OVERVIEW ON THE NATURE OF LITERATURE AND ITS GENRES: FILIPINO

AUTHORS
Discussant: Jemuse F. Revidad

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Distinguish the different authors in the Philippines;

2. Familiarize with the stories of some prominent Filipino authors
3. Discuss their major contributions to the development of Philippine Literature; and
4. Explain how their works significantly influenced the society and history.

Introduction

Who are some famous local writer?

For centuries authors have been among the world's most important people, helping
chronicle history and keep us entertained with one of the earliest forms of storytelling.
Whether they're known for fiction, non-fiction, poetry or even technical writing, the
famous Filipino authors on this list have kept that tradition alive by writing renowned
works that have been praised around the world. These prominent Filipino authors are as
follows:

1. EDITH L. TIEMPO (April 22, 1919 – August 21, 2011)

was a Filipino poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic.
She is one of the finest Filipino writers in English whose
works are characterized by a remarkable fusion of style
and substance, of craftsmanship and insight. She is an
influential tradition in Philippine literature in English.
Together with her late husband, Edilberto K. Tiempo,
she founded and directed the Silliman National Writers
Workshop in Dumoguete City, which has produced
some of the country's best writers.

Major Works

Novel
∙ A Blade of Fem (1978)

∙ His Native Coast (1979)

 ∙ The Alien Corn (1999)

∙ One, Tilting Leaves (1995)

∙ The Builder (2004)

∙ The Jumong (2006)

Short Story Collection

∙ Abide, Joshua, and Other Stories (1964)

Poetry Collections
∙ The Tracks Of Babylon And Other Poems (1966)

∙ The Charmer’s Box And Other Poet (1993)

∙ Marginal Annotations And Other Poem

∙ Commend Contend. Beyond Extentions (2010)

1. A BLADE OF FERN

- Set in the exotic background of the little mining village of Nibucal in the southern
Philippines, A Blade of Fern sketches a panoramic vista of rural life and problems of
survival among miners prospecting for gold. Yes, it talks about a simple Filipino
community with all the simple characters in it: a man who escaped from Manila and
found himself in a rural mining community; a small family who lives in taking risks; a
group of miners digging day in and day out just so they can support their families; an old
couple who knows all about the community; some politicians, fishermen and odd
personalities.

The novel is in the tradition of the Romantic hero who runs away from a society he
rejects to seek regeneration in a deeply natural environment. A Blade of Fern should be
of interest to students of Philippine literature in English and the general reader.

2. HIS NATIVE COAST

- is a story of a search for identity. The rather inarticulate attempt of Michael Linder
to shape for himself a personal identification with the world that would give ultimate
meaning to his life is paralleled by Marina's own search: for Marina is partly tribal, and
although her life and training are steeped in Western (American) culture, she is haunted
by the influence of her Ifugao mother, who had lived and died in her native hills without
once coming down to the low lands. His native coast gives the reader a provocative and
moving story of two "pilgrimages," one ending outside of the seeker's geographical
context, and the other in a return to it: one resulting in a glimpse of self-recognition, the
other in what turns out to be a refusal of it. The novel attempts a definition of personal
and national identity that transcends geographical origins, and suggests that whether
one is in his home country or not, the belief in his own human usefulness in his context
has much to do with forging a healthy sense of belonging. In these days of heightened
self-searching among the western-influenced developing nations, this Philippine
experience offers its own unique insight.

3. ONE, TILTING LEAVES

- One Tilting Leaves, the latest novel by Edith L. Tiempo, is set in Narra Alta, a town
at the foothills of Sierra Madre. The plot centers on the life of Primo Gutierrez, chair of
the Department of Biology of the Cagayan Valley Chris-tian College. The theme of the
novel centers on the age-old struggle between good and evil. The novel does not only
expose the reality of the struggle that happens outside of oneself, it also depicts the
struggle within. The forest is a perfect metaphor for this.

4. THE BUILDER

- The Builder assembles a cast of indomitable characters, replete with wit,

cleverness, and most amazingly, with sudden unexpected depths. Here is a work which
abounds with the clear surprises of inversion and moral ambiguity, where the
consummate artist meditates on the human leaning for rootedness - as in life's rooms,
the seekers come and go, ripening into wisdom and discovering that time is the one
firmament building the house of conviction and faith, slaking our thirst for truth.

