GENESIS CHILDREN’S GROWTH ACADEMY, Corp

San Francisco, Ocampo, Camarines Sur

21ST CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD

OBJECTIVES:
1. Define canonical authors,
2. Cite the different canonical authors in Philippine literature and their famous literary compositions,
3. Identify the famous lines with strong meanings from the famous literary pieces of Filipino canonical
authors.
THE FILIPINO CANONICAL AUTHORS
EDITH L. TIEMPO (1999)
She is a poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic. She 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. Tiempo’s published works include the
novel A Blade of Fern (1978), The Native Coast (1979), and The Alien Corn (1992); the poetry collections, The
Tracks of Babylon and Other Poems (1966), and The Charmer’s Box and Other Poems(1993); and the short
story collection Abide, Joshua, and Other Stories (1964)
BIENVINIDO LUMBERA
Bienvenido Lumbera, is a poet, librettist, and scholar. As a poet, he introduced to Tagalog literature what is
now known as Bagay poetry, a landmark aesthetic tendency that has helped to change the vernacular poetic
tradition. He is the author of the following works: Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa (poems in Filipino and English),
1993; Balaybay, Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang, 2002; Sa Sariling Bayan, Apat na Dulang May Musika,
2004; “Agunyas sa Hacienda Luisita,” Pakikiramay, 2004. As a librettist for the Tales of the Manuvu and Rama
Hari, he pioneered the creative fusion of fine arts and popular imagination. As a scholar, his major books
include the following: Tagalog Poetry, 1570-1898: Tradition and Influences in its Development; Philippine
Literature: A History and Anthology, Revaluation: Essays on Philippine Literature, Writing the Nation/Pag-akda
ng Bansa.
NESTOR VICENTE MADALI GONZALEZ
Better known as N.V.M. Gonzalez, fictionist, essayist, poet, and teacher, articulated the Filipino spirit in rural,
urban landscapes. Among the many recognitions, he won the First Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940,
received the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1960 and the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining in 1990. The
awards attest to his triumph in appropriating the English language to express, reflect and shape Philippine
culture and Philippine sensibility. He became U.P.’s International-Writer-In-Residence and a member of the
Board of Advisers of the U.P. Creative Writing Center. In 1987, U.P. conferred on him the Doctor of Humane
Letters, honoris causa, its highest academic recognition. Major works of N.V.M Gonzalez include the following:
The Winds of April, Seven Hills Away, Children of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other Stories, The Bamboo
Dancers, Look Stranger, on this Island Now, Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty -One Stories, The Bread of Salt and
Other Stories, Work on the Mountain, The Novel of Justice: Selected Essays 1968-1994, A Grammar of
Dreams and Other Stories.
VIRGILIO S. ALMARIO
also known as Rio Alma, is a poet, literary historian and critic, who has revived and reinvented traditional
Filipino poetic forms, even as he championed modernist poetics. In 34 years, he has published 12 books of
poetry, which include the seminal Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon, and the landmark trilogy Doktrinang
Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo and Muli, Sa Kandungan ng Lupa. In these works, his poetic voice
soared from the lyrical to the satirical to the epic, from the dramatic to the incantatory, in his often-severe
examination of the self, and the society. He has also redefined how the Filipino poetry is viewed and paved the
way for the discussion of the same in his 10 books of criticisms and anthologies, among which are Ang Makata
sa Panahon ng Makina, Balagtasismo versus Modernismo,Walong Dekada ng Makabagong Tula Pilipino,
Mutyang Dilim and Barlaan at Josaphat. Many Filipino writers have come under his wing in the literary
workshops he founded –the Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT) and the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo
(LIRA). He has also long been involved with children’s literature through the Aklat Adarna series, published by
his Children’s Communication Center. He has been a constant presence as well in national writing workshops
and galvanizes member writers as chairman emeritus of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL).
He headed the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as Executive Director, (from 1998 to 2001) ably
steering the Commission towards its goals. But more than anything else, what Almario accomplished was that
he put a face to the Filipino writer in the country, one strong face determinedly wielding a pen into untruths,
hypocrisy, injustice, among others.
