richard - Ecuadorian Literature

Carlos Arcos Cabrera

Carlos Arcos Cabrera (Quito, 1951) is an Ecuadorian sociologist and writer. He began his writing career with the novel “Un asunto de familia” in 1997, followed by “Vientos de agosto” in 2003 and “El invitado” in 2007, both of which won the Joaquin Gallegos Lara Prize in their respective years of publication. He has also written books for young people, including “Memorias de Andrés Chiliquinga” in 2013, which features the character Andrés Chiliquinga from Jorge Icaza’s 1934 novel “Huasipungo.”

Abdón Ubidia

Abdón Ubidia is a novelist, short story writer and playwright. He was born in Quito in 1944. He is considered one of the most important voices of modern Ecuadorian literature. In 1986 he published Sueño de lobos, which was hailed by critics as the book of the decade. It was translated into English in 1996 as Wolves’ Dream. In 2012, President Rafael Correa awarded Ubidia with the Eugenio Espejo Prize in Literature, Ecuador’s top literary prize. Ubidia’s books have been translated into many languages.

Sara Vanégas Coveña

Sara Vanégas Coveña (Cuenca, October 19, 1950) is an Ecuadorian poet, writer, and educator. She earned a Ph.D. in Germanistics from the Goethe Institute in Munich and has taught at the University of Munich, Bielefeld University, and currently at the Universidad del Azuay in Cuenca. A prolific author, she has published over 30 works, including poetry collections and essays. Vanégas has been honored as a Universal Ambassador of Peace and is a two-time winner of the Jorge Carrera Andrade National Poetry Prize, receiving the award in 2000 and 2004.

Magaly Vanégas Coveña

Magaly Vanégas Coveña (Cuenca, 1953) is an Ecuadorian poet, short story writer, journalist, philologist and teacher. Following her studies at the University of Cuenca, she received a scholarship to study at the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute in the former Soviet Union, as well as at the Faculty of History and Philology at Moscow University. She has taught Spanish at Moscow University and Russian at Cuenca’s Ecuadorian-Soviet Cultural Institute. She is currently a teacher at the Manuel J. Calle National School in Cuenca. She is a member of the Ibero-American Poetry Academy in Cuenca. Her poems are known for their short verses and themes of absence, loneliness, nostalgia, and simple things in nature, for example: “A bird / has hung its nest / in the shadow / of a balcony” (from Espejos de la imaginación, 2000).

María del Carmen Garcés

María del Carmen Garcés is a writer, translator, journalist and historian. She was born in Latacunga in 1958. She has lived in Bolivia, Argentina, United States, Cuba and Chile. One of her best known books is Conversaciones con Pombo: Combatiente de la guerrilla del Che en Bolivia (2011), about her conversations with Harry Villegas Tamayo, aka Pombo, a guerilla fighter who accompanied the revolutionary Che Guevara in Bolivia.

Remigio Crespo Toral

Remigio Crespo Toral was an Ecuadorian poet and writer. He was born in Cuenca on August 4, 1860 and died In the same city on July 8, 1939. In 1905, President Leónidas Plaza Gutiérrez appointed him lawyer of the Republic, to defend Ecuador in its diplomatic conflict with Peru. In 1909, in the centennial of the first cry of independence, Crespo Toral published a book titled Cien años de emancipación. In 1917, he was crowned national poet, by decree of the President Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno, in the Central Park of Cuenca. This was a very important ceremony, which was attended by the entire city, including senior officials like President Baquerizo Moreno, the Ambassadors of the United States, Belgium, Chile, Peru, among others. In 1925, he was appointed Rector of the University of Cuenca, holding this post until his death.

Mary Corylé

María Ramona Cordero y León (Cuenca, May 21, 1894 – Cuenca, May 7, 1976) was an Ecuadorian poet, novelist, journalist, and playwright best known by her pseudonym Mary Corylé. She gained prominence with her poetry collection Canta la vida (1933), which challenged conservative societal norms with its bold themes, including early examples of eroticism in Ecuadorian literature, as seen in her famous poem Bésame (1925). A defender of women’s rights and a prolific writer, Corylé published over 100 works across various genres and also contributed to journalism, education, and archival work, including founding the Municipal Library of Cuenca.

