The Great Minds of Filipino Literature

José F. Lacaba

Perhaps one of the most prolific and versatile writers of his generation, José F. Lacaba has been a journalist, poet, translator, university lecturer, screenwriter, and show business specialist. Once a student at the Ateneo de Manila University, Pete Lacaba has since received recognition from several eminent award-giving bodies such as the Manila Critics' Circle, Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA), FAMAS, Film Academy of the Philippines, Urian, Manila Film Festival, Palanca, and National Press. Recently, he has also been a recipient of the Centennial Honors for the Arts, given by the Cultural Center of the Philippines to 100 outstanding Filipino artists of the last 100 years.

His poetry collections include Mga Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran (1979, 1996), Sa Daigdig ng Kontradiksyon (1991) and Sa Panahon ng Ligalig (1991). A new edition of his important, highly charged Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage (1982), a reportage on the First Quarter Storm and the subsequent times, has also been released. Many of his screenplays have been ingrained in the Filipino consciousness; these include the acclaimed Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (1984), Sister Stella L (1984), Orapronobis (1989) and Segurista (1996).

Pete has served as a deputy chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). He is also a resident fellow of the U.P. Institute of Creative Writing.

Francisco Sionil Jose has been called a Philippine national treasure. Born on December 3, 1924 in Rosales, Philippines, he was introduced to literature in public school and later at the University of Santo Tomas. While working as a journalist in Manila, he moonlighted writing short stories and eventually novels. In the late fifties Jose founded the Philippine branch of PEN, an international organization of poets, playwrights, and novelists. In 1965 he started his own publishing house SOLIDARIDAD, and a year later he began publishing the remarkable Solidarity, a journal of current affairs, ideas, and arts, still going strong today.

Jose wrote in English rather than in his national language Tagalog, or his native language Illocano. In 1962 he published his first novel The Pretenders. Today his publications include twelve novels, seven books of short stories, a book of verse, and five important books of essays. His works are available in 28 languages. He has been awarded numerous fellowships and awards, most notable being the 1980 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts, the most prestigious award of its kind in Asia, and most recently, and the 2004 Pablo Neruda Centennial Award from Chile.

Jose lives and works in Manila where with his wife Teresita and a faithful staff he still runs the Solidardad Publishing House and the Solidarity Bookstore, still considered the best little bookstore in Asia. On occassion he leaves Manila for Japan, US, or Europe, where he finds the peace to write or teach.

Random House has recently published Three Filipino Women, and the Rosales saga in three volumes: Sins, Dusk, and Don Vincente in North America. The last three are in the Modern Library Editions.

In June of 2001, Jose was awarded the prestigious title of Philippine's National Artist for Literature in an official ceremony at Malacañang.

In March 2002's issue of the Discovery magazine, Jose's book Ermita was rated as one of the top ten English-language novels set in Southeast Asia, along side Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," Graham Greene's "The Quiet American," James Clavell's "King Rat."and others.

Frankie's latest novel Vibora! was published in 2008. Below are some quotes from reviewers and literary critics.

Lualhati Bautista was born in 1945. For the generation of Filipinos who read Dekada 70 , set during the Martial Law years, the novel was an awakening of political consciousness. Bautista, one of the country's better-known contemporary writers of Tagalog fiction, is the recipient of numerous literary awards, most notably the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, which she won for the novels Gapo (1980), Dekada 70 (1983), and Bata, Bata, Paano Ka Ginawa ? (1984). She has also written for film, winning best screenplay awards for Bulaklak ng City Jail and Kadenang Bulaklak . After close to four decades of writing novels, short stories, teleplays, and screenplays, Lualhati Bautista has come to be known for her honest realism, her courageous exploration of women's issues, and her compelling female protagonists, who confront difficult situations at home and in the workplace with uncommon grit and strength.

Refrences:

http://panitikan.com.ph/authors.htm

http://www.me.uvic.ca/~art/afsj.html

Of all the definitions I've read so far, I think this one's the best.
"Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But, literature is more important than just a historical or cultural artifact. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. We learn about books and literature; we enjoy the comedies and the tragedies of poems, stories, and plays; and we may even grow and evolve through our literary journey with books.

Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. We may interpret the author's message. In academic circles, this decoding of the text is often carried out through the use of literary theory, using a mythological, sociological, psychological, historical, or other approach.

Whatever critical paradigm we use to discuss and alyalyze literature, there is still an artistic quality to the works. Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us. Even when it is ugly, literature is beautiful." (source: http://classiclit.about.com/od/literaryterms/g/aa_whatisliter.htm)



As for me, Literature is like a ship, it can take you anywhere. It can make you experience what others experienced without putting yourself in their shoes. It is also like a ship, because a journey in literature will always have trials and hardships, just like the waves of the rough seas.