Female writers - Ecuadorian Literature

María Fernanda Ampuero

María Fernanda Ampuero is an Ecuadorian writer, journalist and feminist. She was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador on April 14, 1976. In 2018, Ampuero’s first book of short stories Pelea de gallos (2018; translated into English as Cockfight in 2020) received the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize.

Daniela Alcívar Bellolio

Daniela Alcívar Bellolio is an Ecuadorian writer, literary critic and feminist. She was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador on March 3, 1982. Alcívar’s first two books were published in 2016, her short story collection Para esta mañana diáfana, and her essay collection Pararrayos, which she wrote while living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2018, her novel Siberia was awarded the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize for best novel of the year and also received honorable mention at the La Linares Prize.

Gabriela Fernández Argüello

Gabriela Fernández Argüello is an Ecuadorian writer. She was born in Quito in 1971. Her collection of 11 short stories La noche de Eva was awarded the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize in 2004.

María Helena Barrera-Agarwal

María Helena Barrera-Agarwal (Pelileo, 1971) is an Ecuadorian writer, lawyer and researcher. She’s the author of eight books on literature and history. She is an expert on the 19th century Ecuadorian poetess Dolores Veintimilla de Galindo. Barrera is a member of the House of Ecuadorian Culture (Tungurahua chapter), the National Academy of History of Ecuador, the PEN American Center, the National Book Critics Circle of the United States, the India International Centre (India), and the Association of Hispanic Feminist Literature and Culture. She is a recurring contributor to the magazine Artes of the newspaper La Hora. Her book “Merton y Ecuador: La búsqueda del país secreto” was awarded the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize in 2010. Barrera currently lives in New York, U.S.

Cristina Burneo

María Cristina Burneo Salazar is an Ecuadorian writer, translator, journalist, professor and feminist. She was born in Quito in 1977. She earned a degree in literature from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, a master’s degree in literature from the Simon Bolivar Andean University, and a PhD in Latin American literature from the University of Maryland, College Park. Since 2014 she has worked as a postgraduate professor at the Simon Bolivar Andean University, specializing in Human Rights, Cultural Studies and Literature. Her book El sueño de Pierre Menard (2001) which questions the essential characteristics of translation and the criteria used to judge a translation, earned the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize.

Natasha Salguero

Natasha Salguero Bravo (Quito, October 2, 1952) is a prominent Ecuadorian novelist, poet, journalist, and nonfiction writer. In 1989, she became the first woman to win the prestigious Aurelio Espinosa Pólit National Literature Prize for her novel Azulinaciones, which she submitted to the contest under a male pseudonym. That same year, she won the Gabriela Mistral Poetry Prize. Her work, known for exploring themes of feminism, social decay, and political repression, has been widely translated and featured in international anthologies, establishing her as a leading voice in Ecuadorian literature.

Ana Estrella Santos

Ana Estrella Santos is a dialectologist and writer who won the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize in 2013 for her short story book La curiosidad mató al alemán. Estrella is the director of the Language and Literature department of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador in Quito, where she also teaches. She earned her PhD in Hispanic Philology and General Linguistics from the National Distance Education University (Madrid, Spain).

Andrea Crespo

Andrea Priscila Crespo Granda (Guayaquil, October 4, 1983) is an Ecuadorian poet. In 2016 her book of poetry “Registro de la habitada” was awarded the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize. In 2017 her next book of poetry “Libro Hémbrico” won the House of Ecuadorian Culture’s David Ledesma Vásquez National Poetry Contest. She currently teaches at the University of the Arts in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Lucrecia Maldonado

Lucrecia Maldonado (Quito, May 24, 1962) has written novels, poetry, short stories, children’s literature, and nonfiction. Since 1991 Maldonado has been a language and literature professor at the American School of Quito. Her first novel “Salvo el calvario” (2005) won the prestigious Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize.