author
Francisco Balagtas
1788–1862
Celebrated as the "Prince of Tagalog Poets," he helped shape Filipino literature through powerful verse that still feels vivid today. His best-known work, Florante at Laura, turned romance and adventure into a lasting reflection on injustice, loyalty, and courage.
2 Audiobooks
Florante at Laura
by Francisco Balagtas
Florante Versión castellana del poema tagalo con un ensayo crítico
by Francisco Balagtas
About the author
Born on April 2, 1788, in Bigaa, Bulacan, Francisco Balagtas became one of the most important writers in the Tagalog language during the Spanish colonial period. He is also widely known as Francisco Baltazar, and his work earned him a lasting place in Philippine literary history.
He is best remembered for Florante at Laura, a verse romance first published in the 19th century and still read as a classic today. Written in Tagalog, it combined courtly storytelling with deeper themes about love, suffering, and social wrongs, helping make Balagtas a defining voice in Filipino literature.
Balagtas died on February 20, 1862. His influence remained so strong that his home town of Bigaa in Bulacan was later renamed Balagtas in his honor, a sign of how closely his name became tied to the country’s literary heritage.