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, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

from

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, best known for his novel ''

Huasipungo ''Huasipungo'' (hispanicized spelling from Kichwa ''wasipunku'' or ''wasi punku'', ''wasi'' house, ''punku'' door,Fabián Potosí C. et al., Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador: Kichwa Yachakukkunapa Shimiyuk Kamu, Runa Shimi - Mishu Shimi, Mishu ...

'', which brought attention to the exploitation of Ecuador's

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

by Ecuadorian

whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

. 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 Latin America. Latin American literature rose to particular pro ...

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: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

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 country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, 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 so ...

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: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

in 1962 by Mervyn Savill and published in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of T ...

Press in

Carbondale, IL Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 25,083, making it the most populous city in Southern Il ...

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

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 t ...

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

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

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 people of Basque descent Ecuadorian dramatists and playwrights 1906 births 1978 deaths Writers from Quito Ambassadors of Ecuador to Russia 20th-century dramatists and playwrights Male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Ecuadorian short story writers 20th-century Ecuadorian male writers