Francisco Baltazar (April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862), known much more widely through his
nom-de-plume Francisco Balagtas, was a prominent
FilipinoThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
poet, and is widely considered as the
TagalogTagalog is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 22 million people.It is related to Austronesian languages such as Chamorro , Indonesian, Malay, Javanese and Paiwan , Cham , and Tetum...
equivalent of
William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
for his impact on Filipino literature. The famous epic,
Florante at LauraFlorante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar is considered as one of the masterpieces of Philippine literature. Balagtas wrote the epic during his imprisonment in the 19th century. The work itself is dedicated to Maria Asuncion Rivera, his sweetheart, whom he nicknamed "M. A...
, is regarded as his defining work.
Early Life
Francisco Baltazar was born on April 2, 1788 to Juana dela Cruz and Juan Baltazar in Barrio Panginay, Bigaa, Bulacan. He was baptized in a chapel in Bigaa, Bulacan. He studied in a parochial school in Bigaa. Francisco later worked as houseboy for the Trinidad family in Tondo, Manila. The master of the house let him to study Technology, Philosopy, Humanities, and Canon law at the Colegio de San Jose where two of his former teachers were Dr. Mariano Pilapil and Jose dela Cruz.
Awards and Titles
Francisco entitled as the
"Ama ng Balagtasan" A
Balagtasan is a debate in a form of a poem, the notable characters on it is the
Tagapagsalaysay (
narrator), The
Lakandiwa and the
Lakambini, (
Gentlemen and Lady)
Life as a poet
Balagtas learned to write poetry from
José de la Cruz (
Huseng Sisiw), one of the most famous poets of Tondo. It was Jose de la Cruz himself who personally challenged Balagtas to improve his writing. (source: Talambuhay ng mga Bayani, for Grade 5 textbook)
In 1835, Kiko moved to
PandacanPandacan is a district of the City of Manila in the Philippines, located south of the banks of the Pasig River and belongs under the 6th congressional district of Manila, divided into thirty eight barangays that includes Zone 90 to Zone 95 and barangays 833 to 872.-Profile:Based on a year 2000...
, where he met Maria Asuncion Rivera, who would effectively serve as the muse for his future works. She is referenced in
Florante at Laura as 'Celia' and 'MAR'.
Balagtas' affections for Celia were challenged by the influential Mariano Capule. Capule won the battle for Celia when he used his wealth to get Balagtas imprisoned under the accusation that he ordered a servant girl's head to be shaved. It was here that he wrote
Florante at Laura—In fact, the events of this poem were meant to parallel his own situation.
He wrote his poems in
TagalogTagalog is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 22 million people.It is related to Austronesian languages such as Chamorro , Indonesian, Malay, Javanese and Paiwan , Cham , and Tetum...
, during an age when
FilipinoThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
writing was predominantly written in Spanish.
Balagtas published
Florante at Laura upon his release in 1838. He moved to Balanga, Bataan in 1840 where he served as the assistant to the Justice of peace and later, in 1856, as the Major Lieutenant. He was also appointed as the translator of the court. He married Juana Tiambeng on July 22, 1842 and had eleven children. He died on February 20, 1862 at the age of 74. Upon his deathbed, he asked a favor that none of his children would become poets like him, who had suffered under his gift as well as under others. He even went as far as to tell them it would be better to cut their hands off than let them be writers.
Balagtas is so greatly revered in the Philippines that the term for
FilipinoFilipino is the national language of the Philippines and, along with English, is an official language; designated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Filipino is an Austronesian language that is based on various existing native languages in the Philippines, with a significant number of Spanish...
debate in extemporaneous verse is named for him:
balagtasan.
Legacy
An elementary school was erected in honor of Balagtas, the
Francisco Balagtas Elementary SchoolFrancisco Balagtas Elementary School is a public elementary school located at Ipil Street corner Alvarez Street in Sta. Cruz, Manila which was erected in honor of Francisco Baltazar, a great Filipino poet. The school was hit by a fire in July 2007 engulfing almost the entire school building...
(FBES), located along Alvarez Street in Santa Cruz,
ManilaThe City of Manila , or simply Manila or Maynila, is the capital of the Philippines and one of the 17 cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila. It is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay, on the western portion of the National Capital Region, in the western side of Luzon...
. There is also a plaza and park (Plaza Balagtas) erected in Pandacan, Manila while most of the streets were named after various Florante at Laura characters in honor of Francisco Balagtas.
Works
- Orosmán at Zafira - a comedy in four parts
- Don Nuño at Selinda - a comedy in three parts
- Auredato at Astrome - a comedy in three parts
- Clara Belmore - a comedy in three parts
- Abdol at Misereanan - a comedy, staged by Abucay in 1857
- Bayaceto at Dorslica - a comedy in three parts, staged at Udyong on September 27, 1857
- Alamansor at Rosalinda - a comedy staged at Udyong during the town's feast
- La india elegante y el negrito amante - a short play in one part
- Nudo gordeano
- Rodolfo at Rosemonda
- Mahomet at Constanza
- Claus (translated into Tagalog from Latin)
- Florante at Laura
Florante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar is considered as one of the masterpieces of Philippine literature. Balagtas wrote the epic during his imprisonment in the 19th century. The work itself is dedicated to Maria Asuncion Rivera, his sweetheart, whom he nicknamed "M. A...
, Balagtas' masterpiece
External links