F.

SIONIL JOSE
National Artist for Literature Painting, 2001
Rosales, Pangasinan, Region 1 Ilocos Region

Francisco Sionil (1924) is a writer from Rosales, Pangasinan. He 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 and colonialism in Filipino society.
Joses works-written in English-have been translated into 22 languages, including
Korean, Indonesian, Czech, Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian and Dutch. Jose Rizals life and
writings profoundly influenced Joses work. Throughout his career, Joses writings
espouse social justice and change to better lives of average Filipino families. He is one
of the most critically acclaimed Filipino authors internationally, although much
underrated in his own country, because of his authentic Filipino English and his anti-
elite views.