21st Century Writers - Ecuadorian Literature

Elsy Santillán Flor

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.

Rosalía Arteaga

Rosalía Arteaga, born Lupe Rosalía Arteaga Serrano (Cuenca, December 5, 1956) is an Ecuadorian social activist, writer, and politician. She served as president of Ecuador between February 6-11, 1997. She was the first woman constitutional president and vice president of Ecuador. She co-authored the book “Alto Cenepa: los frentes de una guerra,” (1995) and wrote the book “La Presidenta, el secuestro de una propuesta” (1997). Her best known book is “Jerónimo,” which has gone through 8 editions in Spanish, 2 in English, and 1 in Chinese, Braille, Portuguese, Italian and a bilingual edition in Spanish/Portuguese. A continuation, “Los otros Jerónimos,” was published in 2002, with a prologue by the Spanish writer Rosa Montero. She has also written children and youth literature. She currently lives in Quito, Ecuador.

Gabriela Cárdenas

Gabriela Cárdenas Monge (Quito) is an Ecuadorian writer, poet, graphic designer, and plastic artist. In 2018 she published a book titled “De poemas y relatos,” which combines poetry and prose with pictures of her artwork. In 2019, she won Fourth place in the The Best Christmas Stories contest hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Literature Foundation – Milibrohispano.org, which created a Spanish/English bilingual edition of the book which was published by Snow Fountain Press in Miami. In 2020, her story “La abuela y su guagua de pan” won a special mention in the international category of the contest Cuentale tu cuento a la Nota Latina, and was published in the anthology titled “33 Relatos Hispanos.” That same year, her poem “Distancia” was included in the poetry anthology “Siglemas 575.” Her poem “Terminamos, para siempre” was a finalist of the III Certamen de poesia – Hagamos art con palabras organized by the Art Emporium Gallery of Miami. She is currently working on the manuscript of her first novel.

Yess Padilla

Yess Padilla (Quito, 1975) is an Ecuadorian children’s story author. In 2022, her children’s story “El cuento de la longuita” was published in Spain by Babidibu. She is a computer science engineer focused on marketing, specifically as product manager for online products. She has lived in Barcelona, Spain since 2003.

Luis Zúñiga

Luis Zúñiga (Quito, 1955) is an Ecuadorian novelist, poet and writer. He studied anthropology in Ecuador and Italy and has vast experience working in the Andes region. He has also served in Cuba as a diplomatic and cultural emissary. He has written 3 poetry collections and 5 novels. In 1991, his historical novel “Manuela” won the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize. It has been published in Ecuador and in Colombia, Cuba, Peru and Venezuela. His 2010 novel, “Un As de alto vuelo” (2010) pays tribute to the Italian pilot Elia Liut who made the first flight over the Andes of Ecuador in 1920. Luis Zúñiga published his latest novel, ”Karaoke,” in 2015, about the virtual world, communication and the new existential crisis of contemporary civilization.

Francisco Proaño Arandi

Francisco Proaño Arandi (Cuenca, January 20, 1944) is an Ecuadorian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and diplomat. In the 1960’s he was part of the literary group called Tzántzicos. In 1961, when he was 17 years old, he published a poetry book titled “Poesías.” However, since then he has dedicated himself solely to prose. In 1964 he started the magazine Z with Alejandro Moreano, and the magazine La bufanda del sol (1965-1966) with Ulises Estrella and Alejandro Moreano. In 1972, he published his first book of poems, “Historias de disecadores.” In 1984, he published his first novel, “Antiguas caras en el espejo,” which was critically acclaimed and was awarded the José Mejía Lequerica Prize by the Municipality of Quito for best prose work. In 1993, he published a second novel, “Del otro lado de las cosas.” In 2003 his short story book, “Historias del país fingido,” won the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize. In 2003, his third novel, “La razón y el presagio” was published. His fourth novel, “Tratado del amor clandestino,” was a finalist of the Rómulo Gallegos International Prize (2009, Caracas, Venezuela) and the José María Arguedas Prize from the Casa de las Américas (2010, Havana, Cuba). In 2009, his fifth novel “El sabor de la condena” also won the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize. From 2002 to 2003 he was the director of the House of Ecuadorian Culture’s magazine Letras del Ecuador. Although he was born in Cuenca, he has lived in Quito most of his life since that’s where his family is originally from.

Santos Miranda Rojas

Santos Miranda Rojas (Guayaquil, September 12, 1940) is an Ecuadorian novelist and short story writer. He has lived in the city of Manta in the province of Manabi for many years and mostly identifies as Mantanese or Manabite. He was president of the Manabi chapter of the House of Ecuadorian Culture, president of the Manabi chapter of the Latin American Union of Writers, first president of the cultural group Alfaro Camina, director of the Sunday supplement Séptimo Día of the newspaper El Mercurio of Manta. Among his many accolades are the following: First Prize of the Oswaldo Castro Intriago Biennial Novel Award, presented by the House of Ecuadorian Culture, Manabi; the Intercollegiate Read Book Competition, sponsored by the Municipality of Quito; In 2000, his short story “El Niño Pintor” won silver at an international competition hosted by the government of Argentina, the Buenos Aires Lions Club, the Organization of American States, and the Spanish Embassy. Among his best known works is the novel, “La Casa del Nené” (2009) and the narrative book “Criollismo Mágico” (2014).

