BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR

FRANCISCO SIONIL JOSE

Francisco Sionil Jose was born on December 3, 1924 is one of the most widely-read
Filipino writers in the English language. His novels and short stories depict the social
foundations of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society. Jos's works - written in

English - have been translated into 22 languages, including Korean, Indonesian, Russian,
Latvaian, Ukrainian, and Dutch. He was born in Rosales, Pangasinan, which had been the setting
of many of his stories. He spent his childhood in Barrio Cabugawan, Rosales, where he first
began to write. Jose was of Ilocano descent whose family had migrated to Pangasinan before his
birth. In order to run away from poverty, his forefathers traveled from Ilocos towards Cagayan
Valley through the Santa Fe Trail. One of the greatest influences to Jose was his industrious
mother who went out of her way to get him the books he loved to read, while making sure her
family did not go hungry despite of poverty and landlessness. Jose started writing in grade
school, at the time he started reading. In the fifth grade, one of Joses teachers opened the
school
library to her students, which is how Jose managed to read the novels of Dr. Jose Rizal, Willa
Cathers My Antonia, Faulkner and Steinbeck. Reading about Basilio and Crispin in Rizals Noli
Me Tangere made the young Jose cry, because injustice was not an unfamiliar thing to him.
When Jose was five years old, his grandfather who was a soldier during the
Philippine
revolution, had once tearfully showed him the land their family had once tilled but was taken
away by rich mestizo landlords who knew how to work the system against illiterates like his
grandfather. Jose attended the University of Santo Tomas after World War II, but dropped out
and became involved into writing and journalism in Manila. In later years, he edited various
literary and journalistic publications, started a publishing house, and founded the Philippine
branch of PEN, an international organization for writers. Jose received numerous awards for his
work. The Pretenders is his most popular novel, which is the story of one man's alienation
from his poor background and the corruption of his wife's wealthy family. Throughout his career,
Jose's writings support social justice and change to better the lives of average Filipino families.
He is one of the most critically acclaimed Filipino authors internationally, although much
underestimated in his own country because of his authentic Filipino English and his anti-elite
views. Jose also owns Solidaridad Bookshop, which is on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila.
The bookshop offers mostly hard-to-find books and Filipiniana reading materials. It is said to be
one of the favorite haunts of many local writers. It was in 1962 when his first novel, The
Pretenders which is the first leg of his five-novel masterpiece was published. The Rosales saga,
as the 5 novels were called, consisted of Tree, My Brother, My Executioner, Mass, and Po-on

it. In a very unfriendly voice, the colonel told Luis that there are still many things to be discussed
about the facts that were not included and the mistakes. Dantes almost interrupting told them to

deal with the issue calmly. Luis tried to defend himself saying that he had seen the grave where
the victims were buried without even a descent burial, he had talked with some of the villagers
who escaped, and that he needed no additional proof. The colonel was unconvinced so he lighted
a cigarette and told to Luis that since he is so sure, he should hear the side of the officers and
their side. According to them, the things Luis didnt mention are the following: the villagers
were active Huk supporters, that there is a leader of the Huk in Central Luzon from their village.
The office continued to speak when Luis interrupted him to justify that twenty villagers were
killed and not one guards or troops. The Major stated that they werent killed because they were
trained well then he handed Luis some papers he got from his portfolio. These papers were from
his father, Don Vicente. Dantes read the paper and told Luis that his father thinks that he was
prejudiced when he wrote the article, there was no massacre but an encounter instead and that
the
two officers knew why Luis was prejudiced. Dantes asked Luis about his opinion and about the
fact that his own father proves that something is in error. Furthermore the officers added that
they had the whole village examined and there was no grave found. The village was burned due
to the rooftops of the houses which were made of plant material. Two villagers were killed in
that event and the officers pointed out that Luis knew who they are. The bodies were taken away
by the villagers themselves and buried it decently. Then the officer challenged Luis to have
someone go there and dig the land to find the mass grave. According to Luis they would never
know if somebody had dug up the bodies and reburied it in another location and that the
refugees
were scattered which he could no longer collect testimony from people who are afraid. The
officers stood up shook hands with Dantes and left the place. According to Dantes, what the
officers wanted was for Luis to withdraw and declare that there was no massacre but Luis
refused to do so since it wasnt an issue of his father and him in Dantes publication but an issue
between his father and him that needed to be resolved by themselves. When Luis was about to
leave the place he told Dantes that he could print his withdraw and that if Dantes would keep the
magazine, he suggested keeping Eddie. Arriving at his office, Luis began explaining to Eddie
that he knew the village and its people so well and that he was shaken of the incident because
his
Grandfather and Mother were among the victims. Eddie then embraced him but Luis pushed him
away since to him, he needed no sympathy because no one could comfort him except the truth.
ANALYSIS
Dantes the publisher thought too much about winning every conversation. He was greatly
overwhelmed by his power because of his wealth. I think it wouldnt hurt to be humble. He was
also too one sided and only thinks that what he says are the only right things. He is a man who

