FIRST QUARTER

LESSON 2:
“Art is a miraculous flirtation with Nothing!
Aiming for nothing, and landing on the Sun.”
 His novel Mga Ibong Mandaragit, first
written by Hernandez while in prison, is
the first Filipino socio-political novel that
exposes the ills of the society as evident
in the agrarian problems of the 50s and
focuses on the neocolonial dependency
and revolt in the Philippines. The novel
reflects Hernandez's experience as a
guerrilla intelligence officer when the
Philippines was under Japanese
occupation from 1942 to 1945.
“Before 1521 we could have been anything and
everything not Filipino; after 1565 we can be
nothing but Filipino.” ― Culture and History,
1988
"May Day Eve" is a short story written
by Filipino National Artist Nick
Joaquin. Written after World War II, it
became one of Joaquin's “signature
stories” that became a classic in
Philippine literature in English.
❑ 50 years of public service as an educator, soldier,
university president, journalist, and diplomat.
❑ he was the first Asian president of the United
Nations General Assembly, then Philippine
Ambassador to Washington, D.C., and later
minister of foreign affairs.
❑ He was very much into writing: he was a reporter
at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and a
publisher at 32.
❑ He was the only Asian to win America’s coveted
Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for a series of articles
predicting the outbreak of World War II.
❑ Romulo, in all, wrote and published 18 books, a
range of literary works which included The
United (novel), I Walked with
Heroes (autobiography), I Saw the Fall of the
Philippines, Mother America, I See the
Philippines Rise (war-time memoirs).
I Am a Filipino, Romulo’s most famous
literary work, sheds light on national
identity through an examination of
the Filipino’s fervent dream for
freedom from colonial rule. Frequently
chosen by aspiring speakers for
elocution contests and memorized by
grade-school students all over the
country, the piece awakens Filipino
nationalism, transcending linguistic
and ethnic boundaries, and
resonating in the hearts of people
from all walks.
of life

❑ Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez
❑ fictionist, essayist, poet, and teacher,
articulated the Filipino spirit in rural, urban
landscapes.
❑ Among the many recognitions, he won the First
Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940,
received the Republic Cultural Heritage Award
in 1960 and the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining in
1990.
❑ The awards attest to his triumph in
appropriating the English language to express,
reflect and shape Philippine culture and
Philippine sensibility. He became U.P.’s
International-Writer-In-Residence and a
member of the Board of Advisers of the U.P.
Creative Writing Center.
❑ In 1987, U.P. conferred on him the Doctor of
Humane Letters, honoris causa, its highest
academic recognition.
The story is about a teenage boy who buys
pandesal or “bread of salt” because of its
wonderful flavor. Every day he walks by the
house of the old Spaniard’s niece Aida whom
the boy liked. He could follow her everyday to
school. He would also think about how he
would confess his feelings for her during
classes. He joins Pete Saez’ private band
Minviluz Orchestra. One of the reasons he
joined was to save money to buy a brooch for
Aida. Also it was his dream to be a violinist.
Though his aunt did not want him to pursue his
passion. One night when the band was
performing, the boy did something
embarrassing that Aida saw. Embarrassed, he
walked out in shame. He was thinking of what
he had done. There is no chance for Aida to like
him back. Pete led him home and they passed
by a bakery on the way. They ordered pandesal
but the bread was still not ready.
❑ writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist, and
teacher,
❑ one of the most important progenitors of the
modern Filipino short story in English.
The story entitled “The Mats” is one of
❑ He pioneered the development of the short story
as a lyrical prose-poetic form. the admirable works of a literary Filipino
❑ For him, the pride of fiction is “that it is able to artist.
render truth, that is able to present reality”.
❑ He kept alive the experimental tradition in fiction, The story talks about a typical Filipino
and had been most daring in exploring new
family culture, that portrays the close
literary forms to express the sensibility of the
Filipino people. family relationship, respect for the
❑ A brilliant craftsman, his works are now an elders and remembering the family
indispensable part of a tertiary-level-syllabi all members who passed away.
over the country. Arcellana’s published books
are Selected Stories (1962), Poetry and
Politics: The State of Original Writing in
English in the Philippines Today (1977), The
Francisco Arcellana Sampler(1990).
❑ a poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic
❑ one of the finest Filipino writers in English
❑ her works are characterized by a remarkable Set in the exotic background of the little
fusion of style and substance, of craftsmanship mining village of Nibucal in the southern
and insight. Philippines, A Blade of Fern sketches a
❑ her poems are intricate verbal transfigurations of panoramic vista of rural life and problems
significant experiences as revealed, in two of her of survival among miners prospecting for
much anthologized pieces, “The Little Marmoset” gold.
and “Bonsai”.
❑ As fictionist, Tiempo is as morally profound. Her The novel is in the tradition of the
language has been marked as “descriptive but Romantic hero who runs away from a
unburdened by scrupulous detailing.” society he rejects to seek regeneration in a
❑ She is an influential tradition in Philippine deeply natural environment.
literature in English. Together with her late
husband, Edilberto K. Tiempo, she founded and
directed the Silliman National Writers Workshop in
Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the
country’s best writers.