Summary:

As he ends his Physics class one morning, Professor Felix Acuña is jolted into
the daylight violence across the street in the university town of Dumaguete and
his life begins to unreel with detective purpose. But dare he put his own life to a
standstill when he must build a house while awaiting the birth of his firstborn?
While he prods his students to speed up their work, he must also take on
responsibility for the school administrator's middling son. Now he must run after
an enigmatic outlaw and two purloined documents in forging a compelling
punishment to an unsettling domestic crime.

Honors and Awards

 ∙ National Artist Award for Literature (1999)

∙ Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards For Literature

∙ Cultural Center of the Philippines (1979, First Prize in Novel)

∙ Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas (1988)
2. BIENVENIDO LUMBERA (April 11, 1932) is a
Filipino 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
known for his nationalist writing and his leading role in
Filipinization movement in Philippine Literature in the
1960’s.

Major Works

∙ Likhan Dila, Likhang Diwa (poems in Filipino and English), 1993 ∙

Balaybay. Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang. 2002:
∙ Sa Sariling Bayan, Apat na Dulang May Hacienda uisita," Pakikiramay, 2004. ∙
Musika, 2004
∙ 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.

Honors and Awards

∙ Ramon Magsaysay award for journalism, literature and creative communications
(1993)
∙ National Artist of the Philippines for Literature
(2006)

3. NESTOR VICENTE MADALI GONZALEZ

(September 8, 1915 – November 28, 1999)
 better known as N.V.M. Gonzalez, fictionist,
essayist, poet, and teacher, articulated the
Filipino spirit in many rural, urban landscapes.
Conferred as the National Artist of Philippines for
Literature in 1997.

Major Works

∙ The Winds of April

∙ Seven Hills Away

∙ Children of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other Stories

∙ The Bamboo Dancers

∙ Look Stranger, on this Island Now

∙ Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty One Stories

∙ The Bread of Salt and Other Stories

∙ Work on the Mountain

∙ The Novel of Justice: Selected Essays 1968-1994

∙ A Grammar of Dreams and Other Stories

1. WINDS OF APRIL

- "Winds of April starts with the narrator recounting his early years in Mindoro and
Romblon. Acquainted with two languages and cultures, Tagalog and Visayan, it is the
water that separates these two places that is closest to his heart. His numerous travels,
however, bridges the distance. The rustic landscape and the local color that Gonzalez
uses mirrors the Filipinos and the growing rejection of American predominance at the
height of the Commonwealth era, a time when the Philippines was still seeking its
independence from the United States. As he struggles in the sea of life, trying to find a
better way of survival, the narrator also encounters love interests.

2. SEVEN HILLS AWAY

- Seven Hills Away is about boyhood and youth spent on a father's farm. It related
the human faces of people who have folk traditions.

It seems more like sketches, reproducing the quiet, sometimes desperate, static
lifestyle of the Philippine kainginero. On the small islands of Romblon and Mindoro,
south of Manila, the landless frontiersman regularly leaves the village barrio in search of
land. The wilderness is his if he will clear it by slash-and-burn techniques; yet it can
never be cultivated well enough, by these primitive means, to support a large population.
The first and last stories in the collection establish an outward movement from a
growing settlement by pioneers anxious to find one more uninhabited horizon. Even as
the stress falls on small-scale self-reliance, however, the fulfillment of ancestral patterns
in the process of pioneering becomes dramatically evident. The animistic minds of the
kaingineros tell them that nature is unfriendly, but they meet each setback with a stoic
lack of surprise and complaint.

3. CHILDREN OF THE ASH-COVERED LOAM

- The story shows the rugged rural areas of Mindoro, fathers as decision-makers,
hardworking mothers, children toiling in the fields at early ages, the kaingin system, old
beliefs and Filipino superstition, and the cycle of life.

Tatay got home with Bokal and gave Tarang a pig to look out for. The pig was given
by Paula. She said that if the pig produce many piglets then the half would be theirs.
Afterwards, they gave the pig its food and pen. Everyday Tarang feeds the pig and look
for it. One day, Tarang's family became busy working in the Kainging. They were also
fascinated with planting as to where the people from the nearby Kaingins are engaged
in. Tarang's father bought a pullet in exchange of his wife's camisa. He brought it to the
Kaingin and use its blood for the ritual. The blood has been mixed in the ash covered
loam.Then they started planting. That night Tia Orang arrived at their home while the
rain poured heavily.

