Luis A. Martínez

Luis Alfredo Martínez Holguín (June 23, 1869 in Ambato – November 26, 1909) was an Ecuadorian writer, painter, politician, and agriculturist.

He worked in different regions and at various jobs, from the humblest to the most prestigious, and knew about the life of the people, which allowed him to write his masterpiece, A la Costa (1904), one of Ecuador's first realist novels, describing faithfully the social changes taking place in his country in the late nineteenth century.

In addition to a literary career, he fought against the liberal guerrillas in the 1890s, managed the Valdez sugar mill and was sub-secretary and Minister of Education.

Two are in the United States Library of Congress, two in the Modern Art section of the Vatican Museum, and one is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Martínez died on November 26, 1909, at the age of 40, and is buried at the Municipal Cemetery of Ambato.