Francisco José Falquez Ampuero (Guayaquil, April 17, 1877 – Guayaquil, March 23, 1947) was an Ecuadorian poet, lawyer, diplomat, prosecutor, prose writer and French to Spanish translator. He was appointed Governor of León Province by President Eloy Alfaro (his godfather) and held various other public posts. His rich and extensive literary production includes verse, fiction and journalism. His sonnet collection, Gobelinos (1919), received praise from critics and literati, and is regarded as his best work. He participated in the movements that culminated in the bloody Revolution of November 15, 1922, hence the government of President José Luis Tamayo (1920 – 1924) ordered his exile to Lima, Peru, where he remained until 1923. He then returned to Guayaquil to practice law.
Early Life and Education
Francisco José Falquez Ampuero was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on April 17, 1877, to Francisco Falquez Velásquez and Rosamira Ampuero Lara. He was raised in an intellectually nurturing environment where his mother taught him to read and write. He began his formal education at the Philanthropic Society of Guayas and later attended high school at San Vicente School (now Colegio Vicente Rocafuerte), graduating in 1895. In 1903, he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Guayaquil, marking the beginning of his legal career.
Personal Life
On June 15, 1899, Falquez Ampuero married Isabel María Avilés Navarro, with whom he had ten children. Despite personal and financial hardships, he managed to balance his legal profession and literary aspirations. His life was also marked by political involvement and a close relationship with his godfather, General Eloy Alfaro, one of Ecuador’s most influential leaders.
Literary Career
Falquez Ampuero’s literary talents surfaced at a young age. In 1894, he co-founded the “Sociedad Amante de la Ciencia” with his classmates and began publishing a short-lived weekly called El Pensamiento. His works spanned poetry, prose, and journalism, earning him a reputation as one of Ecuador’s foremost poets and translators.
His best-known work, the sonnet collection Gobelinos (1919), was highly praised by critics and contemporaries for its refined style and intricate form. Throughout his career, he published numerous other works, including Rondeles Indígenas y Mármoles Lavados (1913), Lujos de Pobres (1908), and Otoñada (1919). He was also a noted translator of French literature, adapting works by renowned poets such as Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, and Victor Hugo into Spanish.
In recognition of his literary achievements, he received multiple accolades. In 1930, he was honored with a “Crown of Laurels of Gold” in a public ceremony at the Olmedo Theater in Guayaquil.
Translator
Along with César Borja Lavayen, Falquez Ampuero is considered the best French to Spanish translator of Ecuador. He translated Parnassian poets, including: Sully Prudhom, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Henry de Reignier, Flaubert, Leconte de Lisle, Víctor Hugo, Alfredo de Musset, Anatole France, and José María Heredia.
Diplomatic and Public Service
Falquez Ampuero also served in various government roles. President Eloy Alfaro appointed him Governor of León Province (now Cotopaxi) early in his career. He later held positions such as Undersecretary of Foreign Relations in 1908 and Consul of Ecuador in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1909. His public service continued with appointments such as Secretary of the Court of Auditors in 1925 and Public Prosecutor of the Superior Court of Guayaquil in 1944.
In 1922, he participated in the revolutionary movements leading to the November 15th Revolution, which resulted in his exile to Lima, Peru, by President José Luis Tamayo. He returned to Guayaquil in 1923 and resumed his legal practice while continuing his literary activities.
Legacy and Recognitions
Falquez Ampuero was regarded as one of Ecuador’s leading poets and translators. His ability to bridge French literary traditions with Ecuadorian cultural themes left a lasting impact on the country’s literary landscape. Critics such as Carlos Alberto Arroyo del Río praised his mastery of form and expression, while his translation work, particularly of the French Parnassian poets, solidified his place as a distinguished cultural figure.
His sonnet collection Gobelinos is still considered a landmark of Ecuadorian literature. Despite the changing literary tastes of the time, he remained loyal to the Parnassian tradition, which emphasized form and precision over modernist experimentation.
Death
Francisco J. Falquez Ampuero passed away on March 23, 1947, in Guayaquil, following a heart attack. He was 69 years old at the time of his death and had retired from public service after the revolution of May 28, 1944. He was remembered for his contributions to both Ecuadorian literature and public life, leaving behind a legacy of cultural and legal achievements.
Pseudonyms
He used the pseudonym Tácito in El Guante magazine.
Poems
EL BUZO
Del costado en vaivén de la piragua,
en un claro remanso ribereño,
baja el buzo. Su prócero diseño
copia en su lomo vacilante el agua.
