Manuel Ortiz Guerrero

@Playwrights, Life Achievements and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Paraguayan-born Manuel Ortiz Guerrero was a renowned bilingual poet, playwright and musician Cancer Celebrities Paraguayan Writers Poets Playwrights Manuel Ortiz Guerrero was a Paraguayan poet, playwright and musician. He is regarded as one of the most prolific writers in Paraguay, who rose to popularity through his works in Spanish and Guarani, in particular. His interest in poetry developed while he was still a young student. By the time he reached college, he had become a full-fledged poet, who later established as a renowned writer by publishing his works in the college student magazine. The 1920s period proved highly fruitful for him as he released several of his poems, apart from authoring two plays. His encounter with Paraguayan musician and creator of Guarania music genre led to the composition of the song ‘India’ which was later declared as the ‘national song’ by the Paraguayan government in 1944. Besides, he went on to create some amazing Guarania songs, like ‘Cerro Cora’, ‘Kerasy’, ‘Nde rendape aju’, and ‘Panambi Vera’, which are still considered classic pieces. However, his leprous condition, which he contracted as a teenager, together with the Hansen’s disease, cut short his literary career, ending his life at a very young age. Nevertheless, he works touched the lives of many Guarani readers through his impressive poetic productions, which is why he is counted among the most loved literary figures in Paraguay

Personal Details

Birthday: July 16, 1897 Died on: August 5, 1933 Nationality: Paraguayan Famous: Writers, Poets, Playwrights Birth Place: Villarrica Gender: Male Sun Sign: Cancer Information Detail Birthday July 16, 1897 Died on August 5, 1933 Nationality Paraguayan Famous Writers, Poets, Playwrights Birth Place Villarrica Gender Male Sun Sign Cancer Born in Villarrica Famous as Poet Died at Age 36

Villarrica

Manuel Ortiz Guerrero born at Unsplash Birth Place

He married Dalmatia in 1921 in Villarrica. The duo relocated to Asuncion in 1922 and built a home in San Lorenzo where he stayed for the remaining of his life. Unsplash Personal Life

He died prematurely on May 8, 1933, aged 39, in exile in Buenos Aires. Unsplash Personal Life

His body was flown to his hometown, Asuncion, where his ashes were interred in a central square, bearing the name ‘Manuel Ortiz Guerrero y Jose Asuncion Flores’. Unsplash Personal Life

Manuel Ortiz Guerrero was born on July 16, 1894, in Ybaroty, Villarrica del Espiritu Santo, Paraguay, to Vicente Ortiz and Susana Guerrero. His mother died while giving birth to him and he was, therefore, brought up by his grandmother, Dona Florencia Ortiz. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

After completing his primary studies at a Villarrica school in 1908, he enrolled in the Colegio Nacional de Villarrica, where he was introduced to poetry and composed his first poems. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He went to Brazil with his father in 1912, where he participated in an armed struggle and put into exile. There, he fell terribly ill with leprosy. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Upon his return to Villarrica in 1913, he moved to Asuncion in 1914 to resume his studies at Colegio Nacional de la Capital. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

His work started getting recognized when he released his poems through his college student magazine, ‘Revista del Centro Estudiantil’, in 1915. Unsplash Career

Among his most celebrated works was ‘Loca’, published in the ‘Letras’ magazine, as a representative of Paraguayan modernism. His other modernist works revolved around romanticism, like ‘Diana de gloria’, ‘Raida poty’, and ‘La sortija’. Unsplash Career

In 1917, he left Asuncion and returned to Villarrica, where he was diagnosed with Hansen’s disease. Unsplash Career

He chose to write in Guarani, the native and official language of Paraguay, and went on to publish a series of poems during the 1920s, which included ‘Surgente’ (1921), ‘Nubes del Este’ (1928), and ‘Pepitas’ (1930). Unsplash Career

He launched the magazine, Orbita, in 1922 and opened a publishing house, Zurucu’a, in 1924, where he took up editing pamphlets, receipt books, brochures, and other documents to earn a living. Unsplash Career

His poem ‘India’, set to music by noted Paraguayan musician, Flores, became the ‘national song’ of Paraguay in 1944 and was regarded as his best composition. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	July 16, 1897
Died on	August 5, 1933
Nationality	Paraguayan
Famous	Writers, Poets, Playwrights
Birth Place	Villarrica
Gender	Male
Sun Sign	Cancer
Born in	Villarrica
Famous as	Poet
Died at Age	36

Manuel Ortiz Guerrero

Paraguayan

Jul 16, 1897

Biography

Personal Details

Villarrica