Manuel Maria Flores (1840-1885) was a Mexican writer and poet whose work was framed within the current of romanticism. Little has been written about both his life and his work, however his manuscripts made him stand out in the 19th century for their style and content..
Flores was strongly influenced by writers of the stature of William Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, Dante Alighieri, among others. His work was characterized by having nuances of passion and eroticism, while using a language loaded with expressiveness and feelings.
The best known title of this Mexican writer has been Fallen roses, which he dedicated to the great love of his life, the young Rosario de la Peña, a woman who aroused passions in various intellectuals of the time. Manuel María Flores was a prodigy of Mexican letters who with little production left a deep mark on the literature of his country.
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Manuel María was born in the town of San Andrés Salchicomula, today Ciudad Serdán in the state of Puebla in 1840, the data on the day and the month are unknown. There is no information about his parents; but it is known that he came from a traditional family.
Flores studied in schools in his hometown, later he entered the San Juan de Letrán institute to study philosophy. However, when he was nineteen years old, he made the decision to retire to join the War of Reform from the side of the Liberals..
The writer was not only dedicated to literature, but also remained active in the political events of his country. This is how they imprisoned him in the dungeons of the San Carlos de Perote Fortress in Veracruz, after having participated in the second French invasion of Mexico.
The conflict was the product of Benito Juárez's refusal to pay the foreign debt to the French government, and when it ended, in 1867, Flores was released. Without wasting time he rejoined politics as a deputy, at that time he joined the group of intellectuals called Liceo Hidalgo.
Writing was vital for Manuel María Flores, which is why he did not hesitate to join the Liceo Hidalgo Group, made up of authors such as Manuel Acuña, his good friend, and Ignacio Manuel Altamirano. From there his first literary work entitled: Passionaries, in 1874.
Manuel María Flores was known as a dedicated, sincere man, of good feelings and passionate. It was precisely passion that led him to have a loving relationship as a lover with Rosario de la Peña, muse of his verses and for whom his colleague and friend Manuel Acuña committed suicide..
Flores' life was short, it was not enough to finish his career in literature; he could not enjoy a good part of the publication of his work. His existence was fading between sadness, misery and blindness. He died on May 20, 1885 in Mexico City, when he was barely forty-five years old..
The literary style of the Mexican writer was characterized by being defined in romanticism, also by the use of a simple and at the same time expressive language. In his writings the feelings of pain, love and passion were evidenced as a reflection of his personal life.
Influenced by important writers of classical literature, Manuel María Flores developed his literary talent based on emotions, the main source of inspiration in his erotic verses. It should be noted that there was also humor in his work, as well as respect and love for his country.
- Passionaries (1874).
- Crazy pages (Posthumous edition, 1903).
- Unpublished poetry (Posthumous edition, 1910).
- Fallen roses (Posthumous edition, 1953).
It was the first poetic publication of the Mexican writer whose content was related to love, passion and eroticism. The introduction of this literary work was developed by the also author Ignacio Manuel Altamirano at the time of the Liceo Hidalgo Group.
Some of the poems that made up the book were:
- "Youth".
- "Echoes".
- "View".
- "My dream".
- "My angel".
- "To a mourning".
- "Moon night".
- "Creatura bella bianco vestita".
- "Think, love".
- "Worship".
- "Let's love each other".
- "Passion".
- "In the bathroom".
- "When you leave me".
- "Serene afternoon".
- "Bridal".
- "Your sun".
- "Under the palms".
- "Kisses".
- "Goodbye".
“Last night I had a dream. At the foot of black palm
I was sitting: the shadow enveloped me.
The immense loneliness saddened my soul;
a nightingale sang ... My heart heard:
-'I sing when they open,
night jasmine,
the pale stars
her luminous brooch,
at the time they are called
the beings that love each other.
I am in the shadow
herald of love '… ”.
"I was looking for my soul with eagerness your soul,
I was looking for the virgin that my forehead
he touched with his lip sweetly
in the feverish insomnia of love.
I was looking for the pale and beautiful woman
that in a dream visits me since I was a child,
to leave with her my darling,
to leave my pain with her.
... and I barely looked at you ... you were the angel
ideal companion of my sleeplessness,
the virgin breed of looking from heaven
and of the pale forehead of love ".
This work by Flores was a kind of diary that he began to write in 1864 where he reflected his feelings towards Rosario de la Peña, in addition to his various youth loves. The writing came to light many decades after the death of the author.
In most of the poems contained in this work there was presence of the excessive passions of Manuel María, and his free feeling in love. Some scholars agree that the author entrusted the writing to José Castillo Piña, and he delegated it to Margarita Quijano who published it for the first time.
"I had passed over them without looking at them,
trampling them, spoiling them; with a lost look
In the gloomy sky and the wandering spirit in I don't know
what a vague and melancholic rêverie ".
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