The Japanese Period

(1941 – 1945)
CHAPTER 6
Historical Background
• Philippine literature in English came to a halt.
• Almost all newspapers in English were stopped by the
Japanese.
• It produced an advantageous effect on Filipino literature.
Filipino Poetry during the Japanese Period
• Common theme of most poems was:
• nationalism
• country
• love
• life in barrios
• faith
• religion, and
• arts.
Filipino Poetry during the Japanese Period
• Three types of poems:
• Haiku
• a poem of free verse, and made up of 17 syllables divided into three lines
• allegorical in meaning, is short, and covers a wide scope in meaning
• Tanaga
• is short but it had measure and rhyme
• each line has 17 syllables and also allegorical in meaning
• Karaniwang Anyo (Usual Form)
• the usual and common form of poetry
Filipino Poetry during the Japanese Period
HAIKU
By Gonzalo K. Flores

TUTUBI Dragonfly
(Dragonfly)
Hila mo’y tabak . . You’re pulling a saber
Ang bulaklak nanginig The flowers shivered
Sa paglapit mo. When you approached.
Filipino Poetry during the Japanese Period
HAIKUS
by Rodolfo S. Rosales

POETRY DEATH
Corporeal, Uneavaporeal Never, forever
blood, bold, a rusty hinge,
on the hand of time. a fiery fever to become.
Filipino Poetry during the Japanese Period
JUSTICE SOME POEMS
Flip a coin crown or king. Too much catsup, spice, sauce
Coin, neither crown nor king, hypocrisies:
“Not guilty!” hiding what is not there.

BEAUTY PROGRESS
A wind unseen, a sound unheard: You chill comrade dragonfly
a broken guitar . . . then please you
bones and skulls. put a tiger in your tongue.

LOVE
Pill in the evening
black coffee in the morning
and headaches at noon.
Filipino Poetry during the Japanese Period
TANAGA ni Ildefonso Santos
(Liwayway, Oktubre 10, 1943)

PALAY PALAY

Palay siyang matino He’s a behaved palay

Nang humangi’y yumuko, Who bowed when the wind blew
Ngunit muling tumayo, But stood up again
Nagkabunga ng ginto. And bore gold.
Filipino Poetry during the Japanese Period
KABIBI SHELL

Kabibi, ano ka ba? Shell, hey!

May perlas maganda ka You’re a beautiful pearl
Kung idiit sa tainga If you are pressed to the ears
Nagbubuntunghininga. You sigh.
Filipino Drama during the Japanese Period
• Drama experienced a lull during the Japanese period.
• Big movie houses were just made to show stage shows.
• Many of the plays were reproductions of English plays to Tagalog.
• Translators were Francisco Soc Rodrigo, Alberto Concio, and
Narciso Pimentel – which are also the founders of the organization
of Filipino players named “Dramatic Philippines”.
Filipino Drama during the Japanese Period
• A few of the playwriters were:
• Jose Ma. Hernandez – Panday Pira
• Francisco Soc Rodrigo – Pula, Sa Puti
• Clodualdo del Mundo – Bulaga
• Julian Cruz Balmaceda – Sino Ba Kayo?, Dahil sa Anak, Higanteng Patay
Filipino Short Story during the Japanese Period
• Field of short story widened during the Japanese period.
• Many wrote short stories like Brigido Batungbakal, Macario Pineda, Serafin
Guinigundo, Liwayway Arceo, Narciso Ramos, NVM Gonzales, Alicia Lopez
Lim, Ligaya Perez, and Gloria Guzman.
• Best writings in 1945 were selected by a group of judges composed of Francisco
Icasiano, Jose Esperanza Cruz, Antonio Rosales, Clodualdo del Mundo and
Teodoro Santos.
Filipino Short Story during the Japanese Period
• As a result, the following got the first three prizes:
• First Prize: Narciso Reyes’ Lupang Tinubuan
• Second Prize: Liwayway Arceo’s Uhaw Ang Tigang Na Lupa
• Third Prize: NVM Gonzales’ Lunsod Nayon At Dagat-Dagatan
Philippine Literature in English (1941 – 1945)
• Philippine Literature in English experienced a dark period.
• Writings came out in this period were journalistic in nature
• Writers felt suppressed but the spirit of nationalism started to seep
in their consciousness.
Philippine Literature in English (1941 – 1945)
• Carlos P. Romulo
• noteworthy writer of the period
• won the Pulitzer Prize for I Saw The Fall of The Philippines, I See Philippines
Rise, Mother America and My Brother Americans

