Post-War Philippine Literature

After roughly three years, American forces triumphantly returned to the Philippines and
subsequently embarked on a campaign to liberate the islands from the baleful shadow of
Japanese dominion. Following the unconditional surrender of Japan to the might of the Allied
powers, the long-sought dream of absolute sovereignty at long last manifested into a palpable
reality. Endowed with the right of self-governance and the prerogative of self-determination, the
Filipino people endeavored to restart, restore and renew a culture that was drastically altered by
the pernicious storm of the World War.

The period of Japanese occupation saw the paralysis of what was a flourishing progress in the
field of Philippine Literature rendered in the English tongue. Under the stern curriculum imposed
by the occupiers, academic institutions were discouraged-some even downright prohibited-from
educating the student population in and about English. With the practice of English consigned to
an indefinite limbo, Filipino writers who achieved an acceptable proficiency found their skill in
the language in a steady state of erosion and by war’s end, these very same writers encountered
moderate difficulty in recovering their bearings. Barred from exercising knowledge of the
English vocabulary, the Filipinos saw it fitting to reacquaint themselves with their native
vernacular. Virtuosos and aspirants alike in the realm of artistic publication drifted away from
foreign influence and pivoted toward crafting their literary pieces with the native design. As an
incidental consequence, Filipino literature expressed in a more indigenous style and sound was
exhaled upon the breath of a relative Renaissance.

Five years removed from the strident racket of conflict; literary productions echoed still the
dreary sentiments of anguish, fear and misgiving prevalent in the public milieu of the 1940s.
Since the Philippines was essentially left in ruins, and instability in the realm of politics and
economy clearly apparent, imaginative minds of literary art wove these factors into their work.
Themes such as poverty and social perturbations were also the norm in short stories and full-
length novels. Concurrent with these desolate imageries rose the attitude of ardent hope,
recovery and optimism. Writers of the post-war era exhibited keen enthusiasm in portraying the
Filipinos and their inherent resiliency to inspire the masses to collect themselves from the
afflicting aftermath. In view of recent independence which marked the end of centuries of
colonial authority, works that featured recollection of experiences during the Japanese, American
and even far into the bygone Spanish Era were commonplace.

Bitterness and resentment emerged as the vivid, reverberant tone. Whether the former or the
latter, an accurate picture of a post-war Philippines was depicted.

Esteemed among Filipino authors of this after-conflict era was Virginia R. Moreno who was
born on 1925 in Tondo and as of this writing, is still alive and well. She received her education at
the University of the Philippines and a thing to note was that uring her stay in the institution, she
had the privilege of being the editor of the campus news bulletin, Philippine Collegian, formerly
known as the College Foilio and later on as the Varsity News. It is referred to as Kule within the
pupil population. Regarded as a priestess-figure in the pantheon of literature, the dubbing her
contemporaries imposed upon here was justified by the slew of pieces she published in her
illustrious career. One such opus is the venerated “Straw Patriot” which was subjected to
translation into the native language by Wilfredo Pascua Sanchez in 1967 and was henceforth
known as “Bayaning Huwad”. Another notable work was “The Onyx Wolf” or “Itim na Asu”
which was recently brought back into the spotlight after its re-adaptation into a ballet. And lastly,
a collection of poems that earned her rampant renown, “Batik Maker” which garnered the
accolade of Palanca Award Memorial Award for Literature.

Another name highly respected lady author in the scene was Estrella Alfon. She was born on
July 16, 1917 in Cebu City and passed away at the age of 66 on December 28, 1983. Despite
exhibiting fluency in the Cebuano language, she had a penchant for crafting her works in English
which attracted acclaim across her group of contemporaries. During the 1930s, she attained
membership in the avant-garde collective of writers dubbed as “The Veronicans” supervised by
led Francisco Arcellana and H.R. Ocampo and was considered as the muse of the coterie. In spite
of having only a basic Associate Degree (due to her ailing health), she was eventually appointed
as a professor of Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines, Manila. Chief among her
scores of publication were Forever Witches, With Patches of Many Hues, Tubig , The Knitting
Straw, The White Dress. Fairy Tale for the City, one of her controversial pieces, was heavily
censured and condemned by the Catholic League of the Philippines as being "obscene". She was
even brought to court on these charges. While many of her fellow writers did stand by her, some
did not. These events hurt her deeply and even tainted her portfolio with ill-repute.

