Writers from Cuenca - Ecuadorian Literature

César Hermida Bustos

César Hermida Bustos (Cuenca, 1943) is an Ecuadorian doctor, university professor and novelist. He is the son of the writer Dr. César Hermida Piedra. He was a professor at the Central University of Quito from 1972 to 1993. Later he was an honorary professor there. In 2019 his novel Amoríos won the “La Linares” award. He returned to live in Cuenca in 2018.

César Hermida Piedra

Dr. César Hermida Piedra (Cuenca, 1912-2005) was a doctor, university professor, writer, poet and a historian of Ecuadorian medicine. He served as the Undersecretary-General of Health at the Ministry of Public Health in Quito. As a professor in the Medical Sciences Department of the University of Cuenca, Dr. Piedra taught “history of medicine.” His son, César Hermida Bustos, is an award-winning novelist.

Agustín Cuesta Vintimilla

Agustín Cuesta Vintimilla (Cuenca, 1884 – December 6, 1946) was an Ecuadorian poet, medical doctor, university professor, historian, legislator, and director of public assistance. “Cantos de mi heredad,” his poetry collection, was published in 1918. A school bearing his name can be found in Baños, a parish located to the south-west of the Cuenca canton.

Ramón Burbano Cuesta

Ramón Burbano Cuesta was an Ecuadorian poet. In 1982 he published, “Arena removida : relatos y prosa poetica.”

Alfonso Cuesta y Cuesta

Alfonso Cuesta y Cuesta (Cuenca, Ecuador, 1912 – Mérida, Venezuela, 1991) was an Ecuadorian novelist, short story writer, poet and university professor. At the Central University of Venezuela he studied law, philosophy and literature, later earning postgraduate degrees in Santiago, Chile and Madrid, Spain. He taught high school level when he returned to Cuenca, and later became rector of the prestigious Benigno Malo School. Around this time, he became known as a writer and formed the Elán group. His first poetry book was Motivos nuestro (1930) and his first book of short stories was Llegada de todos los trenes del mundo (1932), for which he is recognized as one of the best representatives of the indigenist movement in early 20th century Ecuadorian literature. In 1940 Cuesta again left Ecuador and moved to Caracas, Venezuela to teach at the high school named Liceo Fermín Toro, from there he went on to teach at the Central University of Venezuela, he also chaired the literature department at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of the Andes.

Arturo Cuesta Heredia

Arturo Cuesta Heredia (Azogues, August 18, 1922 – Cuenca, November 12, 2006) was an Ecuadorian lawyer, judge, writer and avant-garde poet. He obtained a law degree from the University of Cuenca in 1947. Cuesta is a member of the “ELAN group.” As a young writer he was often called, “the metaphor magician,” for his brilliant use of metaphors. His poetry book “Hermano Miguel” (1963) has been translated into various languages including Polish. Cuesta also wrote fiction, such as his short story book El callejón de los eucaliptos (1962). In 2002, the Ministry of Education and Culture awarded him the Cultural Merit Award.

Eugenio Moreno Heredia

Eugenio Moreno Heredia (Cuenca, 1926—1997) was a poet, fiction writer, nonfiction writer, literary critic, university professor, magistrate judge and member of the communist party. He belonged to the literary groups “La Madrugada,” “Elan,” and “Tzánticos.” He was the son of the poet Alfonso Moreno Mora. His poems have been translated into several languages and published in anthologies.

Cristóbal Zapata

Cristóbal Zapata is an Ecuadorian poet, editor, literary critic, and art curator. He was born in Cuenca in 1968. He is currently the executive director of the Municipal Biennial Foundation of Cuenca. He has published the poetry books Corona de cuerpos (1992), Te perderá la carne (1999), Baja noche (2000), No hay naves para Lesbos (2004), Jardín de arena (2009), La miel de la higuera (2012) and El habla del cuerpo (2015); and the book of short stories El pan y la carne (2007), which won the prestigious Joaquín Gallegos Lara National Literature Prize.

