-Pungo. Ruf der Indios. Roman.	Paul Zech	Greifenverlag, Rudolstadt	1952
Cholos	Italian	I meticci	Carlo Bo	Einaudi, Torino	1949
Huasipungo	French	La Fosse aux Indiens	Georges Pillement	París, Ed . Pierre Fanlac	1938
Huasipungo	English	The Villagers, a Novel. Authorized Translation	Bernard M. Dulsey	Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, IL	1964
Huasipungo	English	Huasipungo	Mervyn Savill	Dennis Dobson Ltd, London	1962
Huasipungo	German	Huasipungo. Unser kleines Stückchen Erde	Suzanne Heintz	Bornheim – Merten Lamuv	1978
Huairapamuchcas	Slovenian	Huairapamuške: sinovi vetra: roman	Barbara Pregelj	Mladinska knjiga	2001
Huasipungo	Greek	Ουαζιπούνγκο	Πόλλα Ζαχοπούλου – Βλάχου (Pólla Zachopoúlou-Vláchou)	ΚΑΣΤΑΝΙΩΤΗΣ (Kastaniōtē)	1982
En las calles	Slovak	Na uliciach	Tibor Kobáň	VPL – Vydavateľstvo politickej literatúry	1963
El chulla Romero y Flores	Russian	Человек из Кито	Скины Вафа (Skina Vafa)	Khudozhestvennaia literatura	1966
Huasipungo	Hungarian	Indián átok	Füsi József	Nyomtatta Athenaeum, Budapest.	1949
Huairapamuchcas	Romanian	Copiii vîntului	Vlaicu Bârna, David Mihail	Editura pentru Literatură Universală	1965
El chulla Romero y Flores	Czech	Chlapík z Quita	Věra Prokopová	Praha: SNKLU	1963
Cholos	Slovenian	Mešanci: roman	Silvester Škerl	V Ljubljani: Cankarjeva založba	1954
Huasipungo	Serbian	Indijanska polja	Rajna Đurđev	Biblioteka Reč i misao	1964
	French	Un roman : Terre indienne (I)	Jean Viet	Poésie 47, n° 38	mars 1947
	French	Un roman : Terre indienne (II)	Jean Viet	Poésie 47, n° 39	mai 1947
	French	Un roman : Terre indienne (III)	Jean Viet	Poésie 47, n° 40	août-septembre 1947
El chulla Romero y Flores	Ukrainian	Лихі пригоди Ромеро-і-Флореса: прозріння	Вадим Хазін (Vadim Khazin)	Vydavnyt︠s︡tvo khudoz︠h︡nʹoï literatury “Dnipro”	1967
Huasipungo	Hebrew	אינדיאני על ההר: סיפור על נחלת דמים	Ioram Melcer	כרמל, Yerushalayim: Karmel	2009
Cholos	French	“Cholos”	Lucie Sobol	Seghers	1959
Huasipungo	Czech	Indiánská pole	Jaroslav Kuchválek, Miroslav Paťava	V Praze : Pavel Prokop : Svoboda	1947
Huasipungo	Chinese	養身地 / Yang shen di	Hao’erhe Yikasa zhu, Lin Zhimu yi	上海譯文出版社, Shanghai : Shanghai yi wen chu ban she	1986
En las calles	Russian	На улицах	Н. Любимова (N. Lyubimova)	Журн.-газ. объединение	1938
Huasipungo	Japanese	ワシプンゴ / Washipungo	伊藤武好 (Takeyoshi Ito	朝日新聞社 Asahi Shimbun	1974
Huasipungo	Italian	Huasipungo	Lucilla Soro	Elliot	2018
Huasipungo	Portuguese	Huasipungo	António José Massano	INALD – Instituto Nacional do Livro e do Disco	1980
Huasipungo	Portuguese	Huasipungo	Heloísa Archêro de Araújo	Paz e Terra	1978
Huasipungo	Portuguese	Huasipungo	De Plácido e Silva	Guaíra	1941
Huasipungo	Polish	Huasipungo: Dławiące dzierżawy	Tadeusz Jakubowicz	Ludowa Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza, Warszawa	1950
Huasipungo	Italian	Huasipungo	Giuseppe Bellini	Nuova Accademia, Milano	1961
Huasipungo	Russian	Уасипунго	V. Vinogradov (Виноградов В.)		1976
Two short stories: “Sed” and “Exodo” originally from the collection “Barro de la sierra (cuentos)”	French	Gens de l’Equateur («Soif» et «Exode»)	George Pillement	Seghers	1945
Huairapamuchcas	Croatian	Zli Duhovi	Ivan Večerina	Zora, Zagreb, Croatia	1957