EDITH TIEMPO

Edith L. Tiempo, poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic 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. Born on April 22, 1919 in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, her poems
are intricate verbal transfigurations of significant experiences as revealed, in two of her much
anthologized pieces, “The Little Marmoset” and “Bonsai”. As fictionist, Tiempo is as morally
profound. Her language has been marked as “descriptive but unburdened by scrupulous
detailing.” 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 Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the country’s best writers.

Novel
 A Blade of Fern (1978)
 His Native Coast (1979)
 The Alien Corn (1992)
 One, Tilting Leaves (1995)
 The Builder (2004)
 The Jumong (2006)
Short story collections
 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 Extensions (2010)

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)