Catalina Sojos

Catalina Sojos Mata (Cuenca, 1951) is a poet, writer, columnist, author of children’s literature, and a translator. In 1989, at the age of 37, she published her first poetry book: Hojas de poesía. She has been awarded the Gabriela Mistral National Poetry Prize, 1989, and the Jorge Carrera Andrade Prize, 1992. She is currently the director of the Manuel A. Landívar Museum in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Efraín Jara Idrovo

Efraín Jara Idrovo (Cuenca, 26 February 1926 – Cuenca, 8 April 2018) was an Ecuadorian writer and poet. Tragedy struck Idrovo in 1974, when his teenage son committed suicide. Idrovo expressed his sorrow in the form of a poem, “Weeping for Pedro Jara (structures for An Elegy),” which was published in 1978 and is considered one of Jara’s most important works. The Biographical Dictionary of Ecuador has called it “one of the greatest and most beautiful national poems ever written.” The poem is highly experimental, in that it was printed on a single 60cm by 70cm sheet of paper, divided into 15 sections, and can be read horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. He was president of the Azuay branch of the House of Ecuadorian Culture. In 1999, Jara was awarded the Eugenio Espejo Award, the nation’s highest literary honor.

Gabriel Cevallos García

Gabriel Cevallos García (Cuenca, Ecuador, January 6, 1913 – Tampa, Florida, March 16, 2004) was an Ecuadorian writer, historian, professor, and philosopher. He was the rector of the University of Cuenca from 1964 to 1968 and founder, professor, and dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the university. He taught for some years at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, where he settled in 1969 to work as a teacher. He was a member of the Ecuadorian Academy of Language and the National Academy of History. He was awarded the Eugenio Espejo Award in 1988 by the President of Ecuador.

Ramón Borrero y Cortázar

Ramón Borrero y Cortázar (Cuenca, September 8, 1824 – 1895) was an Ecuadorian scholar and writer. He briefly served as president of Ecuador from October 11, 1883 until February 17, 1884. The provisional government’s mandate having expired without it having named an interim President, Borrero assumed the role as a result of his holding the position of President of the Senate. He was a delegate to both the 1861 and 1884 Constitutional Conventions. He was exiled by order of the Supreme Leader Ignacio de Veintemilla and lived for many years in Peru and Chile. After Veintemilla’s overthrow in 1883, he was authorized to return to Ecuador, where he worked as a lawyer, journalist, and writer until his death.

Antonio Borrero y Cortázar

Antonio Borrero y Cortázar, born Antonio María Vicente Narciso Borrero y Cortázar (Cuenca, October 29, 1827 – Quito, October 9, 1911) was an Ecuadorian lawyer, politician, writer, and journalist who served as the President of Ecuador from 1875 to 1876. Known for his commitment to constitutionalism and civil liberties, Borrero was also an influential figure in Ecuadorian literature and journalism. He founded several newspapers, including La República and El Centinela, using them to advocate for political reform and decentralization. His notable literary works include a biography of Fray Vicente Solano and a refutation of a pro-García Moreno biography, reflecting his dedication to both intellectual and political life.

Hugo Salazar Tamariz

Hugo Salazar Tamariz (Cuenca, September 2, 1923 – Guayaquil, January 31, 1999) was a poet, novelist, playwright and actor. After traveling extensively throughout America, Europe, Asia and Africa, he moved to Guayaquil in 1940 where he lived most of his life and taught literature and drama at the university. He wrote several novels and books of short stories. In 1968 he published 3 plays in one volume entitled “Teatro,” which included “La falsa muerte de un ciclista,” “Toque de queda,” and “Por un plato de arroz.” In 2008, a complete collection of his poems was published posthumously under the eponymous title “Hugo Salazar Tamariz: poesía completa.“

Luis Aguilar Monsalve

Luis Aguilar Monsalve (Cuenca, October 7, 1942) is an Ecuadorian writer, literary critic and university professor. He is a numerary member of the Ecuadorian Language Academy. He has written over 20 books of short stories. He also authored a novel titled “En busca de sor Edwina Marie” (2018). As editor, he published a Spanish/English bilingual anthology of Ecuadorian short stories. He has taught at universities in the United States and Ecuador. He is professor emeritus at Hanover College.