Next, another popular virtuoso in the field was Macario Pineda who was born on April 10, 1912
in Malolos and met his demise on August 2, 1950. He first gained popularity through his short
stories published in the magazine dubbed “Graphic”, with the tale known as “Five Minutes”
being the first amongst these. In 1937, his work titled “Walang Maliw ang mga Bituin” attained
the celebrated distinction of being amongst the Top Ten Literary pieces of that year. During the
early years of his artistic writing endeavor, Macario crafted his narratives utilizing the English
language. However, as the years went by, he transitioned into Filipino and from then on was his
preferred medium. Pineda enjoyed commendation and plaudits for his intricate, meticulous
fashion of characterization and flow of sketching portrayal. Furthermore, he also enticed fame
through his signature colorful depiction of native lifestyle, proficiency in idioms and masterful
command in evoking a gorgeous literary picture of overall Filipino traditions. Macario Pineda
boasts the distinction as being the first Filipino writer to publish a work of considerable stature
after the war with “Ginto sa Makiling”. “Ginto sa Makiling” is arguably Pineda’s most
illustrious magnum opus. Plot- wise, the tale reflects the mood of romantic comedy the likes of
the awits, koridos and komedyas typical in the Balagtas convention. But behind the vibrant
curtain is an underlying motif of social, moral and political essence. Comprehending this, one
can surmise that he as well channels Rizal in a manner that is not restricted by the monotonous
reality but rather touched by Balagtas’ vivid ink of fantasy.

Nick Joaquin, born on May 4, 1917 in Paco, Manila and passed away on April 29, 2004 at the
age of 86. was a prolific authority in penning short stories and novels in English. Famous for
writing under the pen name of “Quijano de Manila”, he was revered as one of the most
significant Filipino writers along with phenomenal names such as Jose Rizal and Claro M. Recto
to name a few. As opposed to the two, however, Nick Joaquin was inclined towards delivering
his work in the English vernacular despite the fact that he possessed linguistic proficiency in the
Spanish tongue. His literary operas were merited with legendary status and praise that he was
conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature. “May Day Eve”
which was completed after the Second World War, is a short story that went on to be recognized
as Joaquin’s signature creation, a classic in the pantheon of Filipino literature. What set “May
Day Eve” from the usual stock of prose that defined the era was its conspicuous theme of the so-
called “magical realism”. A style avant-garde during those days but now considered as a
common genre in media. Published in 1947, it originally catered to a mature, adult audience but
later on became a salient and, at times, mandatory reading for Filipino students.

Other notable names in the scene of Filipino Literature and their works are as follows:

 F. Sionil Jose, one of the most widely read Filipino writers in English, wrote the short
story "Waywaya," which is about pre-Hispanic society and the people’s struggle for
moral order.
 Alejandro Roces, a Filipino author, essayist, and dramatist, authored the short story "We
Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers." This story focuses on the drinking habits and culture of
Filipinos and Americans.
 Edith L. Tiempo's poem "The Return" is a sentimental piece that talks about life in old
age.
 Horacio de la Costa penned the essay "History and Philippine Culture," which
emphasizes the importance of understanding and presenting a nation’s culture.
 Stevan Javellana wrote the first post war Filipino novel in English, Without Seeing the
Dawn. This novel narrates what people experienced during World War II under the
Japanese rule in the Philippines.

As a concluding statement, Filipino had by this time, learned to express themselves more
confidently but post-war problems beyond language and print like economic stability, the threat
of new ideas and morality had to be grappled with.

Going forward into the future, new writers influenced by new literary theories, by a new of
symbolism, by existentialism by the post-war European, new communication modes, by ideology
and practice of communism rose amongst the ranks and slowly began to supplant the old artistic
ideologues.