21 STCENTURY

LITERATURE IN THE
PHILIPPINES AND
THE WORLD
 Topics
■ Various dimension of Philippine
Literary History from pre-colonial
to contemporary
■ Canonical Authors and works of
Philippine National Artist in
Literature
■ Names of Authors and their
works, and backgrounds of the
literature from the region
■ Regions in Luzon, Visayas,
Mindanao
■ Major genres
 Pre-Colonial Period
■ Literature in this period includes all produced before Spanish period like chants,
proverbs, songs, and folk narratives. It was passed down form generation to
generation using word by mouth.
■ Philippine folk narratives are varied and distinct. They depict the people’s
livelihood, customs, and traditions.

Type of literature on this period is:

1. Bugtong (Riddles)– it is a poetic in form and come in one, two, three or four lines.
It serves as a form of folk speech and are about the battle of wits. It uses
metaphor, a figure of speech that uses direct comparison of two unlike things or
ideas without using the words “like” or “as”.
 Pre-Colonial Period (cont.)
Type of literature on this period is: (cont.)
Example:
a. Bugtong, bugtong ako ay may kaibigan, kasama ko kahit saan. (ANINO)
b. Yumuko man ang ang reyna, di malalaglag ang korona. (BAYABAS)
2. Folktale – this is a characteristically anonymous, timeless, and placeless tale
circulated orally among people. They uses Juan as a character, to emphasize certain
virtues and serves as a warning about behavior, Also some are for reader’s
amusement.
Examples :
• Juan gathers Guava (a Tagalog Folktale) –
• Juan Pusong and His Father’s Cows.
• Juan Tamad
 Pre-Colonial Period (cont.)
3. Fable – this features animal characters or inanimate objects that behave like
people. The monkey is a common animal character in the Philippine fables. It is often
depicted as a cunning animal.
Examples:
• The Monkey and the Crocodile ( A Tagalog Fable)
4. Legend - his is presented as history but is unlikely to be true. There are different
Filipino legends of the great flood. Examples is the story of Bukidnon for instances
tells that a huge crab caused the water to rise by going into the sea. On the other
hand, the Igorot story tells that the sons of Lumiwag the Great Spirit caused the flood.

