National Artists for Literature

The Order of National Artists of the Philippines is conferred to Filipinos with "exquisite

contribution to Philippine art". The artists are chosen by the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (Philippines) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The Order is
given by the President of the Philippines.

F. Sionil Jose

- (born 3 December 1924) is one of the most widely read Filipino writers in the English
language.  His novels and short stories depict the social underpinnings of class struggles
[1][2]

and colonialism in Filipino society.  José's works—written in English—have

[3][4]

been translated into 28 languages,
including Korean, Indonesian, Czech, Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian and Dutch

Works
Rosales Saga novels
A five-novel series  that spans three centuries of Philippine history, translated into 22
languages
 Po-on (Source) (1984) ISBN 971-8845-10-0
 The Pretenders (1962) ISBN 971-8845-00-3
 My Brother, My Executioner (1973) ISBN 971-8845-16-X
 Mass (December 31, 1974) ISBN 0-86861-572-2
 Tree (1978) ISBN 971-8845-14-3
Original novels containing the Rosales Saga
 Source (Po-on) (1993) ISBN 0-375-75144-0
 Don Vicente (1980) ISBN 0-375-75243-9 – Tree and My Brother, My
Executioner combined in one book
 The Samsons ISBN 0-375-75244-7 The Pretenders and Mass combined in one
book
Other novels
 Gagamba (The Spider Man) (1991) ISBN 978-971-536-105-7
 Viajero (1993) ISBN 978-971-8845-04-2
 Sin (1994) ISBN 0-517-28446-4
 Ben Singkol (2001) ISBN 971-8845-32-1
 Ermita (1988) ISBN 971-8845-12-7
 Vibora! (2007)
  Sherds (2008)
 Muse and Balikbayan: Two Plays (2008)
 Short Stories (with Introduction and Teaching Guide by Thelma B. Kintanar) (2008)
 The Feet of Juan Bacnang (2011)
Novellas
 Three Filipino Women (1992) ISBN 9780307830289
 Two Filipino Women (1981) ISBN 9711001136
Short story collections
 The God Stealer  and Other Stories (2001) ISBN 971-8845-35-6
 Puppy Love and Thirteen Short Stories (March 15, 1998) ISBN 971-8845-26-
7 and ISBN 978-971-8845-26-4
 Olvidon and Other Stories (1988) ISBN 971-8845-18-6
 Platinum: Ten Filipino Stories (1983) ISBN 971-8845-22-4 (now out of print, its
stories are added to the new version of Olvidon and Other Stories)
 Waywaya: Eleven Filipino Short Stories (1980) ISBN 99922-884-0-X
 Asian PEN Anthology (as editor) (1966)
 Short Story International (SSI): Tales by the World's Great Contemporary
Writers (Unabridged, Volume 13, Number 75) (co-author, 1989) ISBN 1-55573-
042-6
Children's books
 The Molave and The Orchid (November 2004)
Verses
 Questions (1988)
Essays and non-fiction
 In Search of the Word (De La Salle University Press, March 15, 1998) ISBN 971-
555-264-1 and ISBN 978-971-555-264-6
 We Filipinos: Our Moral Malaise, Our Heroic Heritage
 Soba, Senbei and Shibuya: A Memoir of Post-War Japan ISBN 971-8845-31-
3 and ISBN 978-971-8845-31-8
 Heroes in the Attic, Termites in the Sala: Why We are Poor (2005)
 This I Believe: Gleanings from a Life in Literature (2006)
 Literature and Liberation (co-author) (1988)
In translation
 Zajatec bludného kruhu (The Pretenders) (Czech language, Svoboda, 1981)
 Po-on (Tagalog language, De La Salle University Press, 1998) ISBN 971-555-267-
6 and ISBN 978-971-555-267-7
 Anochecer (Littera) (Spanish language, Maeva, October 2003) ISBN 84-95354-95-
0 and ISBN 978-84-95354-95-2
In anthologies
 Tong (a short story from Brown River, White Ocean: An Anthology of Twentieth-
Century Philippine Literature in English by Luis Francia, Rutgers University Press,
August 1993) ISBN 0-8135-1999-3 and ISBN 978-0-8135-1999-9
In film documentaries
 Francisco Sionil José – A Filipino Odyssey by Art Makosinski (Documentary, in
color, 28min, 16mm. Winner of the Golden Shortie for Best Documentary at the
1996 Victoria Film and Video Festival) [1

Nick Joaquin

- Nicomedes "Nick" Márquez Joaquín (Tagalog: [hwaˈkin]; May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004)

was a Filipino writer and journalist best known for his short stories and novels in
the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaquín
was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature.
He has been considered one of the most important Filipino writers, along with José
Rizal and Claro M. Recto. Unlike Rizal and Recto, whose works were written in
Spanish, Joaquin's major works were written in English despite being a native
Spanish speaker.
Works
Recognition
Literary prominence, as measured by different English critics, is said to rest upon one of
Nick Joaquín's published books entitled “Prose and Poems” which was published in 1952.
Published in this book are the poems “Three Generations”, “May Day Eve”, “After the
Picnic”, “The Legend of the Dying Wanton”, “The Legend of the Virgin Jewel;”, “It Was
Later than we Thought”. Among these, the first of the mentioned written works were
deliberated by editors Seymour Laurence and Jose Garcia Villa as a “short story
masterpiece” (1953). The poem was also chosen as the best short story published in the
Philippine Press between March 1943 and November 1944. [5]