4. LOOK STRANGER ON THIS ISLAND NOW

- On June 19, 1961, N. V. M. Gonzalez was conferred by the Republic of the

Philippines the Rizal Pro-Patria Award. The stories in this book are a testament in
appreciation of that honor. The epigraph from Rizal's diary is an entry that was written
when the hero, soon to die a martyr's death at Bagumbayan, stopped at Romblon. Rizal,
then, is the "stranger" in the title, and the book, as it were, asks him to revisit the town
and harbor once again and possibly to reconsider also the changed and changing
Philippine society.

5. THE BREAD OF SALT

- The story implicates the different condition of life poor/rich. It depicts about
dreams, admiration, failure, and hope. 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 every
day 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 probably thinking that because of what
he had done. There is no chance for Aida to like him back. Pete led him home and
passes by bakers on the way. They ordered pandesal but the bread was still not ready.

Honors and Awards

∙ First Commonwealth Literary Contest (1940)

∙ Republic Cultural Heritage Award (1960)
∙ Gawad CCP Para sa Sining (1990)
∙ Jose Rizal Pro Patria Award
∙ Carlos Palanca Memorial Award For Literature

4. VIRGILIO S. ALMARIO (March 9, 1944) 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. He is
a chairman emeritus of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa
Pilipinas (UMPTL). He headed the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts as Executive Director, (from 1998 to
2001). He put a face to the Filipino writer in the country, one
strong face determinedly wielding a pen into untruths,
hypocrisy, injustice, among others.

Major Works
 ∙ Makinasyon at ilang tula (1968)
∙ Peregrinasyon at iba pang tula (1970)
∙ Doktrinang Anakpawis (1979)
∙ Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo (1984)
∙ Muli, Sa Kandungan ng Lupa (1994)
∙ Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina (1982)
∙ Balagtasismo versus Modernismo (1984)
∙ Walong Dekada ng Makabagong Tula Pilipino
∙ Mutyang Dilim

∙ Barlaan at Josaphat

Honors and Awards

∙ National Artist for Literature (2003)

∙ Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards

∙ Cultural Center of the Philippines (Grand Prizes)

∙ Makata ng Taon of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino

∙ Southeast Asia Write Award of Bangkok

5. CIRILO F. BAUTISTA (July 9, 1941 – May 6, 2018)

was 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 spans more than four
decades, he has established a reputation for fine and
profound artistry.

Major Works

∙ Summer Suns (1963)

 ∙ Words and Battlefields (1998)

∙ The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus (2001)

∙ Galaw ng Asoge (2003)

Honors and Awards

∙ Hall of Fame of the Palanca Awards Foundation

∙ Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (Essay, Fiction, Poetry in both English and
Filipino)
∙ Gawad Manuel L. Quezon (1996)

∙ National Centennial Commision Literary Literature (1998, First Prize) ∙

Gawad Balagtas from the Unyon ng Manunulat ng Pilipinas
∙ National Artist of the Philippines (2014)

6. NICK JOAQUIN (May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2000) is

regarded by many as the most distinguished Filipino writer
in English writing so variedly and so we I about so many
aspects of the Filipino. Nick Joaquin has also enriched the
English language with critics coining “Joaquinesque" to
describe his baroque Spanish-flavored English or his
reinventions of English based on Filipinisms. He has written
plays, novels, poems, short stories and essays including
reportage and journalism.

Major Works

∙ The Woman Who Had Two Navels

∙ A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino

∙ Three Generations

∙ The Ballad of the Five Battles

 ∙ Rizal in Saga

∙ Almanoc for Manile fios

∙ Cave and Shadows

1. THE WOMAN WHO HAD TWO NAVELS

- The novel The Woman Who Had Two Navels (1961) examines his country’s
various heritages. It is considered a classic in Philippine literature. It tells the story of an
elite Filipina who is hallucinating, and is preoccupied with the notion that she has two
navels or belly buttons in order to be treated as an extraordinary person. Joaquin uses
the character, Connie, to portray the ill fated Filipina women, who had suffered heavily
from the societal effects of World war II. This novel contained mixtures of hatred, love,
anger, insecurities and sufferings that manifest in the realities of life making.

2. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS FILIPINO

- A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1966), a celebrated play, attempts to reconcile

historical events with dynamic change. A story that explores family conflict between 2
sisters and their painter father before the World War 2, in Intramuros, Old Manila. The
theme focuses on family conflict and the amalgamation of old Filipino identity and
cultural character with the arrival of contemporary and Western ideals.

