Module 6:The National Artists of the Philippines for

Literature

Philippine literature is a rich group of literary works that has developed along with the country’s
history. Long before the arrival of Western influences, early Filipinos already have stories to tell
to younger generations.
The Philippines has a rich collection of fables, legends, and myths from different regions. The
babaylan, the early healers, used chants to please the supernatural beings or spirits to Bestow
good health and fortune in the home and the fields. When the Spaniards came in the 16 th
century, they introduced Christianity to the islands and used literature to colonize the Country.
During the time of the Americans, English was introduced and Filipinos have grown Adept in the
usage of the language. Today, contemporary writers are expanding the horizon of Reality and
imagination in their works to reflect the Filipino spirit.
Philippine literature is diverse, although BIG IDEA:
some of the most famous literary works
Philippine literature is composed
focus on the country’s postcolonial
not only of works written in English
heritage, politics. and modern traditions.
and Filipino but also of works in
Filipinos must recognize and give
different regional language.
importance to the people behind the
development of Philippine literature.
Let’s take a look at the country’s most talented and most influential writers who have received
the greatest honor for their significant contributions to Philippine literature.

National Artists for Literature

Francisco Arcellana
1916-2002

Year of Conferment: 1990

Fig. 6.1. Francisco Arcellana
Source: http://1.bp.alogspot.com/AAAAAAAAZjY/EYk10ezgoeg/s1600/arcellana1.jpg.

One of the greatest Filipino poets of his generation is Francisco Arcellana. He studied in Tondo
Intermediate School. However, it was it the Manila West High School (which) was later named
the Florentino Torres High School) that he took up his writing seriously and became a staff
member of The Torres Torch, the school organ. While still a student at Morentino Torres High
School, he wrote his first story, “The Man Who Would Be Pon.” Arcellana is considered as one
of the pioneers of modern Filipino short story in English, His short stories are written in lyrical
prose-poetic form, Arcellana’s Exceptional works in fiction include “Death in a Factory,” “A
Clown Remembers," and "Divided by Two. “Some of his poems Include “The Other Woman,”
“To Touch You,” and “I Touched Her* Which are among others are now part of the secondary
and tertiary level syllabi in the country.

N. V. M. Gonzalez
1915-1999
Year of Conferment: 1997

Figure 6.2. N. V. M. Gonzales

Source: http://www.palhbooks.com/nwm.jpg.
Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez was born on 8 September 1915 in the beautiful province of
Romblon. In 1948, N. V. M. Gonzalez received a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship, which
allowed him to study in Stanford University and Columbia University. He is a famed poet, short
story writer, essayist, professor, and recipient of numerous recognitions. Two years before his
death, he was proclaimed as a National Artist for t Literature. Some of his famous works are the
following: The Winds of April (1941), A Season of Grace (1956), and The Bamboo Dancers
(1988). His exemplary works have been published in several languages including Filipino,
English, Chinese, German, Russian, and Indonesian.
Nick Joaquin
191-2004

Year of Conferment: 1976

Figure 6.3. Nick Joaquin
Source:
https://static1.square.com/static/608da03be4b0d28844ddf21c/508ed75fe4b044cf46/535edb9
be4b09e1f27e7adf98787358190/Nick-PhilippineGraphica.jpgformat=1000w
Nick Joaquin’s literary works are prolific and unparalleled. He is considered by many as the
people’s writer because his passion for writing embraced the manifold being of Filipinos. Nick
Joaquin’s first short story dealt with the vaudeville of Manila. “The Sorrows of Vaudeville,”
published in 1937 by the Sunday Tribune Magazine. He worked as a journalist for most of his
life, pioneering literary journalism. Literary journalism is the reportage of actual events that
employs literary techniques. He became national artist in 1976. Some of his renowned works
are The Woman Who Had To Navels, A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino: An Elegy in Three
Scenes, Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young, The Ballad of the Five Battles, Rizal in Soga:
A Life for the Student Fans, Almanac for Manileños, and Case and
Shadows. BIG IDEA:
Nick Joaquin used the pen name Quijano de Manila for some of In our country, many writer
his works. juggle full-time jobs such as
being a journalist, a
F. Sionil José
professor call center agent,
1924 an accountant and doctor, to
name a few.
Year of Conferment: 2001
Fig. 6.4 F. Sionil José

Source: http://media.tumbir. com/tumblr_lygoczuiHz1r230pw.jpg.

Francisco Sionil José is a prolific Filipino writer who’s works have been translated in more than
20 languages. Hi literary works represent the social underpinnings of class struggles and
colonialism in the society. One of his popular novels, The Pretenders, is the story of one man’s
separation from his poor background and the dissipation of his wife’s prosperous family.
Perhaps his most famous work is the Rosales Saga that includes The Pretenders, Tree, My
Brother, My Executioner, Mass, and Po-on. The Rosales Saga “captures the sweep of Philippine
history while simultaneously narrating the lives of generations of the Samsons whose personal
lives intertwine with the social struggles of the nation.” José was the founder of the Philippine
chapter of the international organization PEN. In 1999, he was awarded the CCP Centennial
Honors for the Arts.

