Passion or Profession: Writer

Period: 1906–1978

Born in Quito, Icaza wrote novels and plays. His best-known work is the novel Huaspungo (1934), in which he describes the exploitation of Ecuador's indigenous people. Other works include Cholos (1938) and Relatos (1969), a collection of stories. Icaza served as Ecuador's ambassador to Peru and the former Soviet Union.