Leona Josefa Florentino (19 April 1849 – 4 October 1884) was a Filipina poet who wrote in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and Ilocano. She is considered as the "mother of Philippine women's literature," serving as the "bridge from oral to literary tradition";The History of Filipino Women's Writings
an article from Firefly - Filipino Short Stories (Tulikärpänen - filippiiniläisiä novelleja), 2001 / 2007 and as a pioneer in Philippine lesbian literature. Born to a wealthy and prominent family in

Vigan Vigan, officially the City of Vigan ( ilo, Siudad ti Vigan; fil, Lungsod ng Vigan), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,935 people. Loc ...

Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital o ...

, Florentino was baptized under the Christian name ''Leona Josefa Florentina''. She began to write her first verses in Ilocano at a young age. Despite her potential, she was not allowed to receive a university education because of her gender. Florentino was instead tutored by her mother, and then a series of private teachers. An educated Ilocano priest taught her advanced Spanish and encouraged her to develop her voice in poetry. Florentino married a politician named Elías de los Reyes at the age of 14. They had five children together. Their son

Isabelo de los Reyes Isabelo de los Reyes Sr. y Florentino, also known as Don Belong (July 7, 1864 – October 10, 1938), was a prominent Filipino politician, writer, journalist, and labor activist in the 19th and 20th centuries. He was the original founder of the ' ...

later became a Filipino writer, activist and senator. Due to the

protofeminist Protofeminism is a concept that anticipates modern feminism in eras when the feminist concept as such was still unknown. This refers particularly to times before the 20th century, although the precise usage is disputed, as 18th-century feminism ...

nature of her writings, Florentino was shunned by her husband and son; she lived alone in exile and separately from her family. She died at the age of 35.

Works

Her lyrical poetry in Spanish, and especially that in Ilocano, gained attention in various international forums in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. Her literary contributions - particularly 22 preserved poems - were recognized when she was included in the ''Encyclopedia Internationale des Oeuvres des Femmes'' (International Encyclopedia of Women’s Works) in 1889. She is believed to be the first Filipina to receive this international recognition, a homage that occurred after her death at a young age. Her work was exhibited at the Exposition Filipina in Madrid in 1887 and at the Exposition Internationale in Paris in 1889.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Florentino, Leona 1849 births 1884 deaths Proto-feminists Filipino feminists 19th-century Filipino poets Filipino people of Chinese descent Filipino people of Spanish descent Spanish-language poets Ilocano people Filipino women poets People from Vigan 19th-century Filipino writers 19th-century Filipino women writers Spanish-language writers of the Philippines