Writers from Azogues - Ecuadorian Literature

Waldo Calle Calle

Waldo Calle Calle (Cojitambo, August 25, 1951) is an Ecuadorian poet, essayist, and diabetologist. He has lived in Cuenca for many years where he practices medicine and has worked as a professor at the University of Cuenca. In 1977 he was awarded First Prize in the Ismael Pérez Pazmiño National Poetry Contest for his poem Juantodonada. His poetry books include: “Los días del antihombre” [The Days of the Anti-Man] (1978) and “Antologia de los perros” [Anthology of the Dogs] (2003). His poems and stories have also been included in several locally published anthologies in Cuenca.

Manuel J. Herrera

Manuel J. Herrera, or Manuel de Jesús Herrera, (Azogues, Cañar, Ecuador) authored a book entitled “Luz y tinieblas del alma” [Light and Darkness of the Soul], which in 1999 made it to the list of 100 best books by authors from Cañar. Almost nothing is known about this author and no copies of the first edition are known to exist. However, an original copy of the second edition, printed in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1930, was found to reside in the National Library of Teachers in Buenos Aires. In 2018, after a written request by Ecuadorian researchers, the National Library of Teachers sent a certified photocopy of the book to the Catholic University of Cuenca who delivered it to the Cañar chapter of the House of Ecuadorian Culture (in Azogues, Ecuador) on February 2, 2018 for research and distribution purposes.

Rodrigo Pesántez Rodas

Rodrigo Abelardo Pesántez Rodas (Azogues, July 25, 1937 – Guayaquil, April 2, 2020) was an Ecuadorian writer, poet, literary critic, anthologist, researcher, university professor, and cultural promoter. He’s best known for his essays and for publishing poetry anthologies containing poems by Ecuadorians. He is especially remembered as an exponent and champion of Ecuadorian women writers. His book, “Presencia de la mujer ecuatoriana en la poesía” (1960), is a poetry anthology that contains poems by 67 Ecuadorian women writers. Other books by him include: “Panorama del ensayo ecuatoriano,” “Ocho poetas tanáticas,” “Jorge Carrera Andrade, amistad y anhelos compartidos,” and “Siete poetas del Ecuador.” As a poet, his poetry books include “Viñas de Orfeo,” “De cuerpo entero,”and “Vigilia de mi sombra.” Among the many awards he received are: the José Vasconcelos Award (an international award from Mexico) and the National Cultural Merit Medal from the House of Ecuadorian Culture. For forty years, he taught Ecuadorian Literature at the University of Guayaquil. He was a member of the House of Ecuadorian Culture.