Born in Baños, Ecuador in 1944, Julio Pazos Barrera is a writer who has made a name for himself by becoming a poet, literary critic, and connoisseur of traditional Ecuadorian cuisine. As a young man he studied Spanish language and education and eventually acquired a doctorate in Spanish literature at the Catholic University of Ecuador. Read More He has spent his life writing poetry and has worked as a professor at various universities around the world. In 2010, he was awarded the National Ecuadorian Prize in Literature by president Rafael Correa.