This year, Ecuadorian literature stood out in the various national and international competitions with very everyday stories, but with harsh reality, told with absolute sensitivity. Join us on a literary journey to remind local authors who were rewarded or recognized in 2023 for their valuable work in letters.

Favorite Books of 2023: Óscar Molina, Yuliana Ortiz and Jorge Velasco Mackenzie, one of the most fascinating books written by Ecuadorians

La Linares Prize for Short Novel

We’ll start this list with the Guayaquil writer Ernesto Torres Terán, who a few hours ago was declared the winner of the La Linares Prize for Short Novels 2023 for his work Nobody believes him.

His work was considered a well-structured story that holds the reader’s interest from beginning to end. “It is the hard and hectic journey of a suburban girl who leaves the place where he was born to escape exclusion and face the simulation, cruelty and violence that the city experiences within.”, tells its synopsis.

He is the author of other works such as From the secret haven, And yet it moves, Elephants don’t exist, Your next move (winner of the Miguel Riofrío Short Novel Award) and more.

Cervantes Chico Prize 2023

Maria Fernanda Heredia this year was awarded the Cervantes Chico Prize in 2023, recognition granted by the Municipal Council of Alcalá de Henares, Spain. (Where is the author of Don Quixote of La Mancha).

María Fernanda Heredia and her Cervantes Chico Prize

The purpose of this award is to distinguish a Spanish-language writer whose career has distinguished itself in the field of children’s and youth literature in the Americas. She has been recognized for her extensive work, including the publication of more than 115 books, earning her five times the Darío Guevara Mayorga National Prize for Children’s and Youth Literature of Ecuador.

Simplicity, sense of humor and emotions are main characteristics of his work. She is the author of several stories, such as The Lemonade Club, I never say goodbye, take note, Santa wanted And Prince Charming wanted, and this year he presented In case I haven’t told you yet.

Miguel Donoso couples competition

We continue this journey with the first woman to win the Miguel Donoso Pareja Short Novel Contest, at the 2023 Guayaquil International Book Fair. Is about Sandra Arayawho unanimously impressed the jury with his literary work The funerals.

The judges chose it as the winner because it was an exploration from the the tearing up of language about the meaning of life, which accompanies the ritual of death conceived as a community experience.

His work was described as a “moving family story in which the many vicissitudes of the human spirit coexist, in some cases under the lingering resentment, in others relieved by love”.

Araya is the author of several works: Orange, The family of Dr. Lehman, The wolf, The spy, the bait, the prizethe accountant Wild (from the day after) and others.

Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize

carnival feverof the emerald Yuliana Ortiz, continued to give us something to talk about this year. Although this is a 2022 publication, this year it was awarded the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Prize in the novel category.

The story follows Ainhoa, a girl from the island of Limones, a place colored by violence and family secrets. “Thanks to a series of memories, a novel is constructed in which the chronology is imperceptible and which gives shape to the body of the desiring machine girl, which in turn is that of the women who raised her,” according to the synopsis.

This award is part of the Quito Municipal Awards for Arts and Sciences, which are awarded to the best intellectual works, creations and cultural productions in Ecuador.

Miguel Riofrío Literature Competition

Marcelo Baez Meza was declared winner in the Miguel Riofrío National Literature Competition 2023 with his novel Salinger syndrome, which was described by the jury as a shot game in which voices and literary sources such as the essay, the article, the interview and the biographical note alternate.

This novel tells an event of gender violence. “He has a bold, neat and deft narrative style to present data, situations and analyzes of well-known figures from universal literature.”

The writer and film critic is the author of eighteen books, including Never again Amaryllis, the good thief, the motionless traveler, among other things. He previously won the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit and the International Short Story Prize Jorge Salazar.

Dama de Baza International Poetry Prize

The poet Siomara Spain was recognized with the VI Dama de Baza International Poetry Prizepronounced by the municipal council of Baza, in the Spanish province of Granada.

The award was given for “his exceptional contribution to poetry, art, education, research and culture. Her poetic work has led her to stand out as one of the most prominent writers of Ecuadorian literatureas a guest speaker at trade fairs and conferences in various countries.

This year Spain published his poetry book called current body, under the Spanish publisher’s seal Valparaiso. It is a collection of poems about femicides that have taken place in the country. Each poem tells of an instance, the macabre way in which their lives were taken from them; It brings together sensations, feelings, helplessness and pain.

She is the author of a number of books, such as Desire, mad relief, the return of Lolita, La maison vide, among other things.

Juan Alcaide International Poetry Prize

This year the Guayaquil writer Ernesto Carrion He was chosen by the University of Concepción (Chile) as the Local Poet of 2023, which earned him the Gonzalo Rojas Scholarship, which allowed him to travel to the Latin American country to write a book of poetry during the four months of his residency. and getting involved with the university in various activities.

Mene recently declared himself the winner of the XLII Juan Alcaide International Poetry Prize for his work Asia in her, provided by the Juan Alcaide Friends Association and the Verbum publishing house. According to the jury, this literary work “stands out for the formation of an intense and coherent lyrical corpus, where each poem arises from personal anecdotes to poetically delve into the depths of existence. The recurring theme in the work is the presence of China and oriental life in everyday life.”.

Carrión is the author of a hundred books with some titles: Ulysses and the Broken Toys, A Future Man, The Bait, The Turtle’s Flight, The Fuser Triangle —his most recent work— among others.

Best horror book according to the New York Times

We conclude this list with Maria Fernanda Ampuero, of which the English translation of Human sacrifices (Human sacrifices) was included in the list of The Best Horror Books of 2023 New York Times.

The work, translated by Frances Riddle, was described by these media as ‘heartbreaking and deeply disturbing’. It is a book with stories categorized in the horror genre, which talk about the violence that prevails in society. Each story addresses issues surrounding migration, family, the media world, adolescence and more.