CIRILO F. BAUTISTA
He is a poet, fictionist and essayist with exceptional achievements and significant contributions to the
development of the country’s literary arts. He is acknowledged by peers and critics, and the nation at large as
the foremost writer of his generation. Throughout his career that spans more than four decades, he has
established a reputation for fine and profound artistry; his books, lectures, poetry readings and creative writing
workshops continue to influence his peers and generations of young writers. As a way of bringing poetry and
fiction closer to the people who otherwise would not have the opportunity to develop their creative talent,
Bautista has been holding regular funded and unfunded workshops throughout the country. In his campus
lecture circuits, Bautista has updated students and student-writers on literary developments and techniques.
As a teacher of literature, Bautista has realized that the classroom is an important training ground for Filipino
writers. In De La Salle University, he was instrumental in the formation of the Bienvenido Santos Creative
Writing Center. He was also the moving spirit behind the founding of the Philippine Literary Arts Council in
1981, the Iligan National Writers Workshop in 1993, and the Baguio Writers Group. Thus, Bautista continues to
contribute to the development of Philippine literature: as a writer, through his significant body of works; as a
teacher, through his discovery and encouragement of young writers in workshops and lectures; and as a critic,
through his essays that provide insights into the craft of writing and correctives to misconceptions about art.
Major works: Summer Suns (1963), Words and Battlefields (1998), The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus (2001), Galaw
ng Asoge (2003).
NICK JOAQUIN
He is regarded by many as the most distinguished Filipino writer in English writing so variedly and so well
about so many aspects of the Filipino. Nick Joaquin has also enriched the English language with critics coining
“Joaquinesque” to describe his baroque Spanish-flavored English or his reinventions of English based on
Filipinisms. Aside from his handling of language, Bienvenido Lumbera writes that Nick Joaquin’s significance in
Philippine literature involves his exploration of the Philippine colonial past under Spain and his probing into the
psychology of social changes as seen by the young, as exemplified in stories such as Doña Jeronima,
Candido’s Apocalypse and The Order of Melchizedek. Nick Joaquin has written plays, novels, poems, short
stories and essays including reportage and journalism. As a journalist, Nick Joaquin uses the nome de guerre
Quijano de Manila but whether he is writing literature or journalism, fellow National Artist Francisco Arcellana
opines that “it is always of the highest skill and quality”. Among his voluminous works are The Woman Who
Had Two Navels, A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young, The Ballad of
the Five Battles, Rizal in Saga, Almanac for Manileños, Cave and Shadows. Nick Joaquin died April 29, 2004
F. SIONIL JOSE
His writings since the late 60s, when taken collectively can best be described as epic. Its sheer volume puts
him on the forefront of Philippine writing in English. But ultimately, it is the consistent espousal of the
aspirations of the Filipino–for national sovereignty and social justice–that guarantees the value of his oeuvre. In
the five-novel masterpiece, the Rosales saga, consisting of The Pretenders, Tree, My Brother, My Executioner,
Mass, and Po-on, he 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. Because of
their international appeal, his works, including his many short stories, have been published and translated into
various languages. F. Sionil Jose is also a publisher, lecturer on cultural issues, and the founder of the
Philippine chapter of the international organization PEN. He was bestowed the CCP Centennial Honors for the
Arts in 1999; the Outstanding Fulbrighters Award for Literature in 1988; and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for
Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 1980.
AMADO V. HERNANDEZ
He is poet, playwright, and novelist, is among the Filipino writers who practiced “committed art”. In his view, the
function of the writer is to act as the conscience of society and to affirm the greatness of the human spirit in the
face of inequity and oppression. Hernandez’s contribution to the development of Tagalog prose is considerable
— he stripped Tagalog of its ornate character and wrote in prose closer to the colloquial than the “official” style
permitted. His novel Mga Ibong Mandaragit, first written by Hernandez while in prison, is the first Filipino socio-
political novel that exposes the ills of the society as evident in the agrarian problems of the 50s. Hernandez’s
other works include Bayang Malaya, Isang Dipang Langit, Luha ng Buwaya, Amado V. Hernandez: Tudla at
Tudling: Katipunan ng mga Nalathalang Tula 1921-1970, Langaw sa Isang Basong Gatas at Iba Pang
Kuwento ni Amado V. Hernandez, Magkabilang Mukha ng Isang Bagol at Iba Pang Akda ni Amado V.
Hernandez.
LAZARO A. FRANCISCO
Prize-winning writer Lazaro A. Francisco developed the social realist tradition in Philippine fiction. His eleven
novels, now acknowledged classics of Philippine literature, embodies the author’s commitment to nationalism.