Relumbra el cielo como ardiente fragua;
filtran los chorros áureos el risueño
cristal dormido… Más allá, el desgreño
de su rompiente ostenta una cancagua.
Abierto del flujo de las ondas
sobre lecho de arena y algas blondas
yace el cable de voces inauditas.
Mudas están pero el obrero fuerte
se hunde sin miedo en el abismo inerte
y desata las lenguas infinitas…
VENUS NEGRA
Alta y fornida, cual gallarda encina,
de ébano tiene el resplandor tu seno;
eres un vaso de febril veneno
con sabores de miel luciferina.
Tu mirada picante es de felina,
hembra de lomo mórbido y relleno;
tu rojo labio, en el festín obsceno,
lanza su muelle copia libertina.
Como el manto cobrizo de una hoguera,
envuelve tu ampulosa cabellera
las desnudeces de tu carne ardiente;
y en el dogal de tu insaciable abrazo
se mezclan las crueldades del zarpazo
al lánguido ondular de la serpiente.
D’APRES NATURE
A los vastos incendios de colores
de una tarde de julio bochornosa,
llegué a la granja donde se alza hermosa
la casa que ocuparon mis mayores.
Me ofrecieron los bardos ruiseñores
sus endechas, la fuente rumorosa,
espejo de la ninfa pudorosa,
cantaba a los favonios sus amores.
Mi noble overo, en sobresalto, para
junto a un cactus gigante, en cuya vara
Pitón sus bodas trágicas consuma.
La cópula potente el árbol mueve
y vuela el aire por el aire leve,
en un temblor de sonrosada bruma.
EL AGUA
Bajo el palío de estrellas luminosas,
cual radiante y sonora pedrería,
cantan y ondulan, ebrias de alegría,
las gotas en miriadas fabulosas.
Pero si enormes fuerzas misteriosas
las combaten, aumentan su energía;
y el mar se torna fúlgida armería
donde se templan láminas vistosas.
“Alto bien es el agua”, (*) cuando el cielo
la vierte de sus ánforas al suelo
y flores gayas renacer permite;
y es alegre, si en juego de colores
la vomitan, cual grandes surtidores,
los iracundos potros de Anfitrite.
(*) Píndaro.
SANGRE Y ARENA
A DON ISAAC J. BARRERA
El pueblo acude a la función de gala,
cual la plebe de Roma al Coliseo.
Hay de telas suntuoso cabrilleo,
mil abanicos en batir de ala.
El sol, en chorros de color, resbala
sobre capas y mantos en coleo;
las manolas de rítmico ceceo
destellan como luces de bengala.
Por los palcos, en ánforas de arcilla,
ofrece la ojinegra gitanilla
sus refrescos que aceptan las huríes.
En la arena, do expira un bravo toro,
enjuga el diestro, de chaqueta de oro,
su estoque tinto en gotas carmesíes.
ENSEÑA ROJA
(CANCIÓN ANARQUISTA)
………………………
Vivid tranquilos, seres macilentos. . . .
de hirsuta barba y diestra vengadora,
que han de cesar los bárbaros tormentos
y están muy cerca las amables horas…
Pálida raza que el dolor asedia
hasta en la huesa que respeto infunde,
estamos al final de la tragedia
y tu hoja invicta en los malvados hunde!
El trono que miramos tan erguido
en vano lucha por vivir con gloria:
es un mueble de lujo, carcomido,
en el salón de fiesta de la Historia, etc.
(De Rondelas indígenas y mármoles lavados)
Works
- Sola (1904)
- Amor y sacrificio (1904)
- Lujo de pobres (1908), read it for free here.
- Los Humildes (1909)
- Rondeles indígenas y Mármoles lavados (1913), read it for free here.
- Sintiendo la batalla (1916)
- Otoñada (1919)
- Gobelinos (1919), read it for free here.
- El poema de la Sangre (1919)
- Himno Gigante (1920)
- Telas ureas (1925)
- Cajas de Cromos (1928), read it for free here.
- Hojas de Acanto (1929)
- Jaramijó (1935)
References
- “Dr. Francisco José Falquez Ampuero.” Enciclopedia del Ecuador, https://www.enciclopediadelecuador.com/dr-francisco-jose-falquez-ampuero/.
- Pérez Pimentel, Rodolfo. “Falquez Ampuero, Francisco J.” Diccionario Biográfico Ecuador, https://rodolfoperezpimentel.com/falquez-ampuero-francisco-j-2/.