SOME FILIPINO

AUTHORS IN THE 21ST

CENTURY
Filipino Authors in the 21st Century
Carlos Angeles - born on 25 May 1921 in
Tacloban, Leyte. He finished his
undergraduate degree in the University of
the Philippines and his work has been
included in poetry anthologies in the United
States. His poetry collection, Stun of Jewels,
won the Republic Cultural Heritage Award
in Literature back in 1964; he also won the
Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards in
Poetry in the same year. He is an active
member of many Filipino-American press
clubs in the US, where he currently resides.
His poem, “Gabu,” is said to be one of the
most well-loved Filipino poems written in
English.
 Filipino Authors in the 21st Century
• Francisco Sionil Jose- is a fictionist, essayist, and
novelist. He is currently considered one of the
most widely read Filipino authors, having been
translated into many languages worldwide. His
usual themes are social struggle and strife in
Philippine society. He was also awarded as a
National Artist for Literature in 2001. One of his
famous literary works is a short story “The God
Stealer”.
Filipino Authors in the 21st Century
• Nicomedes Marquez Joaquin- popularly known as
Nick Joaquin, was a Filipino fictionist, historian, and
journalist who has written some of the best short
stories, one of them is “Summer Solstice”, and novels
in English. Some of these stories were written under
the pen name Quijano de Manila. He is considered to
be one of the most important Filipino writers in English
up until now, and was awarded the title National
Artist for Literature in 1976.
Filipino Authors in the 21st Century
• Merlinda Bobis- Bobis’ books, short stories, • “Writing visits like grace. Its greatest gift is
and poems tell of lesser-known aspects of the comfort
Filipino life, often from a strong feminist
stance. One of her most well-known • if not the joy of transformation. In an
novels, Fish-Hair Woman, describes a inspired moment,
romance between a young village • we almost believe that anguish can be
woman and an Australian soldier in the made bearable
middle of a harrowing conflict that
threatens the entire province. She has • and injustice can be overturned,
won numerous awards for her literary because they can be named.
works, more recently the Philippine • And if we’re lucky, joy can even be
National Book Award for Fish-Hair Woman multiplied a hundredfold,
in 2014.
• so we may have reserves in the
cupboard for the lean times.”
• — MERLINDA BOBIS
Filipino Authors in the 21st Century
• Jose Dalisay Jr. – Jose Dalisay Jr. writes a
popular online column where he’s more
commonly known by his pen name, Butch
Dalisay.
• Dalisay was imprisoned during Martial Law, and
his experiences from this portion of Philippine
history are brought to life in his first novel, Killing
Time in a Warm Place. His second novel,
Soledad’s Sister tackles the plight of overseas
Filipino workers, and was shortlisted for the Man
Asian Literary Prize in 2007. Within the
Philippines, Dalisay has won 16 Palanca
Awards, the country’s highest prize for
literature.
Filipino Authors in the 21st Century
• Luis Francia- The poet, author, and teacher
emigrated to the U.S. after finishing college,
where he wrote and co-edited the Village
Voice newspaper for more than 20 years.
• His memoir Eye of the Fish: A Personal
Archipelago won a PEN Open Book Award
and an Asian American Literary Award.
Amitav Ghosh, author of The Glass Palace,
described Francia’s memoir as “a hugely
readable travelogue and an indispensable
guide to a fascinating and richly varied
archipelago.”
Filipino Authors in the 21st Century
• Marjorie Evasco – an award- winning
Filipino poet, born in Maribojoc, Bohol
on September 21, 1953. She writes in
two languages: English and
CebuanoVisayan and is a supporter of
women’s rights, especially of women
writers. Marjorie Evasco is one of the
earliest Filipina feminist poets. She
received the prestigious South East
Asian Write Award (SEA Write) in 2010.
One of her notable poems is “Is It the
Kingfisher?”
• https://www.marjorie-
evasco.com/portfolio/
Filipino Authors in the 21st Century
• Cirilo Bautista- born in 1941 and is a
well-known poet, fictionist, critic, and
nonfiction writer. “Oh How to Find
Silence in the World” is one of his
famous literary works.
• After receiving a writing fellowship at
the International Writing Program in the
University of Iowa, he received an
honorary degree and was the only
Filipino to be honored there. Recently,
he was awarded as a National Artist for
Literature by the Philippine
government.
 Gabu The waste of centuries is grey and dead
by Carlos A. Angeles And neutral where the sea has beached its
The battering restlessness of the sea brine,
Insists a tidal fury upon the beach Where the split salt of its heart lies spread
Among the dark habiliments of Time.
At Gabu, and its pure consistency
Havocs the wasteland hard within its reach.
The vital splendor misses. For here,
here At Gabu where the ageless tide recurs
Brutal the daylong bashing of its heart
All things forfeited are most loved and dear.
Against the seascape where, for miles It is the sea pursues a habit of shores.
around,
Farther than sight itself, the rock-stones part
And drop into the elemental wound.
 Gabu
by Carlos A. Angeles
The battering restlessness of the sea
Insists a tidal fury upon the beach
At Gabu, and its pure consistency
Havocs the wasteland hard within its reach.

Brutal the daylong bashing of its heart

Against the seascape where, for miles around,
Farther than sight itself, the rock-stones part And drop into
the elemental wound.
 The waste of centuries is grey and dead
And neutral where the sea has beached its brine,
Where the split salt of its heart lies spread Among the
dark habiliments of Time.

The vital splendor misses. For here,

here At Gabu where the ageless tide recurs All things
forfeited are most loved and dear. It is the sea pursues
a habit of shores.
Other Elements of Poetry Used by the
Filipino Local Writers
• 1. Symbolism-can take different forms. Generally, it is an
object representing another, to give an entirely different
meaning that is much deeper and more significant.
Sometimes, however, an action, an event or a word
spoken by someone may have a symbolic value.
Example: “smile” is a symbol of friendship. Similarly, the
action of someone smiling at you may stand as a symbol
of the feeling of affection which that person has for you.
•2. Theme - defined as a main idea or an underlying
meaning of a literary work, which may be stated
directly or indirectly.
Example: Their marriage ceremony was taking place
in a grand hotel. All the eminent people of the city
were invited, the reason that the celebration was
excellent. -(Theme of happiness)