José García Villa

1908-1997

Year of Conferment: 1973

Fig. 6.5. José Garcia Villa
Source: http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqzg4zOqi81qeu6ilo1_500.jpg
In the 20th century, José García Villa is considered as a powerful literary influence in the country.
Many people think that his personality and writing style are eccentric. If you will study Villa’s
work, you will notice his use of comma in every word. Villa described this style as similar to
Seurat’s architectonic and measured pointillism. Pointillism is a painting technique in which the
artist uses small, distinct dots of pure color to create an image. Villa’s first collection of short
stories was published under the title Footnote to Youth: Tales of the Philippines and Others in
1933. His poetry collections include Doveglion: Collected Poems, Poems 55, and Poems in
Praise of Love: The Best Love Poems of Jose Garcia Villa. Doveglion is José Garcia Villa’s
pseudonym.

Edith L. Tiempo
1919-2011
Year of Conferment: 1999

Fig. 6.6. Edith L Tiempo

Source: http://fi.wikipilipines.Org/images/thumb/9/9d/Edithtiempo.jpg/200px
Edith L. Tiempo’s literary works are often described as a remarkable fusion of style and
substance. This brilliant writer received several awards during her lifetime. She received the
greatest honor as a National Artist for Literature in 1999 and a recipient of the Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature for the short story “The Black Monkey” in 1951 Her works
include the following novels: A Blade of Fern (1978), The Native Coast (1979), and The Alien
Corn (1992). Her poetry collections include The Tracks of Babylon and Other Poems (1966) and
The Charmer’s Box and Other Poems (1993).Together with her husband, fictionist and novelist
Edilberto K. Tiempo, she founded the Silliman University National Writers Workshop which was
modeled after the Iowa Writers Workshop in the University of Iowa. The Silliman University
National Writers Workshop is Asia’s longest running writer’s workshop held in the city of
Dumaguete. A writers workshop is devoted to helping emerging writers cultivate their craft.

Virgilio S. Almario
1944
Year of Conferment: 2003
Fig. 6.7. Virgilio S. Almario
Source:http://www.anvilpublishing.com/anvil2012/wp-content/ uploads/2013/08/ALMARIO-
bw full-scale-257x300.jpg

Also known as Rio Alma, Virgilio S. Almario is a Filipino poet and historian. He was born on 9
March 1944 in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan. He has translated for theater production some
of the famous plays of Nick Joaquin and international literary artists such as Bertolt Brecht and
Maxim Gorki. His translations of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo were
considered by the Manila Critics Circle as the best version. His works in poetry include
Makinasyon, Peregrinasyon, the trilogy Doktrinang Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo, and
Muli, sa Kandungan ng Lupa.

Amado V. Hernández
1903-1970
Year of Conferment: 1973
Fig.6.8. Amado V. Hernández
Source: https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1267094874p5/796596.jpg
This courageous Filipino writer was well-known for his disapproval of social injustices in the
country. He was later imprisoned for his participation in the communist movement. He firmly
believed that writers play an important role in society, acting “as the conscience of society and
to affirm the greatness of the human spirit in the face of inequity and oppression.” He wrote his
novel Mga Ibong Mandaragit while in prison. Other notable works by Amado V. Hernández
include the following: Bayang Malaya, Isang Dipang Langit, Luha ng Buwaya, Tudla at Tudling:
Katipunan ng mga Nalathalang Tula 1921-1970, Langaw sa Isang Basong Gatas at Iba Pang
Kuwento, and Magkabilang Mukha ng Isang Bagol at Iba Pang Akda. He was married to another
national artist, Filipino actress Atang de la Rama.

BIG IDEA:

If you love writing, one of the things

that you can is to write with a deep
love for our nation.

Carlos P. Rómulo
1898-1985
Year of Conferment: 1982
Fig. 6.9. Carlos P. Rómulo
Source: https://outofpurgatory.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/rom.jpg
Carlos P. Rómulo was an envoy, statesman, soldier, correspondent, writer, and founder of the
Boy Scouts of the Philippines. He was already a reporter by the young age of 16, and became a
publisher at 32. He was the only Asian to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for a series
of articles forecasting the outbreak of World War II. His body of work includes the following:
The United (a novel), I Walked with Heroes (an autobiography). I Saw the Fall of the Philippines,
Mother America, and I See the Philippines Rise (war-time memoirs). With countless years of
service in the United Nations (UN) and the Philippine government, he was able to write Forty
Years: A Third World Soldier at the UN and The Philippine Presidents, his record of his
encounters with the country’s leaders

