Between the Most famous mexican poets That we often come to mind we find Octavio Paz, Jose Emilio Pacheco or Jaime Sabines, but there are many more who have made great verse.
Mexican poetry has historically been one of the most developed in Latin America and has been an example for Latin American poets.
Since its independence in the early nineteenth century, Mexican poets have stood out for their romantic prose, costumbrista, revolutionary and avant-garde. In any case, there are References of Mexican poetry since the 17th century.
Among the works that were preserved to this day are Parthenon Triumph Of Sigüenza and Góngora. Also in the XVII Century Matías Bocanegra wrote Song at the sight of a disappointment And Juan de Guevara his Faustísima entrance in Mexico of the Viceroy Duke of Alburquerque .
In the eighteenth century many poets stand out: Jose Luis Velasco Arellano, Cayetano Cabrera and Quintero, José Lucas Anaya or José Agustín de Castro, to name a few. In the book Anthology of Mexican poets , Published at the end of Century XIX, a relation of the Mexican colonial poetry is kept. After the independence many poets have been outstanding, among them:
The 30 best known Mexican poets
1- Manuel Acuña
The Mexican poet Manuel Acuña, one of the most famous romantic poets of the nineteenth century in Mexico, had a brief but fruitful literary career. He was a doctor and in his romantic works one feels the influence of positivism.
In 1868 he began his literary career, which was interrupted by his suicide in 1873. Among his works are"Before a corpse","Nocturno"and"Dried leaves". His most representative work,"Nocturno", is dedicated to Rosario de la Peña, the woman he was in love with. It is said that other poets also courted Rosario, such as the famous Cuban poet José Martí.
2- Manuel M. Flores
A native of San Andrés Chalchicomula, Manuel M. Flores is one of the most important representatives of Mexican Romanticism. He was noted for his"Unpublished Poetry"and"Fallen Roses,"which were published after his death.
It belonged to the Liberal Party that fought against the French for the restoration of the republic. Her poems"El beso","Flor de un día"and"Amémonos"stand out. He was a lover of Rosario de la Peña.
Ignacio Manuel Altamirano
The indigenous roots poet Ignacio Manuel Altamirano devoted his life to public service, pedagogy and literature. He was born in Tixtla in 1834.
All his work is distinguished by his native subjects, where the Indian and Mexican history were the main themes, which differentiated him from other authors of the time who followed the European literary tradition of the time. Its works"End of a love"and"Dark Love"stand out.
4-Justo Sierra Méndez
One of the greatest promoters of the foundation of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Writer, poet and politician, Justo Sierra Méndez stood out for his poetic works"Piedad","El ángel del provenir"and"Conversaciones del domingo".
He was born in Campeche, was deputy, professor at the National Preparatory School and director of the National Journal of Letters and Sciences. He was disciple of Ignacio Manuel Altamirano.
5 - Guillermo Prieto
The prolific poet Guillermo Prieto, born in 1818, was characterized by reflecting in his poetry not only romantic ideas but customs and Mexican folklore. Among his most outstanding works are"La mortalidad"and"Ensueños".
Octavio Paz
The winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature, Octavio Paz, Wrote poetry and essays . He also excelled as a translator, teacher, diplomat, journalist and lecturer. He lived in the United States, France and India.
He is famous for his books"The Labyrinth of Solitude"and"Posdata"where he argues that historical facts formed the Mexican pessimistic mentality. His poetry is subtle and his rhyme is difficult to grasp. One of his most famous poems is"Two Bodies".
7- Alfonso Reyes Ochoa
The work"Ifigenia Cruel"by Alfonso Reyes Ochoa was converted into an opera by Leandro Espinosa, bringing it to popularity. The poet was also a diplomat and essayist.
He founded the Ateneo de la Juventud, where the most enlightened intellectuals from Mexico and Latin America of the time met to discuss the Greek classics.
He criticized writers who followed the European literary tradition and called society to develop their own literature.