5. Myth - this is told to explain a belief, a practice, or a natural phenomenon. There

are Philippine versions of the creation myth. Examples is the Igorot’s story tells that
Lumiwag the Great Spirit created people. On the other hand, the Tagalog story tells
that the first man and woman came from a bamboo.
 Pre-Colonial Period (cont.)
6. Epic – this narrative poem celebrates the adventures and achievement of a hero.
The Philippine epics are sung or chanted in episodes. They feature supernatural
characters and reflect the society where they originated. Also, there are different
version of a story.
Examples:
• Biag ni Lam-ang – an Ilocano epic tells the adventures of Lam-ang, a man with
supernatural powers. He goes to war at nine-months-old and seeks the killer of his
father.
• Hinilawood – epic if the Sulod, a group of people in living in the mountains of
central Panay. It tells the story of three very strong men, namely Labaw Donggon,
Humadapnon, and Dumalapdap.
• Darangan – maranao epic depicts adventures of a brave warrior named
Bantungan. He owns a magical sword protected by a spirits.
• Tunkung Langit and Anunsila – the story focuses on two Gods.
 Pre-Colonial Period (cont.)
7. Salawikain (Proverbs) – or aphorisms express norms or codes of behavior,
community beliefs or they instill values by offering nuggets of wisdom in short
rhyming verse.
• The extended form, TANAGA, a mono riming heptasyllabic quatrain expressing
insights and lessons on life is “more emotionally charged than the terse proverb
and thus has affinities with folk lyric.
• It echo the values of the Philippines. Though they have been retold and passed
down from one generation to another, and the values and lessons they impart to
us still hold true to this day.
Examples:
a. Kung may tinanim, may aanihin
b. Kapag may tiyaga, may alaga
 Pre-Colonial Period (cont.)
8. Folk Songs – a folk lyric which expresses the hopes and aspirations, the people’s
lifestyles as well as their loves. These are often repetitive and sonorous, didactic and
naïve as in the children’s songs or Ida-ida(Maguindanao), tulang pambata (Tagalog)
or cansiones para abbing (Ibanag).
Examples:
a. ili-ili (Ilongo) – lullabye
b. Panawagon and balitao (Ilongo)
c. Harana or serenade (Cebuano)
d. Bayok (Maranao)
e. Ambahan (Mangyans) – a seven syllable per line poem. It’s about human
relationships, social entertainment and also serve as a tool for teaching the
young, work songs that depict the livelihood of the people often sung to go with
movement of workers such as the kalusan (Ivatan), soliranin (Tagalog rowing
songs) or the mambayu, a kalinga rice-pounding song,
 Spanish Colonial Period (1521 – 1898)
■ This expedition start in 16th century, Spain goes to the Philippine and brought
Christianity with them. The clergy made a great impact on faith, education, and
government.
■ Through the Manila-Acapulco trade( 1565 – 1815), liberal ideas entered the
country. Also, the trade gave rise to a wealthier middle class. Children in the
middle class families could then be sent to Europe to get an education. Upon their
return, they brought European ideals of liberty and freedom with the,. Such ideals
would then give rise to Filipino nationalism.
■ The Spanish missionaries taught the gospel through the native language, so they
hired natives to translate Spanish religious instructional materials, Eventually, the
natives became fluent in Spanish and became known as ladinos.
■ Ladinos mainly wrote devotional poetry. Two of them were Fernando Bagongbanta
and Gaspar Aquino de Belen. Bagongbanta wrote “Salamat nang walang
hanga/gracias de sin sempiternas”, which appeared in Memorial de la vida
Cristiana en lengua tagala (1605), A book containing basic Catholic doctrines.
 Spanish Colonial Period (cont.)
■ On the other hand, de Belen wrote “Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong
Panginoon natin na tola” (1704), the earliest version of pasyon.
■ Also the native drama called the komedyaor moro-moro was popular. It
depicted the war between Christians and Muslims, wherein former always
wins. The poet Jose de la Cruz (1746 – 1829) was a master of such art
from.
■ Native literature continued. Though the Spaniards, destroyed the written
literature in their effort to replace it with their own, the oral tradition
survived and flourished in areas beyond the reach of the Spaniards.