• Journalists include Salvador P. Lopez, Leon Ma. Guerrero, Raul Manglapuz and
Carlos Bulosan.
• Nick Joaquin
• produced The Woman Who Looked Like Lazarus
Philippine Literature in English (1941 – 1945)
• Fred Ruiz Castro
• wrote a few poems

• Carlos Bulosan
• works include The Laughter of My Father (1944), The Voice of Bataan (1943), Six
Filipino Poets (1942)

• Alfredo Litiatco
• published With Harp and Sling

• Jose P. Laurel
• published Forces That Make A Nation Great
Philippine Literature in English (1941 – 1945)
• The Commonwealth Literary Awards gave prizes to meritorious
writers. Those who won were:
• Like the Molave – by Rafael Zulueta da Costa (Poetry)
• How My Brother Leon Brought Home A Wife – by Manuel E. Arguilla
(Short Story)
• Literature and Society – by Salvador P. Lopez (Essay)
• His Native Soil – by Juan Laya (Novel)
Philippine Literature in English (1941 – 1945)
• President Manuel L. Quezon
• His autobiography “The Good Fight “was published

• Other writers of this period were:

• Juan Collas (1944)
• Tomas Confesor (1945)
• Roman A. de la Cruz
• Elisa Tabuñar
The Rebirth of Freedom
(1946 – 1970)
CHAPTER 7
Historical Background