likes to be appreciated and is flattered very much. Luis the editor did not care much about losing
his job since he had his own principle that he would tell the truth. Morals of this story includes
that we should learn to be humble and to hear all sides of the story and not only be one sided.
We
should learn to accept ideas from other people and not only stick to our own ideas. Most
important of all, we should tell the truth because the truth will set us free.

Many writers have aempted to present the prevailing socialissues starting from the Spanish period until the
Marcos regime. ThePhilippine national hero Jose Rizal succeeded in trying to unveil theinjustice during his
time through literature. During the Marcos regime,poets, writers, playwrights, and journalists, even though they
werebanned continued to voice out the struggles of the Filipino people.They become the instruments why
the Filipinos revolted against thedictator. In the modern times, F. Sionil Jose, a wide read Filipino writeralso
aempted to unveil the current social issues in the society throughhis works.Francisco Sionil Jose (born
December 3, 1924) is one of the mostwidely read Filipino writers in English language. His novels andshort
stories depict the social underpinnings of class struggle andcolonialism in Filipino society. Jose was born in
Rosales, Pangasinan,and the seings of many of his stories. Jose was of Ilocano descentwhose family had
migrated to Pangasinan before his birth. Fleetingpoverty, his forefathers traveled from Ilocos toward
Cagayan Valleythrough Santa Fe Trail. Like many migrant families, they brought theirlifetime possessions with
them, including uprooted molave posts oftheir old houses and their alsong, a stone mortar for pounding rice.F.
Sionil Jose ourished as a writer aer around three (3) years aerWorld War II. Since then, consequent years
of success lled his life.His stories and pieces also mirrored his life during his childhood. Likethe novel. Sionils
short stories and literary pieces reected the presentcondition of the society. As he said:Authors like myself
choose the city as a seing for their ction becausethe city itself illustrates the progress or the sophistication
that a particularcountry has achieved. Or, on the other hand, it might also reect the kind ofdecay, both social
and perhaps moral, that has come upon a particular people(Sionil, 2003).One of the greatest inuences of
Jose was his industrious mother,who went out her way to get him the books he loved to read, while

123
making sure her family did not go hungry despite of poverty andlandlines. Jose started writing in grade school,
at the time he startedreading. In the h grade, one of his teachers opened the school libraryto her student,
which is how Jose managed to read the novels of JoseRizal, Willa Carthers My Antonia, Faulkner and
Steinbeck. Readingabout Basilio and Crispin in Rizals Noli Me Tangere made the youngJose cry, because
injustice was not alien to him. When Jose was veyears old, his grandfather who was a soldier during the
Philippinerevolution, had once tearfully showed him the land their families hadonce tilled but was taken away
by rich mestizo landlords who knewhow to work the system against illiterates like his grandfather.F. Sionil Jose
is considered as the countrys greatest living writer, notonly because he is a best known Filipino writer outside
the country (ifone has to go by the sheer number of copies of books he has sold, mostof them in translation,
and lately in the original English as brought outby publishing giant Random House in New York), but also
because ofthe amount of critical aention he has received. Quantity, of course, isno measure of a writers
worth, but even if one examines the quality ofenormous output and in the maer of taste, as conventional
wisdomhas it, there are no indisputable objective standard there are majorinternational writers including

novel prize winners, who consider himone of their own to make even the most skeptical homegrown readersat
least briey consider that perhaps, the country now has a worthysuccessor to Jose Rizal, the countrys
greatest writer, incidentally Josesliterary father.The researchers chose to conduct this study using the sociohistoricalapproach to examine how F. Sionil Jose portrayed the struggles andthe social issues confronting the
characters in the selected short storiesas reective of the time when he wrote these stories.