Writers from Quito - Ecuadorian Literature

Santiago Rivadeneira Aguirre

Santiago Rivadeneira Aguirre (Quito) is an Ecuadorian writer, editor, theater critic, and university professor. From 1973-2000, he was the coordinator of the Theater School at the School of Fine Arts of the Central University of Ecuador. He was a member of the editorial board of the magazine Eskeletra and of the writer’s workshop La Pequeñalulupa. Among his best-known books are: “De cantos y huellas” (1976), “Las venturas de la abuela rota” (1995), and “Los sonidos del pensar en el teatro y la danza” (2017). He has taught literature, philosophy, theater, and cinema at universities.

Alfredo Noriega

Afredo Noriega Fernández (Quito, 1962) is an Ecuadorian writer, novelist, short story writer, and playwright. In the early 1980’s he was a member of the writing workshop of Miguel Donoso Pareja and founded the group La Pequeñalulupa. In 1985, he moved to Paris, France where he studied linguistics at the Sorbonne Nouvelle. He lived in Paris and Brussels for many years and now lives in Cardiff, United Kingdom. He has worked as a Spanish professor at universities. He is a highly-acclaimed author of noir novels. Some of his best-known work includes the 2002 novel “De que nada se sabe,” (translated into French as C’est dur de mourir au printemps), its 2010 sequel “Tan solo morir” (translated as Mourir, la belle affaire), and the trilogy’s final book, the 2019 novel “Eso si nunca.” The first book of this trilogy, “De que nada se sabe,” was adapted into the 2008 film “Cuando me toque a mí,” directed by Víctor Arregui, who collaborated with Noriega on the screenplay. He has published novels, short story collections, poetry collections, and plays. His stories have been included in several national and international anthologies.

Rafael Lugo

Rafael Lugo Naranjo (Quito, 1972) is an Ecuadorian writer and lawyer. He is a litigator in the courts and tribunals of Ecuador and the author of a book of short stories, five novels, two books of chronicles and many articles published in different media. Among his best-known works are the novels in the trilogy Trilogía de Quito, which include: Veinte (2008), 7 (2012) and 207 (2017). Critics have also praised his most recent novels Tripa mistic (2019) and Tripa mistic II (2022).

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Eduardo Villacís

Eduardo Villacís Meythaler (Quito, August 3, 1932 – Quito, May 19, 2013) was an Ecuadorian cardiologist and poet. From 1967 to 2011, he worked for the Andrade Marín Hospital in Quito, first as Head of the hemodynamics laboratory and later as head of cardiology. He was a member of the Ecuadorian Academy of Medicine, and had more than 30 scientific papers published. In 2008, Ecuador’s President awarded him the Eugenio Espejo Prize for his scientific work. As a poet, he published three collections, typically at a gap of decades. His selected poems were collected in the book, “Ajuar de cal,” which was illustrated by his son Eduardo Villacís Pástor and prefaced by the poet Jorge Enrique Adoum. He was a member of the “Grupo Umbral,” one of the most important literary groups in Ecuador, which was founded in 1952.

Miguel Molina Díaz

Miguel Molina Díaz (Quito, 1992) is a writer, lawyer, columnist, and college professor. He earned a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) from New York University (NYU) in Creative Writing in Spanish. He earned his law degree from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). In 2017, he published his book of poems, “Postales,” and in 2020, he published a book of short stories, “Cuaderno de la lluvia.” As a columnist, he received an Honorable Mention in the 2017 Journalistic Excellence Award from the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA), in the Opinion category. His columns have been published in several magazines in Ecuador, such as La Hora, El Comercio, La República, and Mundo Diners.

Desirée Marín Sevilla

Desirée Marín Sevilla (Quito, 1966) is an Ecuadorian poet. Her poetry collection “Almohada sin huella” won the prestigious Jorge Carrera Andrade Prize in Quito in 2010.

Sheyla Bravo

Sheyla Bravo Velásquez (Quito, 1953 – Quito, June 10, 2011) was a writer, plastic artist, and cultural promoter. In 2009, her complete works “Obra poética completa 1968-2008″ won the prestigious Jorge Carrera Andrade Poetry Prize. She was also the editor of an anthology of erotic poems by 110 Ecuadorian women from 2 centuries entitled, “La voz de eros.” A poem of hers was included in the anthology, “Volcanic Reflections: A Bilingual Anthology of Contemporary Ecuadorian Poetry.”

Margarita Laso

Margarita Laso (Quito, July 20. 1963) is an Ecuadorian writer, editor, singer, and music producer. She has dedicated herself to the interpretation of songs based on traditional and regional genres of Ecuador, she has recorded pasillos, boleros, tangos, Christmas songs, and traditional Ecuadorian music. She has produced over 12 records and has authored several poetry books. In 1997, her poetry book, “El trazo de las cobras” won the Jorge Carrera Andrade Prize. She has worked as a columnist for the newspaper Hoy.