8- José Emilio Pacheco
The Mexican nihilist poet José Emilio Pacheco was part of the"Generation of the Fifties". His most famous poem is"The Natural Perfections". Also outstanding are his books"The pleasure principle"and"The battles in the desert".
9- Beloved Nervo
The intimate and personal prose of Amado Nervo transcended to Europe. His works, such as the poem"Cowardice"or the novel"The bachelor"were an"inward"look and an attempt to describe"the intimate, arcane, mysterious soul of things themselves."
The book of verses"Mystic"of the author was characterized by exposing yearnings, sufferings and restlessness of the human being.
10- Jaime Torres Bodet
Member of the group"The contemporaries", the poet Jaime Torres Bodet, was also public official and essayist. Bodet's works are characterized by looking for a new way of telling the facts. One of his most outstanding poems is"Ambition".
11- Jaime Sabines
The avant-garde poetry of Jaime Sabines touches on topics such as politics. He was also deputy in the congress, which allowed him to see closely the abuses committed by many politicians. Its works like"To my mother","I feel that I miss you"and"Spring"stand out.
They called him"The Sniper of Literature"because his works dealt with crude themes of reality. The poet considered the poem"Something about the death of Major Sabines"as his best work, in which he talked about his father.
12- Xavier Villaurrutia
Xavier Villaurrutia also was member of the group of the"contemporaries". His poetic work was influenced by surrealism and can be described as obscure, since it deals with subjects such as desolation, death, abandonment and depression. His most outstanding works are:"Nostalgia de la muerte","Tenth death","Nocturnos"and"Songs to spring and other poems".
13- José Juan Tablada Acuña
José Juan Tablada Acuña is recognized as the father of modern Mexican poetry. The Mexican diplomat, journalist and poet introduced haiku (Japanese genre) to Latin American poetry.
He was distinguished by the use of metaphors in his works and by his calligrams. His works include"Japan","The peacock","The tortoise","The nightingale"and"Li-po". The latter is a poem with graphic elements or calligraphy.
14- Enrique González Martínez
According to the intellectual Pedro Henríquez Ureña, Enrique González Martínez was one of the"seven major gods of the Mexican lyric".
The founder of the National School stood out for his works"When you find a smile...","Tomorrow the poets","You will go on the life of things"and others. His poems are of great philosophical depth. He emphasized his work"Absence and song", that wrote by the death of his wife.
15- Ramón López Velarde
Considered as the Mexican national poet, Ramón López Velarde is cataloged as a modernist. During and after the Mexican revolution, López Valverde stood out for playing about the countryside and the city, society, Mexican, youth and others.
His works"La sangre devota","Zozobra"and"El son del corazón"stand out. Despite being one of the most celebrated poets in Mexico, he is little known abroad.
16- Alfonso Reyes
Alfonso Reyes was Mexican ambassador to Argentina, where he was associated with intellectuals of the most important of the time, among them Jorge Luis Borges.
The Argentine author considered the Mexican poet as the best prose writer of the Spanish language and wrote the poem"In memoriam"in his honor. Among his poems are"Cantata in the tomb of Federico García Lorca","Huellas"or"Sol de Monterrey".
17- Carlos Pellicer Camera
Carlos Pellicer Cámara, another of the members of the group"The contemporaries", was characterized to unite in his work the modernism and the vanguard. He was also a museologist and teacher.
In his works he tries to portray the beauty of the world through metaphor. His poems"Speeches for Flowers","Colors in the Sea and Other Poems","Flight Practice"and others are highlighted.
18- Manuel Maples Arce
Manuel Maples Arce, in publishing his manifesto"Actual (No. 1)", founded Estridentismo. This movement sought to represent the Mexican masses and was a fusion of Cubism, Dadaism and Futurism. Arce, besides being a poet, was a lawyer and a diplomat.
His work"Anthology of modern Mexican poetry"(1940) is essential to understand the development of Mexican poetry. His poetic work more outstanding are"The poems interdicts".
