José María Egas facts for kids
José María Egas (born in Manta in 1896, died in 1982) was a famous Ecuadorian poet. Many of his beautiful poems became the words for popular "pasillos," which are traditional Ecuadorian songs. He studied law at the University of Guayaquil and finished his studies in 1927. José María Egas worked as a lawyer and a journalist. However, he was best known for his amazing poetry. In 1976, he was even named the national poet laureate, which is a big honor! He also taught as a professor at the University of Guayaquil. His brother, Hugo Mayo, was also a poet.
A Poet's Life
José María Egas was born in Manta, a city in the Manabí region of Ecuador. His parents were don Carlos Egas Rodriguez and doña Rosalia Miranda Alarcón. He grew up in a very educated family. His father's family had been important in Ecuador since the 17th century.
His Published Works
José María Egas wrote many collections of poems. Here are some of his most well-known books:
- Poesía: Unción (published in 1923)
- Unción y otros poemas (published in 1941)
- El milagro (published in 1941)
- El milagro y Otros poemas (published in 1954)
- Canto a Guayaquil (published in 1960)
- Poesías completas (a collection of all his poems, published in Guayaquil in 1982)
His poems also appeared in several collections with other poets' works, called anthologies. Some of these include:
- Indice de la poesía ecuatoriana contemporánea (from Santiago, Chile, 1937)
- Poesía viva del Ecuador (from Quito, 1990)
- La palabra perdurable (from Quito, 1991)
See also
- In Spanish: José María Egas para niños