3. THREE GENERATIONS

- The story "Three Generations" by Nick Joaquin follows Celo Monzon and his
terrible childhood. He reflects on the unhappiness he experienced as a child after his
own son decides to enter the priesthood. The story focuses on themes of sexuality,
inheritance, traditions and acceptance as Monzon comes to terms with his grandfather's
behavior during his childhood.

4. RIZAL'S SAGA

- Commissioned by the National Centennial Commission in 1996, Rizal in Saga by

Nick Joaquin brings to light Rizal's humanity--his fears, his insecurities, his influences,
and the fortitude that ultimately leads him to become, as Joaquin calls, "the grandest of
Filipinos." Through his pen, the reader is drawn into the life of Rizal – his experiences
and his probable thoughts. One is able to discern the humanity of this "deified" hero,
and to reconnect with the country’s historic struggle.

5. CAVE AND SHADOWS

- Cave and Shadows was first published in 1983, and this literary whodunit is still
considered a must-read by students of Philippine Literature. The novel is set in motion
by a mysterious death of Nenita Coogan who was found naked inside a cave located
within the suburban regions of Manila, and thrust onwards by the search for truth and
the solution of the crime. Joaquin expertly weaves multi-layered meanings by
interspersing Philippine historical fact with fiction. In the end, readers discover faith,
truth, and human nature.

Honors and Awards

∙ Don Carlos Palnaca Memorial Literary Awards

∙ National Artist for Literature (1976)

∙ S.E.A. Write Award (1980)

∙ Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature (1996)

∙ Tanglaw ng Lahi Award (1997)
7. F. SIONIL JOSE (December 3, 1924) best known
for his epic work, The Rosales Saga. Jose's novels,
short stories and non-fiction works highlight the
social underpinnings, class struggles and colonial
history of Filipino society. He has written more than
35 books, translated into more than 20 languages
and published worldwide. He has also been involved
with international cultural organizations, notably
International P.E.N., the world association of poets,
playwrights, essayists and novelists, who’s
Philippine Center he founded in 1958. F. Sionil Jose
is also a publisher, lecturer on cultural issues, and
the founder of the Philippine chapter of the
international organization PEN.

Major Works
∙ Rosales Saga novels

Po-on (Source) (1984)

 The Pretenders (1962)

My Brother, My Executioner (1973)

Mass (December 31, 1974)

Tree (1978)

Short Story Collections

∙ The God Stealer and Other Stories (2001)

∙ Puppy Love and Thirteen Short Stories (March 15, 1998)

∙ Olvidon and Other Stories (1988)

∙ Platinum: Ten Filipino Stories (1983)

∙ Waywaya: Eleven Filipino Short Stories (1980)

∙ Asian PEN Anthology (as editor) (1966)

Honors and Awards

∙ Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication

Arts in 1980.
∙ CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts (1999)

∙ Outstanding Fulbrighters Award for Literature (1988)

∙ Philippine National Artist (2001)

∙ Pablo Neruda Centennial Award (2004)

∙ Officer in the French Order of Arts and Letters

(2014).

8. AMADO V. HERNANDEZ (September 13, 1903 –

 May 24, 1970) poet, playwright, and novelist, is
among the Filipino writers who practiced"committed
art". In his view, the function of the writer is to act as
the conscience of society and to affirm the greatness
of the human spirit in the face of inequity and
oppression. Hernandez's contribution to the
development of Tagalog prose is considerable he
stripped Tagalog of its ornate character and wrote in
prose closer to the colloquial than the "official" style
permitted.

Major Works

∙ Mga Ibong Mandaragit (Birds of Prey),1969

∙ Bayang Malaya

∙ Luha Ng Buwaya (Crocodile's Tears), 1972

∙ Isang Dipang Langit

∙ Luha ng Buwaya

∙ Amado V. Hernandez: Tudla at Tudling: Katipunan ng mga Nalathalang Tula

1921-1970

∙ Langaw sa Isang Basong Gatas at Iba Pang Kuwento ni Amado V. Hernandez ∙

Magkabilang Mukha ng Isang Bagol at Iba Pang Akda ni Amado V. Hernandez.