Carlos L. Quirino
1910-1999
Year of Conferment: 1997
Fig. 6.10, Carlos Lozada Quirino
Source: http://photos.geni.Com/p13/70/81/43/5c/53444834509f4b04/plxquiringcllarge.jpg
Carlos L. Quirino is one of the most talented biographers of his time. He was the first Filipino to
be recognized as the National Artist in Historical Literature in 1997. Quirino obtained his
journalism degree from the University of Wisconsinat Madisonin 1931. Hewrote Man of Destiny
(1935), a biography about the second president of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon. This book
is a valuable addition to Philippine literature, as its subject was undoubtedly one of the most
brilliant leaders of the country. Quirino then spent some of his years working as an assistant to
President Elpidio Quirino, who helped him study law until he passed the bar in 1940. Most of
Quirino’s topics covered war, politics, art, business, and agriculture.

Alexander R. Roces
1924-2011
Year of Conferment: 2003

Fig. 6.11. Alexander R. Roces

Source:https://i1.wp.com/13.yimg.com/pt/Ap/res/2/1R4uFd3v5a3n4n6fa8GeWw-/
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Zenfs.com/en-PH/News/loQal/loQal may29-photot-roces.jpg
Alejandro R. Roces was an exceptional writer of comic short stories. One of his finest literary
works is “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken.” It is a short story that reveals how much people
perceive things around them. This particular story won an award in the University of Arizona
and was listed in Martha Foley’s Best American Short Stories. Roces also wrote several
newspaper columns. He has always focused on the derelict aspects of the country’s cultural
heritage. His works have been published in a variety of international publications. Roces is also
a multi-awarded writer, receiving honors and recognitions including the Rizal Pro Patria Award
and the Gawad CCP para sa Sining.

Lázaro Francisco
1898-1980
Year of Conferment: 2009
Fig. 6.12. Lázaro Francisco
Source: http://www.lazarofranciscoCom/gallery/j.jpg
Lázaro Francisco is considered to be an icon in Tagalog writing through his nationalist and social
criticisms. In 1958, he founded the Kapatiran ng mga Alagad ng Wikang Pilipino (KAWIKA). His
works include the novels Binhi at Bunga, Cesar, Ama, Bayang Nagpatiwakal, Sa Paanan ng Krus,
Ang Pamana ng Pulubi, and Bago Lumubog ang Araw. He also wrote short stories including
“Deo,” “Ang Beterano,” “Ang Idolo,” and “Kapulungan ng mga Pinagpala. In 1979, the Ateneo
de Manila University awarded Francisco the Tanglaw ng Lahi Award for his works.
Bienvenido Lumbera
1932

Year of Conferment: 2006

Fig. 6.13.Bienvenido Lumbera
Source: http://hawali.edu/filipinointiconf2008/images/lumbera rs2d.jpg
Bienvenido Lumbera is an award-winning poet, librettist, and scholar. He has published
numerous literary and creative works including Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa (1993); Balaybay:
Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang (2002); Sa Sariling Bayan: Apat na Dulang May Musika (2004);
and “Agunyas sa Hacienda Luisita,” Pakikiramay (2004). His scholarly work in the field of literary
history and criticism are foundational texts in Philippine colleges and universities: Tagalog
Poetry, 1570-1898: Tradition and Influences in its Development; Philippine Literature: A History
and Anthology; Revaluation: Essays on Philippine Literature; and Writing the Nation/Pag-akda
ng Bansa.
Cirilo F. Bautista

1941-2018
Year of Conferment: 2014
Fig.6.14. Cirilo F.
Source:http://3.bp.blogspot.comDsw8szNz1wU/UUIHTSSGOAAAAAAAAACM/DEM71C$1600/
cirilo[1]-200x2.jpg.
Cirilo Bautista was a highly praised poet, fictionist, and essayist. He was also a Palanca Hall of
Famer, winning countless awards and honors, including the National Book Awards, Gawad Jose
Corazon de Jesus, and Gawad CCP para sa Sining. In 1998, Bautista was named winner of the
Philippine Centennial Prize for Epic Poetry. His works include The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus
(2001); Believe and Betray: New and Collected Poems (2006); Galaw ng Asoge (2004): The
House of True Desire: Essays about Life and Literature, (2011); and Things Happen: Poems 2012
(2014). Bautista is also an academician and a scholar, and has taught for more than 30 years.

ESSENCIAL LEARNING
Philippine literature is a rich storehouse of narratives and texts that date back from the precolonial
times to the contemporary. It will continue to evolve as writers continue to write about the realities and
conditions of the country. Exceptional literary artists such as Amado V. Hernández, José García Villa,
Nick Joaquin, Carlos P. Rómulo, Francisco Arcellana, Edith Tiempo, F. Sionil José, Virgilio Almario,
Alejandro Roces, Bienvenido Lumbera, Lázaro Francisco, and Cirilo Bautista have all immensely enriched
Philippine literature through their timeless narratives of the Filipino spirit.