AUTHORS IN THIS ERA

1. Francisco Baltazar (1788 – 1862) – the master of traditional Tagalog poetry
became well – known for his work Florante at Laura (1838 – 1861) the most
famous metrical romance of the country.
 Spanish Colonial Period (cont.)
AUTHORS IN THIS ERA
2. Pedro Paterno (1857 – 1911) – wrote Sampaguitas y poesias varias (1880),
the first poetry collection in Spanish by a Filipino, and the novel in Spanish Ninay
(1885), considered to be the first Filipino novel.
3. Jose Rizal (1861 – 1896 ) – a prominent ilustrado and the country’s national
hero, is famous for the novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. This novel
portray the corruption and abuse of the Spanish officials and the clergy.
4. Andres Bonifacio (1863 – 189) – the founder of the katipunan, wrote the poem
“pag-ibig sa tinubuang Lupa”. This peom appeared in the Kalayaan, the official
newspaper of thr Katipunan, in March 1896.
5. Leona Florentino (1849 – 1884) – known as the “mother of Philippine
women’s literature”, was poet in both Ilocano and Spanish. Twenty of her poems
were preserved and exhibited in Europe. The poem were included in the
Encyclopedia International des Oeuvres Femme in 1889.
 American and Japanese Period
American Occupation (1898 – 1940)
■ The US established a civil government in 1901. Free public was introduced,
Also English was the medium instruction.
■ In 1934, President Roosevelt signed a bill making the Philippines a
commonwealth. On May 14, 1935 Manuel L. Quezon was elected president.
Literary Works Produced
■ Production of literary works in English is the direct result of the American
colonization of the Philippines. The first collection of poetry in English is
Filipino Poetry (1924), edited by Rodolfo Dato. The short story “Dead Stars”
(1925) by Paz Marquez Benitez is considered as the first Filipino modern short
story in English. A Child of Sorrow (1921) by Zoilo M. Galang is the first Filipino
novel in English. The nove His Native Soil (1940) by Juan C. Laya won first prize
in the First Commonwealth Literary Awards in 1940.
 American and Japanese Period (cont.)
■ Filipino writers in English during the apprenticeship period (1900 – 1930)
imitated American writing. The poet Fernando Maramag writes in the Romantic
tradition in his sonnet “Moonlight on Manila Bay” (1912). Filipino fictionist
copied Sherwood Anderson, William Saroyan, and Ernest Hemingway. Jose
Garcia Villa used the Anderson pattern. Manuel Arguilla and N.V.M Gonzalez
were influenced by Anderson and Hemingway. Francisco Arcellana was
influenced by Saroyan.
Japanese Occupation
■ On December 8, 1941 the Japanese attacked Manila.
■ On January 2, 1942, Japanese occupied Manila. They set up a Council of State
in the country and started propaganda to remold the Filipino.
■ In October 1943, the Japanese declared the Philippines “independent”. On
September 20, Jose P. Laurel was elected president.
 American and Japanese Period (cont.)
■ Macarthur and his Allied forces returned to the country in 1944. they landed
on Leyte on October 20, and the biggest Naval battle in history ensued.
■ The Japanese surrendered formally on September 2, 1945.
Literary Works Produced
■ During the occupation, publications were censored by the military. Also,
Tagalog was declared an official language (together with Nihonggo). In effect,
Philippine literature in English came to a halt. Some Filipino writers then
turned to writing in Filipino.
■ The Tagalog short story reached its maturity during the period. The best works
were compiled by the Liwayway magazine editors in Ang Pinakamabuting
Maikling Kathang Pilipino ng 1943, which came out in 1944. it is a collection
of stories were “Lupang Tinubuan” by Narciso G. Reyes, “Uhaw ang Tigang na
Lupa” bu Liwayway Arceo. “Nayon ay Dagt-dagatan” by N.V.M Gonzalez, and
“Suyuan sa Tubigan” by Macario Pineda.
 Postwar and Contemporary Period
■ It include all literary works written and published in the Philippines form 1946.
■ After world war II, the Philippines had to deal with economy and the need for
rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructures. There was political,
economic, and social confusion, as well as great poverty, and these issues
found their way into the short stories and novels during that time.
■ During the postwar period, Filipino writers got their inspiration form American
teachers and were able to learn their techniques, which also helped in
mastering the English language.
■ Writers wrote fiction that focused on courageous deeds as well as the
sacrifices and suffering in the lives of Filipinos. It was also common for writers
to write about the experiences of the Filipino people under the Spanish and
American rule and the Japanese Occupation. Other subjects and themes
incluce: religious faith, superstitions, fantasy, social probems, poverty, politics,
nationalism, morality
 Postwar and Contemporary Period (cont.)
Literary Works
■ Philippine literature flourished even more during the postwar and
contemporary period. Writers were able to produce short stories, novels,
essays, and poems that continue to be read by Filipinos today.
Examples:
■ Some works written in the postwar and contemporary period are:
■ May Day Eve by Nick Joaquin, 1947
■ Waywaya by F. Sionil Jose, 1983
■ We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers by Alejandro Roces, 1948
■ The Return by Edith L. Tiempo
■ History and Philippine Cuture by Horacio de la Costa, 1965
■ Without seeing the Dawn by Stevan Javellana, 1947
 Postwar and Contemporary Period (cont.)
Literary Works
■ Nick Joaquin – a National Artist for Literature awardee, wrote articles under the name of
Quijano de Manila His short story “May Day Eve”, published in 1947, is about love in a
partriarchal society. It also made use of magic realism.
■ F. Sionil Jose – one of the most widely read Filipino writers in English, wrote the short
story “Waywaya”, which is about preHispanic society and the people’s struggle for moral
order.
■ Alejandro Roces – a Filipino author, essayist and dramatist, wrote the short story “We
Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers”. This story focuses on the drinking habits and culture of
Filipinos and Americans.
■ Edith L. Tiempo – poem “The Return” is a sentimental piece that talks about life in old
age.
■ Horacio De la Costa – wrote the essay “History and Philippine Culture”, which emphasizes
