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Eliécer Cárdenas

1950 – 2021

Ecuadorian novelist

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About Eliécer Cárdenas

Lived 1950 – 2021 (aged 70). Eliécer Cárdenas was an Ecuadorian novelist, short story writer, writer, journalist, children's writer and young adult author.

Eliécer Cárdenas Espinosa (Cañar, 10 December 1950 – 26 September 2021 ) was an Ecuadorian novelist.

Life and career In his youth he went from school to school because he questioned the repressive systems and was suspended various times. For example, he attended meetings of the Young Socialists, with whom he fought against the Ministry of Education for free college enrollments, and he was arrested in 1970 during the dictatorship of Velasco Ibarra.

In 1976 he graduated from the School of Jurisprudence of the Central University of Ecuador with a degree in Social Sciences. In Cuenca he married Carmen Patiño Ullauri.

From 1977 to 1978 he wrote the novel Polvo y ceniza (Dust and Ashes), which he entered into a novel contest held by the House of Ecuadorian Culture for writers under 40, and he won first prize. The book, published in 1979, is the most sold novel in Ecuador. The novel put Cárdenas in the pinnacle of Ecuadorian narrative in the 1980s. In 1991 he was elected the president of the Azuay branch of the House of Ecuadorian Culture, and he won Third Prize at the National Biennial Novel Contest with his novel Que te perdone el viento (May the Wind Forgive You).

Works

Novels

Juego de Mártires (1976) Polvo y ceniza (1979) Winner, Novel Contest for Writers Under 40 by the House of Ecuadorian Culture Del silencio profundo (1980) Siempre se mira el cielo (1985) Las Humanas Certezas (1986) Morir en Vilcabamba (1988) Winner of the Espinosa Pólit Prize Los diamantes y los hombres de provecho (1989) Diario de un idólatra (1990) Una silla para Dios : (novela) (1997) El oscuro final del Porvenir (2000) Las innumerables tribus de los muertos: novela (2004) El viaje de Padre Trinidad (2005) Raffles manos de seda: (la leyenda de un bandido): novela (2008) El árbol de los quemados: novela (2008) La extraña dama inglesa: novela de misterio (2009) El pinar de Segismundo (2013) El héroe del brazo inerte (2013) El enigma de la foto partida: (novela) (2013) Las antiguas mañanas (2015)

Theater

Morir en Vilcabamba : teatro (1998)

Chronicle

Guerra y paz en Paquisha (1981)

Short-stories

Hoy, al general ... Cuentos (1971) La incompleta hermosura : relatos (1996) El ejercicio y otros cuentos (2004) Relatos del día libre : cuentos (2004)

Articles

Háblanos, Bolívar (1983) Del silencio profundo (1986)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Central University of Ecuador
Awards
Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Award; Joaquín Gallegos Lara Literary Award

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Eliécer Cárdenas's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Eliécer Cárdenas?

Ecuadorian novelist

When was Eliécer Cárdenas born?

Eliécer Cárdenas was born on 10 December 1950 in Cañar Canton.

When did Eliécer Cárdenas die?

Eliécer Cárdenas died on 26 September 2021 in Cuenca.

What was Eliécer Cárdenas's occupation?

Eliécer Cárdenas was a novelist, short story writer, writer, journalist, children's writer and young adult author.

What nationality was Eliécer Cárdenas?

Eliécer Cárdenas was Ecuadorian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Eliécer Cárdenas

· Wikidata: Q16144842

· DBpedia: Eliécer Cárdenas

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Eliécer Cárdenas. https://biography.guide/eliecer-cardenas/

MLA: "Eliécer Cárdenas." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/eliecer-cardenas/.

Chicago: "Eliécer Cárdenas." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/eliecer-cardenas/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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