Susana Costales Terán

Susana Costales Terán (Riobamba, March 24, 1960) is a writer and poet. She has twice served as president of the Association of Contemporary Women Writers of Ecuador, Matriz Chimborazo. She is also a member of the House of Ecuadorian Culture in Chimborazo, President of the musical group Rondalla de Riobamba, President of the Los Superstar Club, and President of the Club Antifaz. Her father was the renowned writer Luis Alberto Costales. She is currently a language and literature teacher at Unidad Educativa Jefferson, a school in the Riobamba canton. She also directs a cultural radio program, gives free public speaking classes, and conducts literary workshops and conferences. She owns and operates Café Libro El Zaguán, a cafe which aims to serve as a cultural meeting spot for poetry, art and music; it holds poetry recitals at the end of each month.

Horacio Mendoza Parraga

Horacio Mendoza Parraga (Portoviejo, 1947) is an Ecuadorian poet, writer, and university professor. He is the author of several poetry collections. He is known as a lyrical, social and romantic poet, and his poems have also been included in various anthologies. In 1971, he won first prize in a national poetry contest organized by the House of Ecuadorian Culture. In 1968, 1972, and 1973, he received honorable mentions in the Ismael Pérez Pazmiño National Poetry Contest. He has served as Councilor of the Portoviejo canton; Director of the Municipal Board of Culture of Portoviejo; President and Executive Director of the Manabí Rehabilitation Center; and has been the President or Director of several private companies. He is currently the Director of Culture at the Universidad Particular San Gregorio in Portoviejo.

Gabriela Ruiz Agila

Gabriela Ruiz Agila (Quito, Ecuador, 1983) is an Ecuadorian journalist, poet, and researcher of mixed Chinese and Ecuadorian heritage, specializing in migration, human rights, and environmental issues. Her heritage is reflected in her work, particularly in Madame Ho. Escrituras de viaje (2017), where she explores themes of identity and migration, drawing from her personal background. She holds degrees in Communication from the Central University of Ecuador and Public Administration from the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC), where she also earned a master’s in Public Policy. Ruiz Agila is recognized for her contributions to independent journalism and has received multiple awards, including the National Eugenio Espejo Journalism Award in 2017.

Silvia Stornaiolo

Silvia Stornaiolo Witt (Quito, 1980) is an Ecuadorian novelist and short story writer. She is the author of three short story collections and two novels, including: “Tanta Joroba” (2011) and “Tenga” (2012). Her latest book of short stories is “Facilona” (2020). Her father is the renowned painter Luigi Stornaiolo.

Damia Mendoza Zambrano

Damia Mendoza Zambrano (Manta, 1966) is an Ecuadorian poet, singer-songwriter, researcher, and university professor. As a poet, she’s represented Ecuador at international festivals in Taiwan, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Cuba, Canada, Argentina, Morroco, and the United States, among others. Her poetry books include, Sueños de Gaviota (1986), El despertar de Gaviota (2001), Desliz (2002), Tras los Cristales de mi Mar (2007), and Hojas de mi noche larga (2012). Her poems have also been published in several anthologies. Some of her poems have been translated into Italian, English and French.

Lesther Macías Vera

Lesther Macías Vera de Carofilis (Portoviejo, August 12, 1951) is an Ecuadorian poet. She is currently the director of the academic literature section of the House of Ecuadorian Culture in Manabi. She is the recipient of various teaching awards (1979, 1981, 1990, 1995). For her active participation in the Ecuadorian Literature seminar in 1983, the Ministry of Education and Culture awarded her a Diploma of Honor. She won second place in a prestigious poetry contest in Quito in 1990, with her poems “Un Árbol que murió de tristeza” and “Fábricas de Asfalto”. She is a member of “The Cove/Rincón International”of Miami, FL, a cultural group for poetry and other arts.

Aracely Cevallos

Aracely Cevallos Ramírez de Velasco is an Ecuadorian poet who has been dubbed “la jardinera de la palabra” [The Word Gardener]. She is regarded as one of the most representative poetic voices of Manabi literature, distinguished by her modernist style and her ability to capture beautiful metaphors about nature, which she understands as an agricultural engineer and co-founding member of the Portoviejo Gardening Club. She is a member of the Manabi chapter of the House of Ecuadorian Culture.

Juan Romero Vinueza

Juan Romero Vinueza (Quito, 1994) is an Ecuadorian poet and editor. He has published the following poetry books: “Revólver Escorpión” (2016), “39 poemas de mierda para mi primera esposa” (2018), and “Dämmerung [o cómo reinventar a los ídolos]” (2019), which was given Honorable Mention in the 2019 Jorge Carrera Andrade National Poetry Award. He co-edited the anthology “Despertar de la hydra: antología del nuevo cuento ecuatoriano” (2017) with Abril Altamiro, which won the Ecuadorian Ministry of Culture and Heritage’s 2016-2017 Competitive Funds incentive. He and Kimrey Anna Batts edited and translated “País Cassava / Casabe Lands” (2017), a binational anthology of stories from Ecuador and Nigeria. In 2021, a collection of his poetry was published in an anthology titled “Ínfimo territorio kamikaze.”