the importance of understanding and presenting a nation’s culture.
■ Stevan Javellana – wrote the first postwar Filipino novel in English, Without seeing the
Dawn. This novel narrates what people experienced during World War
■ To understand a writer’s work will - In analyzing a literary work, make
help you understand and identify sure that you read it thoroughly
his or her contributions to and analyze it well.
Philippine Literature. - Study the background of the
a. Settings author as this will give you
b. Plot insights regarding the setting of
the story and the historical
- Exposition and/or social influences of the
- Rising Action time and place in which the
author lived.
- Climax
- Analyze the concepts presented
- Falling action in the literary work by relating
- Conclusion them to practices and traditions
in the Philippines or in the places
c. Theme used as the setting of the story.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature
■ Jose Garcia Villa
• Was a Filipino literary critic, poet, painter, and short story writer. Born
on August 5, 1908 in Manila. Died on July 7, 1997
• He gained both local and international recognition for his works. He
was named as the National Artist for Literature in 1973, and he was
also recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship.
• He wrote a song during his college years called “Man Songs”, a
collection of controversial poems that was considered too bold by the
University of the Philippines and became the ground fir his suspension
from the said situation.
• Some of his well-known literary works are “Mir-i-nisa” (won in the
Philippines Free Press in 1929), and “Footnote to Youth” (published in
1933).
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Jose Garcia Villa (cont.)
• As a poet, he is known for introducing the reversed consonance rhyme
scheme. According to Villa, in this method, the las sounded
consonants of the last syllable, or the last principal consonant of a
word, are reversed for the corresponding rhyme. Thus, a rhyme for light
would be words such as tile, tall, tale etc.
• He is also known for his comma poems, where he employed a comma
after every word.
• He used the pseudonym Doveglion, which is derived from dove, eagle,
lion.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Jose Garcia Villa (cont.)
• As a poet, he is known for introducing the reversed consonance rhyme
scheme. According to Villa, in this method, the las sounded
consonants of the last syllable, or the last principal consonant of a
word, are reversed for the corresponding rhyme. Thus, a rhyme for light
would be words such as tile, tall, tale etc.
• He is also known for his comma poems, where he employed a comma
after every word.
• He used the pseudonym Doveglion, which is derived from dove, eagle,
lion.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Carlos P. Romulo
• As Filipino diplomat, stateman, journalist, and soldier. Was born on January
14, 1898 in Intramuros, Manila and grew up in Camiling, Tarlac.
• The first Filipino journalist who was awarded with the Pulitzer Prize in
Journalism. Also the first Asian who served as the president of the United
Nations General Assembly.
• “I am Filipino” is one of the many essays written by him. It was published in
the Philippines Herald in August 1941. this essay talks about the pride and
dignity of the Filipino race, which is something he wants the future
generation to uphold and cultivate. He stresses the fight for freedom sprung
up from one’s pride of being a Filipino. It also emphasizes the beauty of the
Philippines as blessed with bountiful natural resources and colorful history
and culture.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Carlos P. Romulo (cont.)
• He also wrote a book entitled “I saw the Fall of the Philippines”, in
which he narrated his personal experiences as an aide-de-camp to
General Douglas MacArthur in Corregidor. It was followed by a sequel,
“I see the Philippines Rise”, a journalistic account of the Philippine
War in 1944.
• His other famous literary works are Mother America: A living Story of
Democracy, a discussion of his political ideals about American
democracy in the Philippines, and I Walked with Heroes, his
autobiography.
• He was conferred as National Artist for Literature in 1982. Died on
December 15, 1985
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Francisco Arcellana
• A Filipino teacher and contemporary writer. He is one of the prominent
Filipino fictionist in English.
• He is known for innovating and exploring new literary forms and
experimenting with different techniques in short story writing.
• He was a member of the group The Veronicans, which was composed
of influential Filipino writers who aimed to use sensible literature in
order to create a greater impact on the Philippines
• He was also the first director if the University of the Philippines
Creative Writing Center.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Francisco Arcellana (cont.)
• In 1990, he was awarded as the National Artist for Literature, his short
stories, “Flower of May”, “Christmas Gift”, and “The Mats” were
adapted as screenplays.
• His literary piece “The Mats” a story that highlights Filipino family
values and pictures an interesting character coping with the death of
loved ones. In this short story, he uses writing techniques such as
emphasizing the characters’ actions and dialogues to reveal their
inner motives and emotions.
• His literary works are the short stories: “The Man Who Would Be Poe”,
“Death in a Factory”, “a clown Remembers”, “The Mats”, and “Lina”
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez
• An award winning Filipino poet, essayist, fictionist, journalist, editor, and
teacher of creative writing.
• He is the first President of the Philippine Writers’ Association. He also
honored as one of the great Filipino writers who advanced literary traditions
and culture.
• He was a recipient of the following awards: The republic cultural heritage
award, the Jose Rizal Pro-Patria Award, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award
for Literature, and the National Artist Award for Literature 1997.
• Some of his published works are Seven Hills Away (1947), Children of the
Ash-Covered Loam and other stories (1954), and The Bamboo Dancers
(1949), which appeared in Russian translation in 1965 and 1974
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez (cont.)