Carmen Acevedo Vega

Carmen Acevedo Vega de Idrobo (Guayaquil, July 16, 1913 – Guayaquil, April 28, 2006) was an eminent Ecuadorian poet, writer, and journalist whose literary career spanned several decades. Known for her profound and lyrical verses, Vega delved into themes of social justice, womanhood, and the human condition, making significant contributions to Ecuadorian literature and culture. Through her work in journalism and membership in various cultural and journalistic institutions, she played a pivotal role in the cultural landscape of Ecuador. Vega’s dedication to exploring complex social themes and her involvement in literary and cultural circles have cemented her legacy as a key figure in Ecuadorian literature.

María Angélica Idrobo

María Angélica Idrobo (July 29, 1890 – February 26, 1956) was a prominent Ecuadorian educator, writer, and pioneering women’s rights activist. Educated in Quito and further trained in Argentina and Uruguay, she excelled in pedagogy, founding notable institutions like Liceo Ariel, Fernández Madrid, and Simón Bolívar. Alongside Zoila Ugarte, Idrobo established the “Sociedad Feminista Luz de Pichincha,” advocating for women’s empowerment. She also created schools for women, significantly contributing to female education. Her literary work, including “Homenaje a las Madres,” reflects her deep commitment to social issues. Idrobo’s enduring legacy continues to inspire in Ecuador’s cultural and educational spheres.

Luz Argentina Chiriboga

Luz Argentina Chiriboga Guerrero (Esmeraldas, Ecuador, April 1, 1940) is an Afro-Ecuadorian writer known for her exploration of Afro-Hispanic cultural identity and the challenges faced by women. Her work spans novels, short stories, poetry, and essays, focusing on themes such as race, gender, and sexuality within patriarchal and racially segregated societies. Chiriboga’s most notable works include Bajo la piel de los tambores (Drums Under My Skin) and Jonatás y Manuela, which highlight the complexities of Afro-Ecuadorian identity and female autonomy. She has won multiple awards and her work has been translated into several languages, including English, French, and Italian.

Violeta Luna

Morayma Violeta Luna Carrera is an Ecuadorian poet, essayist, journalist, literary critic, professor. She was born on February 24, 1943 in Guayaquil. She is a member of various organizations, including the Press Circle of Ecuador, the Society of Ecuadorian Writers, and the House of Ecuadorian Culture.

Numa Pompilio Llona

Numa Pompilio Llona (Guayaquil, March 5, 1832 – April 5, 1907) was an Ecuadorian poet, lawyer, journalist, educator, diplomat, and philosopher. He served as a diplomat abroad, in countries such as Spain, France, Italy and Colombia, during which time he formed friendships with famous authors such as Victor Hugo, George Sand and Alphonse de Lamartine. He served as the rector of the University of Guayaquil, and also as the director of the Municipal Museum and Library of Guayaquil. During his lifetime he was one of Ecuador’s most popular poets.

Joaquín Gallegos Del Campo

Joaquín Gallegos Del Campo was an Ecuadorian modernist poet, newspaper publisher, and liberal politician. He was the father of the legendary author Joaquín Gallegos Lara. He was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador on July 27, 1873. In 1894, he and his brother Emilio founded the liberal weekly newspaper El Cáustico. In 1896, he founded another liberal newspaper, América Modernista, which published many modernist poets of the era. On November, 20, 1910, while serving as Secretary-General of the Government of El Oro Province, he was killed by a stray bullet during a revolutionary riot gunfight when he looked out his office window from the government building to see what was happening. At the time of his death his only son was less than 2 years old. In 1912, his only book Mis recuerdos: poesías líricas y cuentos en prosa was published posthumously by his window Emma Lara Calderón.

Nela Martínez

Nela Martínez Espinosa was an Ecuadorian communist, politician, activist, feminist and writer. She was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador on November 24, 1912 and died in Havana, Cuba on July 30, 2004. She was once briefly married to the legendary Ecuadorian author Joaquín Gallegos Lara, with whom she shared a communist ideology. While their marriage ended in divorce, they remained lifelong friends. When Gallegos died in 1947 he left behind an unfinished novel titled Guandos, which Martínez completed and published in 1982. Both Gallegos and Martínez are credited as co-authors of Guandos.