1. MGA IBONG MANDARAGIT

- It hailed as Hernandez's masterpiece. Itfocuses on the neocolonial dependency

and revolt in the Philippines. Mga Ibong Mandaragit revolves around the life and
adventures of Mando (who used to be Andoy) who used to be a member of the Montero
family. He participated in the war against the Japanese conquerors, and immediately
met Tata Matyas, who knew that the treasure that Father Florentino threw into the sea
was true, and that was contained in the novel El Filibusterismoby Jose Rizal. Mando
was urged to find the treasure, and when he found it, he later used it to support the
periodical Kampilan and the construction of Freedom University, which was called "the
foundry and foundation of young nationalists." Mando collaborated with Dr. Sabio, who
is a patriotic intellectual and educator, to change the system in the society infested with
rotten proprietaries, politicians, religious, and judges. At the end of the novel, the
success of Mando and Magat (who used to be a guerrilla leader) can be seen in forming
a Malay community of farmers who are ready to assert their rights against the
oppressive Montero family.

2. BAYANG MALAYA

- This book was released on 03 january 1973 with total page 534 pages. The
message of this poem was that we are not imprisoned by our loneliness and doubts.
Hernandez's epic poem bayang malaya (free country) similarly uses emblematic
names.7 the heroine is tala, or star, while the hero who loses his life is magtanggol
(defender).

3. ISANG DIPANG LANGIT

- This poem was written by Amado Hernandez and can be translated into English
as “A Piece of Heaven”. Hernandez wrote it in Muntinlupa on April 22, 1952. This poem
recounts the experiences of people who were deprived. It also shows what the
prisoners go through in their daily lives. It also deals with themes of suffering. This is
due to the identification of his experiences that he expressed while inside the prison.

4. LUHA NG BWAYA

- The story revolves around the oppression of a rich family on the poor citizens of
a town in the province, and how the said poor come together to fight and solve their
problems.

Honors and Awards

∙ The University of the Philippines posthumously conferred on him the degree of

Doctor of Humanities honoris causa.
∙ The Ateneo de Manila University awarded him its first Tanglaw ng Lahi award.

∙ He was posthumously honored as National Artist for Literature in 1973. Together

with poet José García Villa, Hernández was the first to receive the title in
literature.
∙ Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards (four times) and journalism awards given by
the National Press Club of the Philippines (four times).
 9. LAZARO A. FRANCISCO (February 22, 1898 – June
17, 1980) was a Filipino novelist, essayist and playwright.
A prize-winning writer developed the social realist
tradition in Philippine fiction acknowledged classics of
Philippine literature. His eleven novels, now embodies
the author's commitment to nationalism. He contributed
to the enrichment of the Filipino language and literature
for which he is a staunch advocate. He put up an arm to
his advocacy of Tagalog as a national language by
establishing the Kapatiran ng mga Alagad ng Wikang
Pilipino (KAWIKA) in 1958.

Major Works
∙ Ama

∙ Bayang Nagpatiwakal
∙ Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig
∙ Daluyong

1. AMA

- Ama, first published in 1929, already displayed Francisco's moral concerns. The
story revolves around Ingkong Tasyo, a tenant who becomes a victim of an oppressive
system personified in Don Pamfio Melendrez, the haughty and cruel landlord, and Don
Alipio, the provincial governor.

2. BAYANG NAGPATIWAKAL

- Is a novel written by Lazaro Francisco. It was published in 1948, shortly after World
War II. It tells a story about two groups of wealthy, powerful people who will do
everything to advance their business interests.

3. MAGANDA PA ANG DAIGDIG

- Officially translated as "The World Be Lovely Still" is a Tagalog-language novel
written by Filipino novelist Lázaro Francisco.

The novel is about Lino Rivera, a gardener, who lost faith in an "oppressive social
system" in the Philippines. Lino was accused of committing robbery and homicide. Lino
escapes from prison to live a life of a fugitive. He defended an “enlightened landlord”
against the Hukbalahap of Central Luzon and against former guerrillas who were active
during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Convinced by Colonel Roda, Padre
Amando, among other "kindhearted people", Lino comes down from the mountain,
turning his back from living the life of a fugitive.

4. DALUYONG

- "Tidal Wave" or "Wave", is a 1976 Tagalog-language novel written by Filipino

novelist Lazaro Francisco.

Daluyong begins where Francisco’s novel Maganda pa ang Daigdig ("The World Be
Beautiful Still") ends. Lino Rivero, a former ranch worker, is given an opportunity to own
a portion of land by the priest Padre Echevarria. Lino becomes an avatar who, through
his efforts and good will, is able to free himself from the oppressive "tenant farmer"
system. Apart from the "waves of changes" that might happen due to agrarian reform
and because of the hope of the Filipino lower class for a good future, Daluyong tackled
the "waves of forces" that prevents such changes and hopes from being realized.