• Seven Hills Away is a collection of short stories that sketch the daily
lives of the Filipino kaingeros in his hometown province, Mindoro.
• The Bamboo Dancers is a diasporic novel that features the challenges
faced by Filipinos in America.
• He was known as local colorist writer, a technique that features the
unique regional traditions of people and emphasizes the ordinary
events in their lives.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Edith L. Tiempo
• A Filipino writer in English, She was a poet, fiction writer, and literary critic.
• She was known for using intricate and witty representations to portray
significant human experience.
• Some of her well known poems are “The Return” that describe the
characteristics of old age, “Lament for the Littles fellow” a poem that
present metaphor to describe plight of a submissive wife under her
domineering husband, and “Bonsai” a poem that gives a look at how
tangible objects could be keepers of memories and emotions.
• she was known for her moral profoundness. One of her remarkable short
stories, “The Black Monkey” won third prize in the Carlos Palanca Memorial
Award. It is set during the time when guerillas were fighting against the
Japanese during World War II, narrates the tormenting encounter of a
woman with a monkey.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Edith L. Tiempo (cont.)
• She also wrote the novel A Blade of Fern, which depicts the problems of Filipino
miners of Nibucal in southern Philippines. She was awarded as the National
Artist for Literature in 1999.
• She founded with her husband the Siliman University National Writers
Workshop, which produced great young writers of her time.
• She used a very contemplative style in writing poem, “The Return”. The theme
and the subject of the poem are very serious. Her narrative tone and vivid
visual imagery allow readers to think deeply about old age and evoke emotions
of nostalgia and sadness from the old’s man perspective.
• She is one of the foremost Filipino contemporary writers in English who known
for her style and substance. Her language is considered descriptive but without
scrupulous detailing. Her literary works are hailed for their artistic
representation of significant human experiences.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ F. Sionil Jose
• Was born on December 3, 1924 in Rosales, Pangasinan. His life and most of
his works are influenced by Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
• He edited various literary and journalistic publications, and he founded the
Philippine PEN, an organization of poets, playwrights, and novelist.
• He opened Solidaridad Publishing House in 1965, A year after, he founded
Solidarity, a magazine that produces content mainly focused on “current
affairs, ideas and the arts.”
• He was a recipient of numerous awards. Some of which are the Ramon
Magsaysay award for journalism, Literature and Creative Communications in
1980, the Pablo Neruda Centinnial Award in 2004, and the other Officer in the
French Order of Arts and Letters in 2014. He was conferred as National Artist
for Literature in 2001.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ F. Sionil Jose (cont.)
• His works are written in English and are translated to more that twenty
languages and produced worldwide.
• Among his most celebrated works is the Rosales Saga. It is a series of
novels that are set from Spanish colonial period to the proclamation of
Martial Law in the 1970s. This saga includes the following novels: Po-on,
Tree, The Pretenders, Mass and My Brother, My Executioner.
• He has also written several short stories, including the notable “The God
Stealer”. It is a story about the friendship of Philip Latak, an Ifugao, and
Sam Christie, an American who wanted to buy a bulol, a sculpture of an
Ifugao god. The story depicts the relationship and truths about the
colonizer and the colony.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ F. Sionil Jose (cont.)