19- Renato Leduc
The journalist and poet Renato Leduc stood out for his erotic and direct work, where he dealt with very explicit subjects with a touch of humor and with the use of colloquial language. His plain form of expression made him a popular writer. In addition he emphasized his sonnet of the time. Among his most important works are"El aula, etc."and"Some deliberately romantic poems and a somewhat unnecessary prologue".
20- Bernardo Ortiz
Member of the group"Los Contemporáneos", Bernardo Ortiz de Montellano was poet, essayist, playwright, narrator and translator. His poetry was postmodernist and his most representative work is"Second dream."
21- Elías Nandino Vallarte
The modernist poet Elías Nandino Vallarte was related to"Los Estridentistas"(Estridentism) and later to"Los Contemporáneos". His first creative stage was marked by dark themes, such as death, night, doubt and death.
On the other hand, in its stage of maturity the poet adopted a personal style and treated subjects much more daily. At the end of his life, his prose became a mixture of metaphysics and eroticism. Its works are highlighted:"Erotism to the red white","Banquet intimate"and"Nocturna palabra".
22- José Gorostiza Alcalá
The author of"Endless Death", one of the most important poems of the 20th Century in Spanish, José Gorostiza Alcalá wrote only four books during his life. He was known as the poet of intelligence and his poetry.
Although it appeared simple, it is complex because of its meaning, its linguistic complexity and its lyricism.
23- Salvador New
The historian, poet, playwright and essayist Salvador Novo portrayed in his works subjects such as the arrival of a provincial to the capital, modernity and modern inventions of the early twentieth century and human feelings as love.
24- Efraín Huerta
The poet and journalist Efraín Huerta stands out for having created the literary tendency of"Poemínino", small humorous verse full of irony, cynicism and sarcasm. His style is influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez and Pablo Neruda, the"Generation of 27"and"Los Contemporáneos".
His works include"Poems forbidden and love,""Poetic plot"and"Estampida de poemínimos". Scholars of his work consider that there are four major themes in his prose: the city and desolation, politics and love.
In his works"Stalingrado en pé"and"Canto a la paz soviética"he exposes his communist ideas and criticizes capitalism and imperialism.
25- Verónica Volkow Fernández
Verónica Volkow Fernández is a poet, essayist and university professor and researcher. Author of more than five books on poetry, such as Litoral de Tinta and Los Caminos. She is a professor at the UNAM and in her works reflects her interest in the relationship between poetry and painting.
26- Carmen Boullosa
Carmen Boullosa is a poet, novelist, professor and playwright, emphasizing more by its cycles of novels. Among his poetic works are"La patria insomne","Ungovernable"and"Loyalty". Most of his works deal with historical themes, although some reflect more human feelings and situations such as alienation.
27- Coral Bracho
Coral Bracho is a Mexican poet, translator and academic. Awarded by the National Poetry Prize Aguascalientes for her work"The one who is going to die". His poetry fits within the Latin American neobaroque. Among his works are"Under the liquid gleam","Land of ardent entrainment"and"Laughs of the emperor".
28- Francisco Segovia
Francisco Segovia is one of the most outstanding Mexican poets today. He is a founding member and collaborator of the magazines Fractal and Vuelta. Among his works are Elegy, Forest, Beads and other accounts, The inhabited air and Nao.
29- Vicente Quirarte
The university professor and sometimes Director of the National Library of Mexico Vicente Quirarte is an essayist and poet. Gañó won the National Prize for Young Poetry Francisco González León in 1979. Among his outstanding poems are"Fra Filippo Lippi". "Songbook of Lucrecia Butti"and"The light does not die alone".
30- Víctor Manuel Mendiola Patiño
Víctor Manuel Mendiola Patiño is an essayist, poet and editor. He won the Latin Literature Prize in 2005 for his book of poems"Tan oro y Ogro". Other notable works of the author are"4 for Lulu","Flight 294"and"Paper Revolution".