Jorge Icaza Coronel (July 10, 1906 – May 26, 1978), commonly referred to as Jorge Icaza, was a

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

from

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, best known for his novel '' Huasipungo'', which brought attention to the exploitation of Ecuador's

indigenous people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

by Ecuadorian

whites White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as " ...

. He was born in Quito in 1906 and died of cancer in the same city in 1978.

Career

Playwright

Jorge Icaza's literary career began as a playwright. His plays include ''El Intruso'' in 1928, ''La Comedia sin Nombre'' in 1929, ''Cuál es'' in 1931, ''Sin Sentido'' in 1932, and ''Flagelo'', which was published in 1936. After his 1933 playscript, ''El Dictador'', was censured, Icaza turned his attention to writing novels about the social conditions in Ecuador, particularly the oppression suffered by its indigenous people.

Novelist

With the publication of ''Huasipungo'' in 1934, Icaza achieved international fame.Biography of Jorge Icaza Coronel from The Biographical Dictionary of Ecuador (in Spanish)
. Diccionariobiograficoecuador.com. Retrieved on 2014-07-22. The book became a well-known "Indigenist" novel, a movement in

Latin American literature Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous languages of the Americas. It rose to particular prominence globally during the ...

that aspired to

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

in its depiction of the mistreatment of the indigenous. Fragments of the book first appeared in English translation in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, where it was welcomed enthusiastically by Russia's peasant socialist class. Jorge Icaza was later appointed Ecuador's

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to Russia. The first complete edition of ''Huasipungo'' was translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

in 1962 by Mervyn Savill and published in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

by Dennis Dobson Ltd. An "authorized" translation appeared in 1964 by Bernard H. Dulsey, and was published in 1964 by Southern Illinois University Press in

Carbondale, IL Carbondale is a city in Jackson and Williamson Counties, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". The city developed from 1853 because of the stimulation of railroad construction into the ...

as "The Villagers". His other books include ''Sierra'' (1933), ''En las calles'' (1936), ''Cholos'' (1938), ''Media vida deslumbrados'' (1942), ''Huayrapamushcas'' (1948), ''Seis relatos'' (1952), ''

El chulla Romero y Flores El chulla Romero y Flores is a 1958 novel by the Ecuadorian writer Jorge Icaza (1906–1978). The book explores mestizo cultural identity. The protagonist Romero y Flores is conflicted between identifying with either his father's Spanish descent ...

'' (1958), and ''Atrapados'' (1973). Although the latter two books are recognized as Icaza's greatest literary achievements by experts (such as Theodore Alan Sackett), ''Huasipungo'' continues to be his most popular book and has been translated to over 40 languages.

Impact

Jorge Icaza and ''Huasipungo'' are often compared to

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

and his Grapes of Wrath from 1939, as both are works of social protest. Besides the first edition of 1934, ''Huasipungo'' went through two more editions or complete rewritings in Spanish, 1934, 1953, 1960, the first of which was difficult for even natives of other Hispanic countries to read and the last the definitive version. This makes it difficult for the readers to ascertain which version they are reading. Besides being an "indigenista" novel, ''Huasipungo'' has also been considered a

proletarian novel Proletarian literature refers here to the literature created by left-wing writers mainly for the class-conscious proletariat. Though the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' states that because it "is essentially an intended device of revolution", it is t ...

, and that is because Latin America had to substitute the Indians for the European working class as a model or character of

proletarian literature Proletarian literature refers here to the literature created by left-wing writers mainly for the class-conscious proletariat. Though the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' states that because it "is essentially an intended device of revolution", it is ...

. Icaza became internationally popular based upon his publications, and was invited to many

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

s in the United States to give lectures on the problems of the indigenous people of Ecuador.

Publications

Works

References

External links

Jorge Icaza recorded at the Library of Congress for the Hispanic Division’s audio literary archive on Recorded May 2-3, 1961
{{DEFAULTSORT:Icaza Coronel, Jorge Ecuadorian male short story writers Ecuadorian short story writers Ecuadorian male writers Ecuadorian dramatists and playwrights 1906 births 1978 deaths People from Quito Ambassadors of Ecuador to Russia 20th-century dramatists and playwrights Male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century short story writers 20th-century male writers