• Waywaya: Eleven Filipino Short Stories is a compilation of short stories

about pre-Hispanic Philippine society.
• In 2004, he published the children’s book the Molave and Other
Children’s Stories.
• He was among the most widely read Filipino writers in the English whose
novels and short stories depict a wide scope of social underpinnings and
struggles of the Filipino masses. He is the country’s most influential living
writer who employs realism through his narrative techniques and styles.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Virgilio S. Almario
• Known by his pen name Rio Alma is a Filipino artist known for his poetry
and literary criticism. He was proclaimed National Artist for Literature in
2003.
• He and together with poets Rogelio Mangahs and Lamberto E. Antonio,
pioneered the second modernist movement in the Filipino poetry. In his
own words, he defines modernist poetry as sparing, suggestive, and
restrained in emotion. Its vocabulary and subject are immersed in the
now. Among his poetry collections are Makinasyon at Ilang Tula (1968),
his very first collection; Peregrinasyon at Iba Pang Tula (1970), which won
first prize in poetry in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards; Doktrinang
Anakpawis (1979); Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo (1984); and Muli sa
Kandungan ng Lupa (1994)
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Virgilio S. Almario (cont.)
• His earliest work of literary criticism were published in the Dawn, the
weekly organ of the University the East. Some of those works were later
included in Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina (1982), now considered
as the first book of literary criticism in Filipino. His other critical works
include Taludtod at Talinghaga (1965), which tackles the traditional
tagalog prosody and Balagtasismo Versus Modernismo (1984), in which
he presents the two main directions of the Tagalog poetry.
• He is a Filipino artist known for his works of modernist poetry and literary
criticism on Filipino poetry, which are valuable contributions to Philippine
Literature.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Alejandro R. Roces
• A Filipino literary writer, was born on July 13, 1924.
• He was a playwright, an essayist, and a short story writer. He was also a
columnist at the Philippine Star, the Manila Times, and the Manila
Chronicle,
• He attended the Ateneo de Manila University for his primary and
secondary education and the University of Arizona where he earned his
degree in fine arts. He pursued further studies at the following
institutions: Far Eastern University (Master’s degree);
• Was known for his short story “We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers”, a story
about an American soldier in the Philippines who brags about his
drinking habits, but becomes overly drunk after drinking lambanog
offered by a Filipino farmer.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Alejandro R. Roces (cont.)
• From 1961 to 1965, he served as the Secretary of education under the
regime of former president Diosdado Macapagal. He has also served as
chairman of the movie and television review and Classification Board
(MTRCB) 2001.
• His other literary works are “My Brothers’s Peculiar Chicken”, a story
which talks about two brothers who were arguing whether the chicken
they caught was a hen or rooster; “Something to Crow About”, the first
Filipino zarzuela in English about a man named Kiko who earns a living
by means of cockfighting, and Fiesta, a collection of essays about various
Philippine festivals.
• He was conferred as National Artist for Literature in 2003. Died on May
23, 2011.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Bienvenido S. Lumbrera
• Was called Beny when he was a young boy, was born in Lipa, Batangas
on April 11, 1932. His parents has passed away before he turned five.
• Beny showed natural aptitude for English. In sixth grade, his writing
impressed his teacher so much that she once asked him, in an
accusatory tone, if he did write his composition himself. In his third year
in high school, his teacher gave him difficult works of literature to read.
• Lumbrera took a degree in journalism at the University of Santo Tomas in
1950 and graduated cum laude in 1954. A year before his graduation.
His first published work, the poem “Frigid Mood”, appeared in the Sunday
magazine of the Manila Chronicle.
 Canonical Authors and Works of Philippine
National Artist in Literature (cont.)
■ Bienvenido S. Lumbrera (cont.)

