Edna Iturralde

Edna Iturralde [ [http://www.ednaiturralde.com/ Edna Iturralde ] ] is an Ecuadorian author who has won many national and international awards. She is considered one of the most important figures in children and young adult's literature of her country. With twenty-two books published, some of them in Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Spain, this author has attained international recognition.

Iturralde is attending the New York Book Expo [ [http://www.newyorkbookfairexpo.com/ New York Book Expo ] ] 2007 which will take place in October 5th and 6th of 2007.

The literature of Edna Iturralde develops within a multicultural, ethnic, and social context. In an epoch when local and regional histories are being obliterated, and when few people are concerned with the special, knowledge that has been preserved by certain, local ethnic groups, a voice that weaves together fictional and ingenuous stories, based though they are on serious research, and that through such fiction documents and projects such knowledge, is transcendental. Edna Iturralde removes the veils from the identity that is unknown or forgotten and projects it to the rest of the world. Edna Iturralde is considered one of the most important and prolific figures of Ecuadorian children and juvenile literature. Mother of six children, she has dedicated much of her life to write for children. Her books have been published in Colombia, Mexico, and Spain and are distributed in the United States, Peru, and Bolivia. Iturralde was the founder and director of the children’s magazine "The Kite", which for fifteen years was published together with the newspaper "Hoy", from Ecuador. She has published twenty-three books concerning a variety of themes, but for the last few years, she has concentrated on narratives based on ethnicity, and she is the pioneer in this genre in the children’s literature of Ecuador. She was a professor of creative literature at the University of San Francisco de Quito. She has won various prizes and nominations within and outside her country. Among the most important of these, are the Ecuador National Prize for Children’s Literature Dario Guevara Mavorga in Ecuador in 2001, the Skipping Stones Award in the United States in 2002 and 2005, and the Mention of Honor of the Municipality of Quito in 2003 and 2004. Her work was selected by the SEP within the competition of the Mexican Ministry of Education in 2003 and 2005, In 2005, two of her books were nominated for the Ecuadorian Honor List of IBBY (International Board of Books for the Young). She is the president of the Ecuadorian Academy of Children and Juvenile Literature, which is associated with the Latin American Academy of Children and Juvenile Literature.

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La literatura de Edna Iturralde se desarrolla dentro de un trabajo multicultural, étnico y social. En una época en el que las historias locales y regionales se borran y las huellas de lo íntimo, de lo perteneciente a determinados grupos étnicos, es asunto de pocos o de nadie, una voz que teja historias imaginarias e ingeniosas pero basadas en una seria investigación y que a través de las ficciones lo documente y proyecte, es altamente trascendente. No hay nada más universal que la multiculturalidad; Edna Iturralde descubre los velos de la identidad desconocida o olvidada paraproyectarla al resto del mundo.

Edna Iturralde está considerada como una de las más importantes y prolíficas figuras de la literatura infantil y juvenil ecuatoriana. Madre de seis hijos, ha dedicado gran parte de su vida a escribir para niñas y niños. Sus libros han sido publicados enColombia, México y España. También encuentran en Estados Unidos, Perú y Bolivia.Iturralde fue fundadora y directora de la Revista Infantil La Cometa, del diario Hoy durante quince años. Ha publicado veinte y tres libros de temas variados. En los últimos años ha incursionado en la etnohistoria narrativa siendo la pionera en estegénero en literatura infantil en Ecuador. Fue profesora de Escritura Creativa en la Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Ha ganado varios premios y nominaciones dentro y fuera de su país. Entre las más importantes están el Premio Nacional de Literatura Infantil Darío Guevara Mayorga 2001, Skipping Stones Award de los Estados Unidos 2002 y 2005, Mención de Honor del Municipio de Quito 2003 y 2004. Seleccionada por la SEP dentro del concurso del Ministerio de Educación Mexicano 2003 y 2005, Premio Nacional a las Artes Quitsato 2005. Nominada para el Premio Iberoamericano de Literatura Infantil 2005. Dos de sus libros fueron nominados para la Lista de Honor de la IBBY Ecuador, 2005 (Internacional Board of Books for the Young) . El momento es presidenta de laAcademia Ecuatoriana de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil, filial de la Latinoamericana.

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