Amadis Ma. Guerrero wrote, “Francisco championed the cause of the common man, specifically the oppressed
peasants. His novels exposed the evils of the tenancy system, the exploitation of farmers by unscrupulous
landlords, and foreign domination.” Teodoro Valencia also observed, “His pen dignifies the Filipino and accents
all the positives about the Filipino way of life. His writings have contributed much to the formation of a Filipino
nationalism.” Literary historian and critic Bienvenido Lumbera also wrote, “When the history of the Filipino
novel is written, Francisco is likely to occupy an eminent place in it. Already in Tagalog literature, he ranks
among the finest novelists since the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to a deft hand at
characterization, Francisco has a supple prose style responsive to the subtlest nuances of ideas and the
sternest stuff of passions.” Francisco gained prominence as a writer not only for his social conscience but also
for his “masterful handling of the Tagalog language” and “supple prose style”. With his literary output in
Tagalog, he contributed to the enrichment of the Filipino language and literature for which he is a staunch
advocate. He put up an arm to his advocacy of Tagalog as a national language by establishing the Kapatiran
ng mga Alagad ng Wikang Pilipino (KAWIKA) in 1958. His reputation as the “Master of the Tagalog Novel” is
backed up by numerous awards he received for his meritorious novels in particular, and for his contribution to
Philippine literature and culture in general. His masterpiece novels—Ama, Bayang Nagpatiwakal, Maganda Pa
Ang Daigdig and Daluyong—affirm his eminent place in Philippine literature. In 1997, he was honored by the
University of the Philippines with a special convocation, where he was cited as the “foremost Filipino novelist of
his generation” and “champion of the Filipino writer’s struggle for national identity.”
ALEJANDRO ROCES
“You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a good person” Alejandro Roces, is a short story writer and
essayist, and considered as the country’s best writer of comic short stories. He is known for his widely
anthologized “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken.” In his innumerable newspaper columns, he has always focused
on the neglected aspects of the Filipino cultural heritage. His works have been published in various
international magazines and has received national and international awards. Ever the champion of Filipino
culture, Roces brought to public attention the aesthetics of the country’s fiestas. He was instrumental in
popularizing several local fiestas, notably, Moriones and Ati-atihan. He personally led the campaign to change
the country’s Independence Day from July 4 to June 12, and caused the change of language from English to
Filipino in the country’s stamps, currency and passports, and recovered Jose Rizal’s manuscripts when they
were stolen from the National Archives. His unflinching love of country led him to become a guerilla during the
Second World War, to defy martial law and to found the major opposition party under the dictatorship. His
works have been published in various international magazines and received numerous national and
international awards, including several decorations from various governments.
CARLOS P. ROMULO
His multifaceted career spanned 50 years of public service as educator, soldier, university president, journalist
and diplomat. It is common knowledge that he was the first Asian president of the United Nations General
Assembly, then Philippine Ambassador to Washington, D.C., and later minister of foreign affairs. Essentially
though, Romulo was very much into writing: he was a reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and
a publisher at 32. He was the only Asian to win America’s coveted Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for a series of
articles predicting the outbreak of World War II. Romulo, in all, wrote and published 18 books, a range of
literary works which included The United (novel), I Walked with Heroes (autobiography), I Saw the Fall of the
Philippines, Mother America, I See the Philippines Rise (war-time memoirs). His other books include his
memoirs of his many years’ affiliations with United Nations (UN), Forty Years: A Third World Soldier at the UN,
and The Philippine Presidents, his oral history of his experiences serving all the Philippine presidents.