• 1945 – Americans returned

• July 4, 1946 – the Philippines regained its freedom and the Filipino flag waved
joyously alone.
The State of Literature during this Period
• Filipinos had learned to express themselves more confidently but post-war
problems beyond language and print-like economic stability, the threat of new
ideas and mortality had to be grappled with side by side.
• There was a proliferation of newspapers like:
• Free Press Evening News
• Morning Sun Philippine Herald
• Daily News Chronicle
• Manila Times Bulletin
• Daily Mirror
Some of the writers and their works
• The Voice of the Veteran – a compilation of the best works of some Ex-USAFFE
men like Amante, Bigornia, Roman de la Cruz, Ramon de Jesus and J.F.
Rodriguez
• Twilight in Tokyo and Passion and Death of the USAFFE – Leon Ma. Guerrero
• For Freedom and Democracy – S.P. Lopez
• Betrayal in the Philippines – Hernando Abaya
• Seven Hills Away – NVM Gonzales
Poetry in English during this Period
Some notable works of the period include the following:
1. Heart of the Islands (1947) – a collection of poems by Manuel Viray
2. Philippines Cross Section (1950) – a collection of prose and poetry by
Maximo Ramos and Florentino Valeros
3. Prose and Poems (1952) – Nick Joaquin
4. Philippine Writing (1953) – T.D. Agcaoili
5. Philippine Harvest – Amador Daguio
6. Horizons Least (1967) – a collection of works by the professors of UE, mostly in
English by Artemio Patacsil and Silverio Baltazar
7. Who Spoke of Courage in His Sleep – NVM Gonzales
8. Speak Not, Speak Also – Conrado V. Pedroche
9. Other poets were Toribia Maño and Edith L. Tiempo
Novels and Short Stories in English
• Without Seeing The Dawn – Stevan Javellana
• Barangay Writer’s Project (1946)
• PEN Center of the Philippines (1958)
• PEN Anthology of Short Stories (1958) – Francisco Arcellana
• The Hand of the Enemy (1961) – Kerima Polotan
• The Adversary (1968) – Luis V. Teodoro
• The Trail of Professors Riego (1969) – Luis V. Teodoro
• The Distant City (1970) – Luis V. Teodoro
The New Filipino Literature
during this Period
• Philippine literature in Tagalog was revived during this period.
• Most themes in writings dealt with Japanese brutalities
• Newspapers and magazines (Bulaklak, Liwayway, Ilang Ilang and Sinag Tala)
• Tagalog poetry
• Short Stories
• Novels
Books published during this time
• Mga Piling Katha (1947-48) by Alejandro Abadilla
• Ang Maikling Kuwentong Tagalog (1868-1948) by Teodoro Agoncillo
• Ako’y Isang Tinig (1952) Genoveva Edroza Matute
• Mga Piling Sanaysay (1952) by Alejandro Abadilla
• Maikling Katha ng Dalawampung Pangunahing Autor (1962) by A.G. Abadilla and
Pponciano E. P. Pineda
• Parnasong Tagalog (1964) – A.G. Abadilla
• Sining at Pamamaraan ng Pag-aaral ng Panitikan (1965) –by Rufino Alejandro
Books published during this time
• Manlilikha, Mga Piling Tula (1961-1967) – Rogelio G. Mangahas
• Mga Piling Akda ng Kadipan (1965) – Efren Abueg
• Makata (1967)
• Pitong Dula (1968) – by Dionisio Salazar
• Manunulat: Mga Piling Akdang Pilipino (1970) – Efren Abueg
• Mga Aklat ni Rizal
The Palanca Awards
• Headed by Carlos Palanca Sr. in 1950
• The awards were given to writers of short stories, plays and poetry
• FIRST AWARDEES:
• 1st Prize: “Kwento ni Mabuti” by Genoveva Edroza
• 2nd Prize: “Mabangis na Kamay….Maamong Kamay” by Pedro S. Dandan
• 3rd Prize: “Planeta,Buwan at mga Bituin” by Elpidio P. Kapulong
Kuwento ni Mabuti
by: Genoveva Edroza

• About a teacher who was admired by her students

• In spite of her problems and frustrations in life, she firmly carried out her duties
as a teacher and as a mother
• She was nicknamed - ”Mabuti”
Amado V. Hernandez
• His writing from his cell in Ft. Bonifacio in 1956
• An example of poet who is “Partisan” and who espoused causes
• Writings:
• Kilatis
• Isang Dipang Lagit
• Bartolina ng Muntilupa – Abril 22, 1952
Republic Cultural Heritage Awardees
(1960 – 1971)
• 1960: NVM Gonzales – poet and fictionist
• 1961: Nick Joaquin – poet fictionist, playwright, essayist, critic
Cesar Adlib - historian
• 1962: Amado V. Hernandez – poet and fictionist
Jose Garcia Villa - poet and short story writer
• 1963: Kerima Polotan – fictionist
Teo S. Baylen – poet and fictionist
• 1964: Carlos Angeles – poet
Carlos Quirino – historian
Republic Cultural Heritage Awardees
(1960 – 1971)
• 1965: Carlos P. Romulo – essayist, novelist, playwright
Horacion de la Costa – historian
Alejandrino G. Hufana – poet
Bienvenido N. Santos – poet and fictionist
• 1966: Iñigo Ed. Regalado – novelist
Alejandro G. Abadilla – poet
Arturo B. Rotor – short story writer
• 1967: (no writer awardee)
Republic Cultural Heritage Awardees
(1960 – 1971)
• 1968: Domingo Abella – historian
Ricardo Demetillo – poet
• 1969: Nicolas Zafra – historian
• 1970: Lazaro Francisco – novelist
• 1971: Lope K. Santos – novelist
Landa Jocano – anthropologist, writer