Honors and Awards

∙ Balagtas Award (1969)

∙ Republic Heritage Award (1970)

∙ Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award from the Manila City Government (1975) ∙
Foremost Filipino novelist of his generation" and "champion of the Filipino writer's
struggle for national identity" by the by the University of the Philippines (1997)

∙ National Artist of the Philippines for Literature (2009)

10. ALEJANDRO ROCES (July 13, 1924 – May 23, 2011)
was a short story Filipino writer and essayist, and
considered as the country's best writer of comic short
stories. He is known for his widely anthologized "My
Brother's Peculiar Chicken." In his innumerable
newspaper columns, he has always focused on the
neglected aspects of the Filipino cultural heritage. Roces
brought to public attention the aesthetics of the country's
fiestas such as Moriones and Ati-atihan. He personally
led the campaign to change the country's Independence
Day from July 4 to June 12, and caused the change of
language from English to Filipino in the country's stamps,
currency and passports, and recovered Jose Rizal's
 manuscripts when they were stolen from the National
Archives.

Major Works
∙ We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers

∙ My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken

∙ Of Cocks and Kites (1959)

∙ Fiesta (1980, Collection of Essay about various fiestas in the Philippines) ∙

Something to Crow About (2005)

1. WE FILIPINOS ARE MILD DRINKERS

- This story is about an American soldier bragging about his ability to drink all
kinds of liquor to a Filipino farmer, but in the end got drunk because of the lambanog
that the farmer offered. Its setting is in the Philippines, during the Filipino-Japanese war
in 1945.

2. MY BROTHER'S PECULIAR CHICKEN

- "My Brother's Peculiar Chicken" is about two brothers who argue over a chicken
that they have found. They cannot determine whether it is a hen or a rooster and agree
to disagree. After trying to get their parents and their townspeople to determine if the
chicken is male or female, the brothers decide to enter the chicken into a fight. The
opponent doesn't fight but instead does some sort of love dance and the peculiar
chicken kills it. Thinking that they're finally convinced that the chicken is a rooster but
then it begins to quiver and act weird before laying an egg in the hand of one of the
brothers.
3. FIESTA

- Fiesta, is a book of essays, featuring folk festivals such as Ermita's Bota Flores,
Aklan's Ati-atihan, and Naga's Peñafrancia.

4. SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT

- The adventures and misadventures of brothers Kiko, a scalawag cocking

aficionado, and Andres, a well-read reluctant cocking aficionado. Something to Crow
About is an accurate caricature of the Filipino culture--all from the "exclusively Noypi"
traits to our dismaying vices.

This volume of short stories by Dr. Alejandro R. Roces represents a window to

our culture. It is extraordinary in the way that it captures the nuances and the spirit of
ordinary Filipino life. Dr. Roces has a gift for exploring the simple nature and
emblematic aspects of Philippine society. He provides, as few Filipino writers do,
evidence of our inherent wit and humor, perhaps the best defensive weapons of the
Filipino in times of stress and conflict

Honors and Awards

∙ Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award

∙ Diwa ng Lahi Award

∙ Tanging Parangal of the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining

∙ Rizal Pro Patria Award

∙ National Artist for Literature in 2003.

11. CARLOS P. ROMULO (January 14, 1898 –

December 15, 1985) was a Filipino diplomat, statesman,
educator, journalist, and soldier. Romulo’s multifaceted
career spanned 50 years of public service. 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. Essentially
though, Romulo 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.
Major Works

∙ I Walked with Heroes (1961, autobiography)

∙I Saw the Fall of the Philippines(1942)

∙ I Am A Filipino

∙ Mother America(1943)
 ∙ I See the Philippines Rise (1946, war-time memoirs)

∙ Forty Years: A Third World Soldier at the UN

∙ The Philippine Presidents

1. I WALKED WITH HEROES

- I Walked with Heroes is an autobiographical book written by Carlos P. Romulo.

In I Walked with Heroes, Romulo personally reviewed his boyhood, early life, school
days, and career in which he presented the facts and events with "frankness, intimacy,
sense of person-to-person communication". It included Romulo's memories of his
parents and the first time he met the Americans in the person of soldiers stationed in
Camiling, his native town in Tarlac. The time was during the Philippine War of
Independence. A part of the book mentioned how Romulo was praised by then
President of the Philippine Senate Manuel L. Quezon after writing a news item against
Quezon's political opponents.

