Medardo Angel Silva – El Alma en Los Labios (1919)

Medardo Angel Silva was one of the most famous Ecuadorian poets during the 20^th Century. He was most famously part of a generation of Ecuadorian poets who were called “the decapitated” as they had all died at a very young age. This generation was highly noted for their passion and suffering as well as discussing life and death because of their social plights.

One of his most famous poems, El Alma en Los Labios, demonstrates the passion of these writers perfectly. The poem details his extreme romantic emotions for a woman who is controlling but that he would do anything for. He says “Because for you alone, I hold my life dear. I shall take my life on the day I lose you.” Through this poem we learn more about Medardo Angel Silva ideas and perspective of life and death. Its clear that to him, passion, love and understanding life and death were more important than material things such as possessions or money.

His other works connect strongly with the troubled economic history of Ecuador and other Latin American countries. His work El Arbol Del Bien y Del Mal was heavily inspired by his childhood and the themes of life and death, and poverty. Poverty and economic wealth gap is a very common theme in many Latin American countries and was caused during colonialism and was the inspiration for El Arbol Del Bien y Del Mal. The impoverished nature of Ecuador during the 20^th century  has continued and still effects newly created art and literature in the modern era.

Sources:

Richard, Taylor. “Medardo Ángel Silva.” Ecuadorian Literature, 28 Feb. 2021, www.ecuadorianliterature.com/medardo-angel-silva/

Hanscum, Ben. “Ecuadorian Poetry.” Thelatinoauthor.com, Latino Author, 27 July 2008, thelatinoauthor.com/countries/poetry/ecuadorian-poetry/

Denbrough, William. “Biography of Medardo Ángel Silva Rodas (1898-1919).” TheBiography.us, The Biography, 19 Mar. 2018, www.thebiography.us/en/silva-rodas-medardo-angel.  

Loizzo, Emily. “The Origins of Latin American Inequality.” NBER, 12 Sept. 2016, www.nber.org/digest/jun15/origins-latin-american-inequality.