Froylán Turcios (July 7, 1875 – November 19, 1943) was a Honduran writer, journalist and politician. He is considered one of the most important Honduran intellectuals of the early 20th century.

Background and political roles

He was born in Juticalpa, Olancho. He was Minister of Interior, Member of the National Congress of Honduras and delegate to the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

in Geneva. He was private secretary of guerrilla

Augusto César Sandino Augusto César Sandino (; 18 May 1895 21 February 1934), full name Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino, was a Nicaraguan revolutionary, founder of the militant group EDSN, and leader of a rebellion between 1927 and 1933 against the United Sta ...

in Nicaragua, a personal friend of

Rubén Darío Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (18 January 1867 – 6 February 1916), known as Rubén Darío ( , ), was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as '' modernismo'' (modernism) that flourished at the end of ...

, Juan Ramón Molina and many other intellectuals and philosophers.

Writing activities

He directed the

Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa ( )—formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz''—is the capital and largest city of Honduras along with its sister city, Comaya ...

daily paper '' El Tiempo'' and founded the journals, ''El Pensamiento'' (1894), ''Revista Nueva'' (1902), ''Arte y Letras'' (1903) and ''Esfinge'' (1905), among others. In

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

he published the newspapers ''El Tiempo'' ( 1904),''El Domingo'' (1908) and in Honduras ''El Heraldo'' (1909), ''El Nuevo Tiempo'' (1911), and ''Boletín de La Defensa Nacional'' (1924 -- see below).

Violent themes

Turcios was especially against American involvement in Honduras, bitterly so. In March 1924, following the occupation of Tegucigalpa's central plaza by a force of nearly 200 United States marines, Turcios commenced publication of a series of newsletters called the Bulletin of National Defense (Boletín de la Defensa Nacional), a medium through which Hondurans and other Latin Americans -- primarily intellectuals and journalists -- protested the US invasion. His literature tended to be violent stories, influenced by the Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio, with strong plots; indeed, in 'La Mejor Limosna' (The Best Act of Charity), from ''Cuentos del Amor y la Muerte'' (Stories of Love and Death) (1930), Turcios' narrator seemingly advocates 'mercy killings'.Froilán Turcios, 'La mejor Limosna', from ''Cuentos de Amor y de Muerte'', in: José Sanz y Díaz ed., ''Antología de Cuentistas Hispanoamericanos'', Madrid: Colección Crisol, 1945

Works

* Mariposas (1895) * Renglones (1899) * Hojas de Otoño (1905) * Anabel Lee (1906) * El Vampiro (1910) * Tierra Materna (1911) * El Fantasma Blanco (1911) * Prosas nuevas (1914) * Floresita sonora (1915) * Cuentos del Amor y la Muerte (1930) * Páginas del Ayer (1932)

Death

He died in San Jose, Costa Rica but was returned to Honduras and buried in Tegucigalpa.

References

2.Short film : La Risa de la Muerte (Laughter of Death), adaptation of his short story from Cuentos del Amor y de la Muerte (Tales of Love and death). Director Maria José Pinel, Honduras 2010

External links

* Short film: Laughter of Death (La Risa de la Muerte) http://vimeo.com/44779184 Honduran male writers Honduran journalists Honduran male journalists 1875 births 1943 deaths Government ministers of Honduras Deputies of the National Congress of Honduras Permanent representatives of Honduras to the League of Nations People from Olancho Department {{Honduras-writer-stub