Juan Valdano - Ecuadorian Literature

Juan Valdano Morejón (Cuenca, December 26, 1939 – Quito, August 2, 2021) was an award-winning writer of over 30 books encompassing a variety of genres, such as novels, short stories and nonfiction. He was a corresponding member of the Royal Spanish Academy and an honorary member of the Ecuadorian Academy of Language. He was awarded Ecuador’s top literary award Premio Eugenio Espejo in 2020. He also won the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize three times. Director Camilo Luzuriaga adapted his 1990 historical novel Mientras llega el día into a film in 2004.

Awards

Valdano received the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize three times: for his novel “Anillos de Serpiente” (1998), as well as his short story collections “La Celada” (2002) and “Juegos de Proteo” (2009). In 2020, he received the Premio Eugenio Espejo, the country’s highest literary honor.

2002 Interview with Juan Valdano about his writing (Spanish audio)

Filmed in 2002 by Carlos Naranjo Estrella for the TV program “Arte & Parte” of the House of Ecuadorian Culture.

2020 Interview with Juan Valdano about his writing and being awarded the Premio Eugenio Espejo (Spanish audio)

Filmed in 2020 for the House of Ecuadorian Culture. He discusses his writing and being awarded the Premio Eugenio Espejo for his lifetime literary work in 2020.

Adaption of book into film

Valdano’s historical novel Mientras llega el día (1990) was made into a film in 2004. The film tells the story of “the first cry of independence of August 2, 1810.” It is titled “1809-1810 mientras llega el dia” and was directed by Camilo Luzuriaga.

1809-1810 mientras llega el dia (Official Trailer)

Movie Trailer of the 2004 film 1809-1810 mientras llega el dia based on Juan Valdano’s 1990 novel Mientras llega el día. Directed by Camilo Luzuriaga.

List of Works

Novels

Mientras llega el día (1990) – made into a film in 2004, translated into Italian under the title In attesa del giorno in 2016.
Anillos de serpiente (1998)
El fuego y la sombra (2001)
La memoria y los adioses (2006)

Short Stories

Las huellas recogidas (1980)
La celada (2002)
Juegos de Proteo (2009)
Después de la batalla (2019)
El tigre y otros relatos (2018)

Nonfiction

Humanismo de Albert Camus (1973)
Identidad y formas de lo ecuatoriano (2006)
Los espejos y la noche (2010)
La selva y los caminos, 38 reflexiones sobre la realidad ecuatoriana (2011)
La brújula y los caminos (2016)
La nación presentida. 30 ensayos sobre Ecuador (2019)
Crónicas de una época de indignación y de esperanza (2016 – 2019 (2020)
Pensamiento latinoamericano: de la duda a la creencia (2020)