Jorge Icaza
Jorge Icaza was a prominent Ecuadorian novelist known for his social realist literature that critiques the exploitation and suffering of indigenous people in Ecuador. His early career involved performing theatrical works, including his own comedies, alongside his wife in rural villages. However, after facing government censorship for his serious plays, Icaza shifted his focus to novel writing. His first major success, "Huasipungo" (translated as "The Villagers"), highlights the plight of dispossessed Andean Indian farm workers and is recognized as a significant work in indigenista literature and Latin American socialist realism.
Icaza's writing often includes stark realism, as seen in works like "En las calles" and "Cholos," where he explores the harsh realities faced by marginalized communities. His later collection, "Seis relatos," showcases dramatic narratives that culminate in powerful climaxes. Throughout his career, Icaza's novels garnered international recognition, being translated into several languages, and his works remain influential in discussions about social justice and indigenous rights in Latin America.
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Jorge Icaza
Ecuadoran novelist
- Born: July 10, 1906
- Birthplace: Quito, Ecuador
- Died: May 26, 1978
- Place of death: Quito, Ecuador
Biography
Of the many novelists of Ecuador, perhaps the best known internationally is the social realist Jorge Icaza (ee-KAH-sah), whose works denounce the shameless exploitation of the Indians. While still a university student, Icaza and several classmates, with his wife Marina Moncayo as leading lady, barnstormed the nearby villages with a repertory of old Spanish farces and Icaza’s own comedies. His popularity diminished in 1931 when he began writing serious plays. When he announced the completion of a dramatization of Jules Romains’s Le Dictateur (1926) in 1933, the performance was forbidden by the government. Only then did Icaza turn to writing novels.
The great success of his first attempt, The Villagers, confirmed him in his choice of genre. The work was translated into six languages, including Russian and Chinese. After that, though he did such dramatic sketches as Flagelo (the scourge), his chief work was novel writing and running a bookstore in Quito.
Huasipungo, the original title of The Villagers, is a Quechua term for a plot of land that the indigenous Andean Indian farm workers received for their own use. In his novel. Icaza denounces the suffering and exploitation of these dispossessed people. The didactic work became one of the best-known examples of the early indigenista literature and of Latin American socialist realism.
Icaza’s first novel was followed by En las calles (in the streets), which won a national prize. Cholos (half-breeds) is characterized by stark realism, and Huairapamushcas (children of the wind) depicts the Indians as scarcely above the level of animals, debased by their white overlords. His later work, Seis relatos (six tales), is told naturalistically and shows dramatic incidents building to a savage climax.
Bibliography
Dulsey, Bernard. “Jorge Icaza and His Eduador.” Hispania 44 (March, 1961).
González-Perez, Armando. Social Protest and Literary Merit in “Huasipungo” and “El mundo es ancho y ajeno.” Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1988.
Jones, C. A. Three Spanish American Novelists, a European View: A Lecture Delivered on 10th February, 1966. London: Hispanic and Luso Brazilian Councils, 1967.
Spell, Jefferson Rea. Contemporary Spanish-American Fiction. 1944. Reprint. New York: Biblo and Tannen, 1968.
Vetrano, Anthony J. “Imagery in Two of Jorge Icaza’s Novels: Huasipungo and Huairapamushcas.” Revista de estudios hispánicos 6 (1972).