2. I SAW THE FALL OF THE PHILIPPINES

- This is an eye-witness account of the Battle of the Philippines, down through the
author's thrilling escape on the last plane from Bataan and again on the last plane from
Mindanao. His book is of particular significance because of Col. Romulo's close
association with the men who were directing that campaign.

Honors and Awards

∙ National Artist for Literature (1982)

∙ Pulitzer Prize for Peace (1942)

∙ Pepublic Cultural Heritage Award (1965)

∙ Rizal Pro Patia Award (1971)

12. JOSE GARCIA VILLA (August 5, 1908 – February 7,
1997) was a Filipino poet, literary critic, short story witer,
and painter. He was considered as one of the finest
contemporary poets regardless of race or language.
Villa, who lived in Singalong, Manila, introduced the
 reversed consonance rime scheme, including the
comma poems that made full use of the punctuation
mark in an innovative, poetic way. The first of his poems
"Have Come, Am Here" received critical recognition
when it appeared in New York in 1942 that, soon
enough, honors and fellowships were heaped on him:
Guggenheim, Bollingen, the American Academy of Arts
and Letters Awards. He used Doveglion (Dove, Eagle,
Lion) as penname,the very characters he attributed to
himself.

Major Works

∙ Have Come, Am Here (poem, 1941)

∙ Footnote to Youth (1933)

∙ Many Voices (poem, 1939)

∙ Poems by Doveglion, Poems Do, Poems in Praise of Love: The Best Love Poems
of Jose Garcia Villa as Chosen By Himself

1. FOOTNOTE TO YOUTH

- This is a simple but poignant story that compels the reader to value love and desire.
Sometimes what we desire and love may not be the best thing to do.

In "Footnote to Youth" by José García Villa, Dudong asserts his supposed maturity
and marries Teang at the age of 17. He thinks they are old enough to take on this
responsibility, but after they have several children they both bemoan the dissolution of
their youth and the dreams that came along with it. Teang wonders how things could
have been if she'd married another of her suitors. At the end, Dudong's son Blas
approaches his father wanting to marry at about the same age, even though Dudong
doesn't want Blas to make the same mistake he did. However, history ends up
repeating itself.

Honors and Awards

∙ Guggenheim Fellowship

∙ Academy Award for Literature from The American Academy of Arts and Letter
(1943)
 ∙ First Prize in Poetry Category in UP Golden Jubilee Literary Contests (1958)

∙ Pro Patria Award in Literature and Heritage Award for Poetry and Short Stories
(1961)

∙ Honoraris Causa doctorate degree for Literature in FEU on 1959 and the
prestigious National Artist Award for Literature (1973).

13. ROLANDO S. TINIO (March 5, 1937 – July 7, 1997)

playwright, thespian, poet, teacher, critic and trans lator,
marked his career with prolific artistic productions.
Tinio's chief distinction is as a stage director whose
original insights into the scripts he handled brought forth
productions notable for their visual impact and
intellectual cogency. In Teatro Pilipino he left a
considerable amount of work reviving traditional Filipino
drama by re-staging old theater forms like the sarswela
and opening a treasure. It was the excellence and
beauty for the Ateneo Theater (its organizer and of his
practice that claimed for theater a place among the arts
in the Philippines in the 1960s

Major Works

∙ Sitsit sa Kuliglig

∙ Dunung Dunungan

∙ Kristal na Uniberso

∙ A Trick of Mirrors

∙ Film scripts for Now and Forever

∙ Gamitin Mo Ako
 ∙ Bayad Puri and Milagros; sarswelas Ang Mestisa

∙ Ako, Ang Kiri, Ana Maria

∙ The komedya Orosman at Zafira

∙ Larawan, The musical

Honors and Awards

∙ FAMAS Awards (2000, best story)

∙ Gawad Urian Award (1998)

∙ National Artist for Theater and Literature (1997)

14. FRANCISCO ARCELLANA (September 6, 1916 –

August 1, 2002) was an essayist, critic, journalist and
teacher, is one of the most important progenitors of the
modern Filipino short story in English. He pioneered the
development of the short story as a lyrical prose -poetic
form. For Arcellana, the pride of fiction writer, poet, is "that
it is able to render truth,that is able to present reality".
Arcellana kept alive the experimental tradition in fiction,
and had been most daring in exploring new literary forms to
express the sensibility of the Filipino people.

