Medardo Ángel Silva

These four writers were greatly influenced by the modernist movement of Rubén Darío and by 19th-century French romantic poetry. Though they knew each other and dedicated poems to each other, they never met together to create a true literary group. The term "generación decapitada" originated in the middle of the 20th century, when Ecuadorian journalists and historians decided to name them, noting similarities in the authors' poetry. Silva was the lowest class of the four poets, troubled by his dark skin and economic status. He did however attend a prestigious high school and work as a journalist at El Telégrafo, a major newspaper in the city. The cause of his own death is not certain; he died at 21 while visiting a young girlfriend. He is believed to have committed suicide, but may have been murdered as the result of a love triangle. Silva's poem "El alma en los labios" was made into a song and made famous by the Ecuadorian singer Julio Jaramillo.

• Name — Medardo Ángel Silva Rodas • Born — 8 June 1898 • Birthplace — Guayaquil, Ecuador • Died — 10 June 1919 • Place of death — Guayaquil, Ecuador • Occupation — Poet • Movement — Modernismo, Symbolism • Notable Works — El árbol del bien y del mal (918)