On Thursday, September 5th, Marcelo Báez Meza, Ph.D., was inducted as a member of the Ecuadorian Academy of Language, affiliated with the Royal Spanish Academy.
This recognition is awarded to one of the most prolific writers of his generation, whose work spans a vast range of literary genres. A storyteller, novelist, poet, translator, film critic, and editor, Báez has explored nearly every literary form except theater. He is also the founder of the editorial project Báez Editores, through which he has published around twenty works by Ecuadorian writers.
During the ceremony, the Director of the Ecuadorian Academy of Language, Doña Susana Cordero de Espinosa, highlighted the literary merits that make Báez deserving of this distinction, emphasizing his role as a defender of the Spanish language. Likewise, professor and literary critic Cecilia Ansaldo delivered a speech in which she reflected on Báez's achievements and the awards he has garnered throughout his career, including the Aurelio Espinosa Pólit Prize in Ecuador and the Jorge Salazar Short Narrative Award in Peru.
Ansaldo mentioned some of the author's most significant works, such as Volumetrías, where he explores the work of master artist Fernando Botero through poetry, and Babelia Express, an immersion into Italian cities that portrays the traveler’s vision through poetry. She also highlighted his novel So Far, So Close and the award-winning Never Again Amarilis, winner of the Miguel Donoso Pareja Prize (2017), as well as his contribution to cinema with The Cabinet of Doctor Cineman, an essential work for filmmakers and enthusiasts alike.
For her part, Cecilia Paredes, Ph.D., Rector of the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), emphasized Marcelo Báez's valuable work as a professor and Dean of the Faculty of Art, Design, and Audiovisual Communication (FADCOM), which, under his leadership from 2018 to 2022, evolved from being a school to becoming a leading faculty.
In his final remarks, Dr. Báez reflected on Jorge Velasco Mackenzie's poetic work Some Drums That Sound Like This (1981), highlighting the cultural value of this nearly forgotten work, which Báez rescued for the occasion.
Marcelo Báez's induction into the Ecuadorian Academy of Language recognizes his contributions to the cultural and academic development of Ecuador, solidifying him as a key figure in the country's contemporary literature.
© Photography and Written by José Luis Castro
10/09/2024