JOSE GARCIA VILLA
He is considered as one of the finest contemporary poets regardless of race or language. Villa, who lived in
Singalong, Manila, introduced the reversed consonance rime scheme, including the comma poems that made
full use of the punctuation mark in an innovative, poetic way. The first of his poems “Have Come, Am Here”
received critical recognition when it appeared in New York in 1942 that, soon enough, honors and fellowships
were heaped on him: Guggenheim, Bollingen, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Awards. He used
Doveglion (Dove, Eagle, Lion) as penname, the very characters he attributed to himself, and the same ones
explored by e.e. cummings in the poem he wrote for Villa (Doveglion, Adventures in Value). Villa is also known
for the tartness of his tongue. Villa’s works have been collected into the following books: Footnote to
Youth,Many Voices, Poems by Doveglion, Poems 55, Poems in Praise of Love: The Best Love Poems of Jose
Garcia Villa as Chosen By Himself, Selected Stories,The Portable Villa, The Essential Villa, Mir-i-nisa,
Storymasters 3: Selected Stories from Footnote to Youth, 55 Poems: Selected and Translated into Tagalog by
Hilario S. Francia
ROLANDO S. TINIO
He is playwright, thespian, poet, teacher, critic and translator, marked his career with prolific artistic
productions. Tinio’s chief distinction is as a stage director whose original insights into the scripts he handled
brought forth productions notable for their visual impact and intellectual cogency. Subsequently, after staging
productions for the Ateneo Experimental Theater (its organizer and administrator as well), he took on Teatro
Pilipino. It was to Teatro Pilipino which he left a considerable amount of work reviving traditional Filipino drama
by re-staging old theater forms like the sarswela and opening a treasurehouse of contemporary Western
drama. It was the excellence and beauty of his practice that claimed for theater a place among the arts in the
Philippines in the 1960s. Aside from his collections of poetry (Sitsit sa Kuliglig, Dunung – Dunungan, Kristal na
Uniberso, A Trick of Mirrors) among his works were the following: film scripts for Now and Forever, Gamitin Mo
Ako, Bayad Puri and Milagros; sarswelas Ang Mestisa, Ako, Ang Kiri, Ana Maria; the komedya Orosman at
Zafira; and Larawan, the musical.
FRANCISCO ARCELLANA
He is a writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher, is one of the most important progenitors of the
modern Filipino short story in English. He pioneered the development of the short story as a lyrical prose-
poetic form. For Arcellana, the pride of fiction is “that it is able to render truth, that is able to present reality”.
Arcellana kept alive the experimental tradition in fiction, and had been most daring in exploring new literary
forms to express the sensibility of the Filipino people. A brilliant craftsman, his works are now an indispensable
part of a tertiarylevel-syllabi all over the country. Arcellana’s published books are Selected Stories (1962),
Poetry and Politics: The State of Original Writing in English in the Philippines Today (1977), The Francisco
Arcellana Sampler(1990). Some of his short stories are Frankie, The Man Who Would Be Poe, Death in a
Factory, Lina, A Clown Remembers, Divided by Two, The Mats, and his poems being The Other Woman, This
Being the Third Poem This Poem is for Mathilda, To Touch You and I Touched Her, among others.
LEVI CELERIO
He is a prolific lyricist and composer for decades. He effortlessly translated/wrote anew the lyrics to traditional
melodies: “O Maliwanag Na Buwan” (Iloko), “Ako ay May Singsing” (Pampango), “Alibangbang” (Visaya)
among others. Born in Tondo, Celerio received his scholarship at the Academy of Music in Manila that made it
possible for him to join the Manila Symphony Orchestra, becoming its youngest member. He made it to the
Guinness Book of World Records as the only person able to make music using just a leaf. A great number of
his songs have been written for the local movies, which earned for him the Lifetime Achievement Award from
the Film Academy of the Philippines. Levi Celerio, more importantly, has enriched the Philippine music for no
less than two generations with a treasury of more than 4,000 songs in an idiom that has proven to appeal to all
social classes.
CARLOS QUIRINO
He is biographer, has the distinction of ha ving written one of the earliest biographies of Jose Rizal titled The
Great Malayan. Quirino’s books and articles span the whole gamut of Philippine history and culture–from
Bonifacio’s trial to Aguinaldo’s biography, from Philippine cartography to culinary arts, from cash crops to
tycoons and president’s lives, among so many subjects. In 1997, Pres. Fidel Ramos created historical literature
as a new category in the National Artist Awards and Quirino was its first recipient. He made a record earlier on
when he became the very first Filipino correspondent for the United Press Institute His book Maps and Views
of Old Manila is considered as the best book on the subject. His other books include Quezon, Man of Destiny,
Magsaysay of the Philippines, Lives of the Philippine Presidents, Philippine Cartography, The History of
Philippine Sugar Industry, Filipino Heritage: The Making of a Nation, Filipinos at War: The Fight for Freedom
from Mactan to EDSA.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE # 1.3
1. What is canonical author?
2. Among different Filipino canonical authors, which one you admire the most? Why?
3. Cite at least one (1) famous line/s including the title of literary piece composed by Filipino canonical
authors listed above then write a short reflection on each line/s.
Reference: canonicalphilippinenationalartistsinliterature-170802010705.pdf