• Jose is of Ilocano descent but

was born and raised in

Rosales, Pangasinan after his
forefathers moved there from
Ilocos to escape poverty.
• He spent most of his childhood
in Barrio Cabugawan, where he
started to write, and it became
the setting of many of his
stories.
• After World War II, Jose studied at
the University of Santo Tomas, but
eventually dropped out.

• He then went on to edit several literary

and journalistic publications, and
founded a publishing house and his
iconic Solidaridad Bookshop on Padre
Faura Street in Ermita, Manila.
• Jose also established the Philippine arm of
PEN (Poets, Essayists, and Novelists), an
international organization for writers.
 Notable works and recognition
• During the span of his decades-long
career, Jose has written countless
novels, novellas, short stories, a
children's book, book of verses, and
essays. Some of which have been
translated into 28 languages including
Czech, Dutch, Indonesian, Korean,
Latvian, Russian, and Ukrainian.
• The acclaimed Filipino author has also amassed
numerous awards and recognition during his
lifetime, including five Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards for Literature, 1979 City of Manila Award
for Literature (his first award), the Ramon
Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and
Creative Communication Arts (1980), Outstanding
Fulbrighters Award for Literature (1988), the
Cultural Center of the Philippines Award (Gawad
para sa Sining) for Literature (1989), and the
Cultural Center of the Philippines Centennial
Award in 1999.
• Jose continued to receive local and
international recognition by the turn of the
century, such as the prestigious Chevalier
dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 2000,
the Order of Sacred Treasure (Kun Santo
Zuiho Sho) in 2001, National Artist for
Literature in 2001, and the Pablo Neruda
Centennial Award in Chile in 2004.
• One of Jose's greatest literary influences is
our National Hero, Jose Rizal. Similar
themes from Rizal's Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, like
colonialism and class struggles, are
echoed in most of Jose's written works.
• Furthermore, Jose's passion for
championing social justice seems to spring
from his family's experience of being
robbed of their own land by rich landlords.
 • His five-novel masterpiece, The
Rosales Saga, depicts the lives of the
Samsons whose personal stories
intertwine with the social struggles of
the country.
• The titles in the Rosales Saga novels
are Po-on (1984), The
Pretenders (1962), My Brother, My
Executioner (1973), Mass (1974),
and Tree (1978).
• As for Jose's short stories, three
of them won the prestigious
Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards
for Literature, namely The God
Stealer (1959), Waywaya (1979),
and Arbol de Fuego (Firetree) in
1980.
• Other literary works of Jose that
bagged the Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards are his novel Mass in 1981,
and his essay A Scenario for
Philippine Resistance in 1979.
• His other published masterpieces include
novels such as Ermita (1988), Gagamba
 (1991), Viajero (1993), Sin (1994), Ben
Singkol (2001), Vibora! (2007), Sherds (2
008), Muse and Balikbayan: Two
Plays (2008), Short Stories (with
Introduction and Teaching Guide by
Thelma B. Kintanar) (2008), and The Feet
of Juan Bacnang (2011).
• F. Sionil Jose also authored novellas
such as Two Filipino Women (1981)
and Three Filipino Women (1992), as
well as a children's book titled The
Molave and The Orchid (2004) and a
book of verses titled Questions (1988).