Major Works

∙ Selected Stories (19 2),

∙ Poetry and Politics: The State of Original Writing in English in the Philippines
Today (1977),

∙ The Francisco Arcellana Sampler (1990)

∙ Frankie
 ∙ The Man Who Would Be Poe

∙ Death in a Factory

∙ Lina, A Clown Remembers

∙ Divided by Two,

∙ The Mats

∙ The Other Woman

∙ This Being the Third Poem This Poem is for Mathilda

∙ To Touch You

∙I Touched Her, and among others

1. DIVIDE BY TWO

- Divide by Two is a short story by Francisco Arcellana. It is about a married couple

who live together but seem to inhabit different worlds apart from the home they share.
The story started while they are watching their neighbor, the husband is putting up a
fence between their cottages. With him are three boys. Meanwhile, the wife is playing
some classical music. Belle seems to dislike what they are doing, putting up a fence
without consulting them and playing some classical music. They had arguments about
their neighbor.

2. THE MATS

- Arcellano was accurate when he wrote about the mats with a two-prong points
conveyed: First, the Filipinos have strong family ties and second, the mats have bonded
that tie till death as in the case of the Arcellana family.

Mr. Angeles travelled to southern Philippines and bought mats for his wife and
children. Each mat has the corresponding name of all his living offspring, even those
who already died. When he arrived home from his trip, he presented the mats to his
family. As he unfolds one mat after another, he narrated the emotions, longings and
beautiful memories they have had as a family. The sorrow heightened when the last two
mats he opened are for his dead children which made his wife reacted with grief, and
told Mr.Angeles that there is no need for him to open those mats for the two were
already dead. At that point, Mr. Angeles cried with pain while telling his wife that his
children must always be in their memory no matter where they are now.

Honors and Awards

∙ Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Short Story

∙ Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award (1981)

∙ Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for English Fiction (1988) ∙
Fiipino National Artist for Literature (1990)
15. LEVI CELERIO (April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002)
was a prolific lyricist and composer for decades. He
effortlessly translated/wrote anew the lyrics to
traditional melodies: "o Maliwanag Na Buwan
(lloko),"Ako ay May Singsing (Pampango).
"Alibangbang" (Visoya) among others. He Born in
Tondo, Celerio received his scholarship at the
Academy of Music in Manila that made it possible for
him to join the Manila Symphony Orchestra, becoming
its youngest member. He made it to the Guinness
Book of World Records as the only person able to
make music using just a leaf. He has enriched the
Philippine music for no less than two generations with
a treasury of more than 4,000 songs in an idiom that
has proven to appeal to all social classes

Major Works

∙ Sa Ugoy ng Duyan

∙ Ako ay May Singsing

∙ Ang Pitpit

∙ Dungawin Mo Hirang

∙ Itik-Itik

∙ Pitong Gatang
∙ Waray-Waray
Honors and Awards

∙ The Guinness Book of Record Leaf Player Award

∙ FAMAS Lifetime Achievement Award (1985)

∙ Gawad Urian Award

∙ National Artist for Literature and Music

16. CARLOS QUIRINO (January 14, 1910 – May 20,
1999) was a biographer, has the distinction of having
written one of the earliest biographies of Jose Rizal
titled The Great Malayan Quirino's books and articles
span the whole gamut of Philippine history and culture
from Bonifacio's trial to Aguinaldo's biography from
Philippine cartography to culinary arts, from cash crops
tycoons and presidents lives, among so many subjects.

Major Works

∙ The Great Malayan

∙ Maps and Views of Old Manila

∙ Quezon

∙ Man of Destiny

∙ Magsaysay of the Philippines

∙ Lives of the Philippine Presidents

∙ Philippine Cartogrophy

∙ The History of Philippine Sugar Industry, Filipino Heritage: The Making of a

Nation, Filipinos at War: The Fight for Freedom from Mactan to EDSA.

1. MAGSAYSAY OF THE PHILIPPINE

 - It is a biography of the late President Ramón Magsaysay. Carlos Quirino was
one of those who, in the midst of the national outpouring of grief that followed the death
of President Magsaysay, quietly and deliberately went to work gathering the essential
facts of his life, arranging them in proper sequence, and presenting them with that
objective sense which is the mark of the careful scholar…”

2. PHILIPPINE CARTOGRAPHY

- is a book written by National Artist for Historical Literature Carlos Quirino. It is

considered the most comprehensive historical survey of Philippine maps. In
Cartography, Quirino details how the Philippines became known in the late 16th century
as an obscure cluster of islands in the Pacific Ocean and evolved for over four centuries
into its current iconography.
Honors and Awards

∙ National Artist of the Philippines for Historical Literature ( (1997)