❑ a publisher, lecturer on cultural issues, and
the founder of the Philippine chapter of the
international organization PEN.
❑ He was bestowed the CCP Centennial Honors
for the Arts in 1999; the Outstanding
Fulbrighters Award for Literature in 1988; and
the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism,
Literature, and Creative Communication Arts
in 1980.
❑ His writings since the late 60s, when taken
collectively can best be described as epic. Its
sheer volume puts him on the forefront of
Philippine writing in English. But ultimately, it
is the consistent espousal of the aspirations
of the Filipino–for national sovereignty and
social justice–that guarantees the value of his
oeuvre.
But F. Sionil Jose’s great work of
fiction, Ermita: A Filipino Novel shows that
a prostitute has all the right in the world to
be a protagonist and at the same time, turn
the tables. Set on the Philippines in the
year 1941, the novel distinctly depicts how
the Filipinos suffer the effects of Word War
II and of returning to their elite lifestyles
before the declaration of Martial Law.
Ermita, a prostitute, not only due to her ill
fate but by choice, a choice driven by the
disappointment over a mother she never
had and an ultimate desire to take revenge
on her biological family who abandoned
her.
“You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a
good person”
In 1956, his story “My Brother’s
Peculiar Chicken” first appeared in
New Mexico Quarterly University
under the title “Cocks and Hen”.

The story was about the weird chicken

which Kiko and his brother found.
They couldn’t tell whether it is a hen or
a rooster. They keep on arguing to each
other because Kiko insist that the
chicken is a rooster for they saw it on
the field fighting another chicken.

❑ also known as Rio Alma, is a poet, literary
historian and critic, who has revived and
reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms,
even as he championed modernist poetics.
❑ In 34 years, he has published 12 books of
poetry, which include the
seminal Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon,
and the landmark trilogy Doktrinang
Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at
Rekwerdo and Muli, Sa Kandungan ng
Lupa.
❑ In these works, his poetic voice soared from
the lyrical to the satirical to the epic, from the
dramatic to the incantatory, in his often
severe examination of the self, and the society
This amazing folklore is about love,
sacrifice and fantasy. Ibong
Adarna literally means Adarna Bird.
The story centers about catching the
mythical bird that possesses magical
powers. The Adarna bird is so beautiful
and could change in a lot of stunning
forms. It is very much hard to catch. It
knows a total of seven songs which
could either enchant anyone to sleep,
turn into stone or heal a deadly
sickness. Which is why the almost
dying King Fernando of Berbania
tasked his three sons to catch the
magical bird.

❑ a poet, librettist, and scholar.
*As a poet, he introduced to Tagalog literature what is
now known as Bagay poetry, a landmark aesthetic
tendency that has helped to change the vernacular
poetic tradition. He is the author of the following
works: Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa (poems in
Filipino and English), 1993; Balaybay, Mga Tulang
Lunot at Manibalang, 2002; Sa Sariling
Bayan, Apat na Dulang May Musika, 2004;
“Agunyas sa Hacienda Luisita,” Pakikiramay,
2004.
*As a librettist for the Tales of the Manuvu and
Rama Hari, he pioneered the creative fusion of fine
arts and popular imagination. As a scholar, his major
books include the following: Tagalog Poetry, 1570-
1898: Tradition and Influences in its
Development; Philippine Literature: A History
and Anthology, Revaluation: Essays on Philippine
Literature, Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng
Bansa.
Bienvenido L. Lumbera is one of the brave
souls who embraced the art of expression
since Martial Law, renowned National Artist
for Literature. He is one of our few remaining
living treasured National Artist. He introduce
a new aesthetic to traditional Tagalog
literature with what is known as
Bagay poetry. He was born on April 11, 1932
in the town of Lipa, Batangas, Bienvenido
didn’t exactly have an easy childhood. He lost
his father, Timoteo Lumbera, while he was
barely a year old. His mother Carmen
Lumbera, suffer to cancer few years later,
leaving him under his relatives. Trials and
adversities never did crumble Tatay Bien’s
spirit but he used it instead to touch the lives
of different people through his words and
works.
❑ He developed the social realist tradition in Philippine
fiction. Maganda pa ang Daigdig (The World Is
❑ His eleven novels, now acknowledged classics of
Wondrous Still) is a postwar novel of
Philippine literature, embodies the author’s commitment
to nationalism. Amadis Ma. Guerrero wrote, “Francisco agrarian concerns and a worthy
championed the cause of the common man, specifically successor to José Rizal's political
the oppressed peasants. His novels exposed the evils of
novels. It lays bare the injustices of the
the tenancy system, the exploitation of farmers by
unscrupulous landlords, and foreign domination.” tenancy system by dramatizing the
❑ Teodoro Valencia also observed, “His pen dignifies the conflict between the landlord and
Filipino and accents all the positives about the Filipino
landless. Power comes to those who
way of life. His writings have contributed much to the
formation of a Filipino nationalism.” stand up to fight for what is just and
❑ Literary historian and critic Bienvenido Lumbera also right: "Ang mga matang naidilat na ay
wrote, “When the history of the Filipino novel is written,
hindi na maipipikit!" (The eyes that had
Francisco is likely to occupy an eminent place in it.
Already in Tagalog literature, he ranks among the finest been made to see shall no longer
novelists since the beginning of the 20th century. In sleep!)
addition to a deft hand at characterization, Francisco has
a supple prose style responsive to the subtlest nuances
of ideas and the sternest stuff of passions.”
❑ a poet, fictionist and essayist with exceptional
achievements and significant contributions to
the development of the country’s literary arts.
He is acknowledged by peers and critics, and
the nation at large as the foremost writer of
his generation.
❑ Throughout his career that spanned more than
four decades, he established a reputation for
fine and profound artistry; his books, lectures,
poetry readings and creative writing
workshops continue to influence his peers and
generations of young writers.
❑ As a way of bringing poetry and fiction closer
to the people who otherwise would not have
the opportunity to develop their creative
talent, Bautista held funded and unfunded
workshops throughout the country. In his
campus lecture circuits, Bautista updated
students and student-writers on literary
developments and techniques.