Writers from Quito - Ecuadorian Literature

Paúl Puma

Paúl Puma (Quito, 1972) is an Ecuadorian poet, playwright, and literary critic. He has a master’s in Latin American literature from the Simón Bolívar Andean University, Ecuador, and a PhD from the University of Alicante, Spain. Among his best known works are the poetry book Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala (winner of the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize, 2002), and the science fiction theatre piece Mickey Mouse a Gogo (winner of the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize, 2017). In 2017 Puma published El tesoro de los llanganatis (The Treasure of the Llanganates) with an English translation by Jonathan Simkins.

Roberto Sánchez Cazar

Roberto Sánchez Cazar (Quito, 1971) is a Ecuadorian artist celebrated for his extensive contributions to theater, both nationally and internationally. His work spans a variety of roles, from actor and director to educator. Notably, as a playwright, he has enriched the literary landscape with his unique voice and narrative style. His dramatic works have garnered him numerous accolades, including the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit National Literature Prize in 2003. His plays, which have been staged in Ecuador, Colombia, and beyond, delve into universal human themes with an intimate understanding of the complexities of the human condition. Published in various magazines and books across Ecuador, Spain, and the United States, his plays have also found their place in Ibero-American anthologies, showcasing the global resonance of his work. Sánchez Cazar’s enduring dedication to the literary arts continues to inspire, influence, and invigorate the world of contemporary theater.

Luis Borja Corral

Luis Borja Corral (Quito, 1981) is an attorney and writer. Recurring themes in his works include sexuality, death, marginalization and love. “Los funámbulos” (2012), his first novel, was published digitally. His second novel “Pequeños palacios en el pecho” (2014), won the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit National Literary Prize.

Santiago Peña Bossano

Santiago Peña Bossano is an Ecuadorian writer. He was born in Quito in 1990. His nonfiction book Estética de la indolencia (2015) won the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize. He received a masters in Literature from the Complutense University of Madrid. He is a professor of Hispanic Literature at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador. He is the director of Cactus Pink, a publisher in Quito. He teaches creative writing at the Kafka Escuela de Escritores (Kafka School for Writers). His novel Mindotown was published in 2017.

Roberto Ramírez Paredes

Roberto Ramírez Paredes (Quito, 1982) is an Ecuadorian author and university professor. His literary journey began with his debut novel “La ruta de las imprentas” in 2015, followed by the critically acclaimed “No somos tu clase de gente” in 2018, which won the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit National Literature Prize. His later works, “Evangelio del detective formidable” (2021) and “Tamia, el universo” (2022), further established him as a prominent figure in contemporary literature. Apart from his novels, Paredes has written for notable Ecuadorian newspapers, including El Comercio and Hoy, and has had his short stories published in various anthologies. Currently, he is sharing his literary expertise and knowledge as a professor at the School of Literature at the University of the Arts (UArtes)in Ecuador.

Carlos Vallejo

Carlos Vallejo Moncayo (born in 1973) is a writer from Quito, Ecuador. His poetry book La orilla transparente (2007) earned the prestigious Aurelio Espinosa Pólit National Prize for Literature. In 2009 he was awarded the César Dávila Andrade National Literature 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.

Marco Vinicio Rueda

Father Marco Vinicio Rueda Gomezjurado was a Jesuit priest, philosopher, anthropologist, writer, educator. He was born in Quito, Ecuador on August 12, 1914 and died in the same city on March 13, 2005. Rueda was an exponent of Zen in Ecuador. Rueda’s most notable books are concerned with philosophy, anthropology and Zen.

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).

Jorge Carrera Andrade

Jorge Carrera Andrade (Quito, September 18, 1903 – Quito, November 7, 1978) was an Ecuadorian writer, poet, diplomat, and university professor. He was widely regarded as one of the most influential Latin American poets of the twentieth century both during his lifetime and after his death. Muna Lee’s critically-acclaimed translation of his poetry collection, Secret Country (1946), brought him to prominence in the United States. He lectured at Stony Brook University in the Department of Romance Languages in 1970-1972, he also guest lectured at Harvard University and Vassar College during this period. Most of his poetry has been translated into French, German, Russian and English.

Iván Égüez

Iván Égüez (Quito , 1944) is an Ecuadorian novelist, short story writer, and poet. He has written 7 novels, 7 short story books, and 6 poetry books. His novel “La Linares” was the first recipient of the prestigious Aurelio Espinosa Pólit National Literature Prize in 1975. Controversy ensued when the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, which awards the prize, announced “La Linares” as the prize’s winner, because the book’s main protagonist is a prostitute. It has since gone through a dozen editions in Ecuador and abroad and has been translated into several languages. The “La Linares Short Novel Prize,” which is awarded by the Eugenio Espejo Campaign for Books and Reading, bears the name of Égüez’s groundbreaking work. He was also well known nationally and internationally for his poetry books.

Alexis Zaldumbide

Alexis Zaldumbide Manosalvas (Quito, 1982), is an Ecuadorian author who has artfully bridged the realms of literature and music, crafting narratives that resonate deeply with themes of solitude, complexity, and the nuanced dance of human emotions. With “Habitaciones con música de fondo,” he captivated the literary world and secured the prestigious XLIII Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize in 2018, an accolade that underscored his adeptness at weaving intricate tales that explore the profound depths of isolation against a backdrop of a richly textured reality. Before this notable achievement, Zaldumbide had already demonstrated his versatile talent through children’s literature with “La puerta azul” and “Las valerosas hazañas de Pedro Mayo,” both published in 2013.

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.

Sandra Enríquez Garzón

Sandra Enríquez Garzón (Quito, August 10, 1963) is an Ecuadorian writer. From a very young age, she developed a love for reading and the arts, often indulging in narrating stories of her own invention. Her adolescence went by almost unnoticed as she started working at a young age. Tired of the conventional lifestyle, in 1992 she made the decision to move to the Valle de Mindo in the northwest of Pichincha. Her childhood was surrounded by nature, rivers, and animals. Being a lover of good cuisine, she opened a restaurant that became a meeting point for many people for 14 years. At the age of 56, after having traveled through South America by land and seeking new inspiration, she wrote her first novel, “Espejos Rotos” (“Broken Mirrors”). The novel, set between 1830 and 1852, explores the theme of freedom in a historical context, woven into a story of love, magic, and humor. Enríquez has described it as “a story that reflects the years of the past in a broken mirror.”

Aurelio Espinosa Pólit

Aurelio Espinosa Pólit (Quito, July 11, 1894 – Quito, January 21, 1961) was an Ecuadorian Jesuit priest, writer, poet, translator, literary critic, and university professor. He co-founded the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador and served as its first rector, making significant contributions to education in the country. Renowned for his translations of Latin poets Virgil and Horace, as well as Greek playwright Sophocles, into Spanish, he was a prolific writer who produced over 600 works in his lifetime. Espinosa Pólit also founded the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Museum and Library in Quito, which became a cornerstone for Ecuadorian literary heritage. In recognition of his impact on literature and culture, the prestigious Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize for Literature was named in his honor.