Nick Joaquín, as a member of the Philippine Free Press staff, submits weekly articles which
are published under his pen name Quijano de Manila. Additionally, he was chosen journalist
of the year in the 11th National Press Club-Esso Journalism awards in 1996. He was
nominated by Free Press Editor Teodoro Locsin who mentions that the journalistic work of
Nick Joaquín has raised the journalism to the level of literature.[1]

The literary ability of Nick Joaquín allowed him to earn multiple distinction and honors in
the field of Philippine literature. On June 1, 1973, he won in the Seato Literary Award
Contest for his submitted collection of short stories and poem. While on May 27, 1976, he
was a recipient of one the nation's most prestigious awards which carried material
emoluments besides honors and privileges. He was conferred the title of “National Artist for
Literature” by the former president and Mrs. Marcos during the special rites at the Cultural
Center of the Philippines in 1976, on the condition that the Regime release Pete Lacaba, the
author of the poem "Prometheus Unbound" from detention. [1]

Themes & motifs

In a critical study of his prose and poems, the subjects depicted his nostalgia for the past,
church rituals, legends, the mysterious, the different shades of evil, the power of the basic
emotions over culture, the freedom of the will against fate, the mutability of the human body
compared to the spirit, and the like. They are often set in old Manila, the walled city of
Intramuros, and sometimes Paco – as a symbol of congruence, the glory and culture of the
past, rather than a geographical concept. His characters are mostly cultured intellectuals of
past generations, while the opposing characters are usually from the materialistic modern
age. Unless they are portrayed to adjust better than old men, women seldom have significant
roles in this cultured world of the past. 
[1][2]

Theology of culture
Critics of Nick Joaquín's works mention the presence of theological dimensions in his
writings. These critics, such as Lumbera, referred to Nick Joaquín as the most stimulating lay
theologian, 1968. Such examples of works containing theological dimensions include
“"Doña Jeronima”, “The Legend of the Dying Wanton” and “The Mass of St. Sylvestre”
whose themes are said to be drawn from Spanish traditions. Stories from Tropical Goth,
although not as obvious according to critics, possessed a Christian background but there
were arguments made that what is Christian is not necessarily theological. Different analysis
of Nick Joaquín's works on these stories found in Tropical Goth reveal the use of primordial
and pagan symbols. There is a fixation towards brute and the cult. Critics mention that while
there are theological levels present in these stories, these were more at the folk level than
dogmatic and were more reflective rather than perspective. These were then referred to as
reflections of the theology of culture. [9]

Ethical aspects
Different Analysis of Nick Joaquín's work, mainly “The Woman Who Had Two Navels” and
stories from “Tropical Gothic”, have led critics to mention the theme of individual free will
as seen in the emphasis of choice and free will in the mentioned stories. This is found, in
what critics refer to, as Joaquín's level of morality which they mention as what makes his
stories expressively theological.
[9]

History or time
A theological theme revealed in the Early Joaquín works is the emphasis on history and time.
These are evident, according to critics, in works such as “May Day Eve”. “Guardia de
Honor”, and “The Order of Melchizedek” and while not as obvious, were present as thematic
backgrounds in “Doña Jeronima”, “The Legend of the Dying Wanton”, “The Summer
Solstice”, and “The Mass of St. Sylvestre”. This theme comes in the form of fixation with
time and patterns of recurrence as described by critics as nostalgia, which is said to show
emphasis on the past. Critics make a connection of this theological reality used by Nick
Joaquín to reflect Philippine culture and the intermingling of Christian and pagan values. [9]

Rejection of colonial self

According to critics, Nick Joaquín is said to be a writer who sees the essence of being
Filipino in the return to the Filipino's pre-Hispanic past.  National identity is a very
[6]

important topic for Nick Joaquín as evident in his works such as La Naval de Manila, After
the Picnic and Summer Solstice. Noticeably in his works namely After the Picnic and
Summer Solstice, the recurring theme of the rejection of the colonial self can be seen in the
conflicts of the protagonist such as Chedeng, from After the Picnic, to reject Father Chavez's
white-ego-ideals. In Chedeng's attempt to assert one's identity through rejection of the
colonial self-imposed by society, she is confronted into choosing whether she would obliged
with the white-ego ideal which asserts her security or rejection of the white-ego-ideal.  Nick
[7]

Joaquín also, every now and then, motleys this theme with other themes such as gender
conflict, which can be evident in After the Picnic and Summer Solstice. A good example of
Nick Joaquín's blending of themes is Summer Solstice, wherein he conflates gender conflict
with colonial conflict, noticeable in the assertion of Doña Lupeng in the reclamation of the
power of patriarchy by womanhood. [8]

Criticism
Early Nick Joaquín
Tropical Gothic was reviewed in Philippine studies by H.B. Furay, Lourdes Busuego Pabo,
and Emmanuel Lacaba. Critics describe this as the end of what they refer to as the Early
Joaquín.
Attempting to characterize stories of Tropic Goth as what critics referred to as a product of
the Early Nick Joaquín would be deceptive for it was written, along with majority of his
works, during the thirties. Critics referred to the publication years of 1946 -1966 as most
significant in terms of the works produced. They also referred to these years as the time
wherein Nick Joaquín was recognized as a first rank writer in the Philippines. Works
included in these years include “Prose and Poems” (1952), three stories in the “Free Press”
(1965 - 1966) and The portrait of the Artist as a Filipino. Included in the first edition of Nick
Joaquín's “Prose and Poems” were the titles “The Woman Who had Two Navels” (1961) and
“La Naval de Manila” (1964). [9]

Emmanuel Lacaba, member of Philippine Studies, argues that the three Free Press Stories
known as “Candido’s Apocalypse”, “"Doña Jeronima”, and “The Order of Melchizedek”,
were considered works under the older Nick Joaquín given the gap between these works and
the earlier stories of “Prose and Poems”. Despite the gap, Lacaba argues that there is a
recurring theme present in the later works of Nick Joaquín. In Emmanuel Lacaba's criticism,
he mentions the radical change in language, mainly through the dialogue used. Early Nick
Joaquín, as Lacaba described through the example of Tropical Goth, made use of “lush”
language as well as “baroque” once the readers get past the words used. Similar cases for
“Candido’s Apocalypse” and “The Order of Melchizedek” which show more similarities
than differences in the way of sentence patterns used. [9]

Critics, such as Furay, define Early Nick Joaquín through his nine stories of Tropic Gothic
which emphasizes his talents in Philippine writing in English. Additionally, through the
mention of works such as “Prose and Poems” (1952) and the three additional “Free Press
stories” (1972), critics argue that the greatness of his writing lies in his themes used as well
as deep intellectual analysis of Philippine culture embedded in his writing style. [9]

Late Nick Joaquín

The Late Nick Joaquín is defined by critics as the time 10 years after his absence from the
field of fiction. These years, as defined by Lacaba, were about Joaquín devoting himself
entirely to Free Press and journalistic writing. This was defined by Joaquín the essayist. He
wrote under the pseudonym of Quijano de Manila. The beginning of Late Joaquín was seen
after he had published two significant essays and three plays after 1975. Publications of Late
Joaquín still deal with similar themes of history, paganism and Christianity and morality. His
published article, The Manila Review on “Culture of History” represent his philosophy of the
past which underlies many of his early works. Critics emphasizes that in the later works,
there is a sharper emphasis on freedom and choice as seen in his publication on December
1975 titled “Fathers and Sons: A Melodrama in Three Reels” which was a dramatization of
his earlier story “Three Generations”. [9]

Bibliography
 May Day Eve (1947)
 Prose and Poems (1952)
 The House On Zapote Street (1960)
 The Woman Who had Two Navels (1961)
 La Naval de Manila and Other Essays (1964)
 A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1966)
  Tropical Gothic (1972)
 A Question of Heroes (1977)
 Joseph Estrada and Other Sketches (1977)
 Nora Aunor & Other Profiles (1977)
 Ronnie Poe & Other Silhouettes (1977)
 Reportage on Lovers (1977)
 Reportage on Crime (1977)
 Amalia Fuentes & Other Etchings (1977)
 Gloria Diaz & Other Delineations (1977)
 Doveglion & Other Cameos (1977)
 Language of the Streets and Other Essays (1977)
 Manila: Sin City and Other Chronicles (1977)
 Pop Stories for Groovy Kids (1979)
 Reportage on the Marcoses (1979)
 Language of the Street and Other Essays (1980)
 The Ballad of the Five Battles (1981)
 Reportage on Politics (1981)
 Tropical Baroque (1982)
 The Aquinos of Tarlac: An Essay on History as Three Generations (1983)
 Almanac for Manileños
 Cave and Shadows (1983)
 The Quartet of the Tiger Moon: Scenes from the People Power Apocalypse (1986)
 Collected Verse (1987)
 Culture and History: Occasional Notes on the Process of Philippine
Becoming (1988)
 Intramuros (1988) (Editor)
 Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young (1990)
 Mr. Rural Reform: The Times and Tidings of Manny Manahan (1990)
 The D.M. Guevara Story (1993)
 Mr. F.E.U., the Culture Hero That Was Nicanor Reyes (1995)
 Rizal in Saga (1996)
 ABE: A Frank Sketch of E. Aguilar Cruz (2004)
Filmography
 Siglo Filipino  : Odyssey of a Nation (2001)