• He received the title of National Artist for Literature in 2006.

• He receive numerous awards for his work. The most notable ones were
the Special Prize from the Palanca Awards for his poetry collection Sunog
sa Lipa at Iba pang Tula in 1975, the Ramon Magsaysay Award for
journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts in 1993, and the
Philippine Centinnial Literary Prize for Drama in 1998.
• He is a strong advocate of the Filipino language. According to him, the
gap between the well-educated Filipinos and the majority cannot be
bridged until Filipino becomes their true lingua franca.
 Literary Text from the Different Regions
■ Tagalog Literature – a literature used in most parts of Luzon, those who use
this type of literature are coming from Southern Luzon, Central Luzon and Metro
Manila.
■ The tagalog literature is a blending of the elements of Spanish, American, and
Filipino culture, sometimes with one of them predominant but never alone. So,
when we speak of the harmonious blending of the native and foreign elements,
these makeup the present day Tagalog literature.
■ The literary tradition in the Tagalog regions is specially outstanding in the field of
oral literature like bugtong(riddle), proverbs, and native songs. These oral
literatures are always in poetic forms, usually seven-syllabic rhymes, so Asian in
form and perspective
■ One type of poetry that has a wide collection and samples in the Philippines is the
narrative poetry. When the writer uses the narrative style, he basically answers the
question, ―what happened then?
Biographical, Linguistic, and Socio Cultural
Contexts of Tagalog Literature
■ Among the Southern Tagalog provinces are Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Aurora, Oriental
Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Palawan and some towns of Rizal province. In
Central Luzon, there are three provinces where Tagalog is predominantly used and these are
the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Bataan and Bulacan. Metro Manila is comprised of cities
composing the national capital region namely Manila, Quezon City, Pasay City, Caloocan City,
Mandaluyong City, Pasig City, Marikina City, Muntinlupa City and suburban towns of Malabon,
Navotas, Valenzuela, Pateros and Taguig. Some parts of the provinces that are not originally
Tagalog cannot escape the onslaught of Tagalog language and culture, like some parts of the
Bicol region and Pampanga

■ It is the birthplace of a rich tradition of Philippine culture in language, politics, economy and
literature. Considering this rich and envigorating cultural matrix, it is not surprising that it is the
Tagalog region that was destined to be the birthplace of historic men in the Philippine politics,
culture and literature that includes Francisco Balagtas Baltazar, Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio,
Apolinario Mabini, Emilio Jacinto, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Jose P. Laurel, Claro M, Recto, Amado V.
Hernandez, Lope K. Santos, Lazaro Francisco, Faustino Aguilar, Jose Corazon de Jesus,
Alejandro Abadilla, and Modesto de Castro.
One of the Famous Poem is by Rio Alma entitled “TYPHOONS”
The typhoons‘ episodes of terror are yearly:
Berserk wind and shattered glass They toppled and smashed every wall and post;
Streaming from the mouths of a thousand The drains and canals choked,
serpents,
The distressed bamboo begged for mercy.
Smoke of dark crystal billowing
We shut our eyes
From beyond the ancient shoulders of the
At the final rumbling rape
bristling land.
Of our prostrate crops, the helpless land.
The heavens crawl with crackling electricity
Tightly we shut our eyes,
And the verdicts of thunder are without
forgiveness or pity. Tightly, ever tightly…
There were nights Only to wonder in the morning
When we were children watching What power of sun expunged
And listening for the keening And expelled these armies of the night.
And whiplash of wet, demented monsters:
Turning wildly they tore every roof,
Activity #1
Instruction: From the Poem Typhoon, answer the following
questions

1. What is the event that the author was talking about in his
poem? (1pt)
2. Where do you think did the story happen? Ex. City or rural
area, etc. (1pt)
3. Can you give some details of how strong the typhoon was
based on the poem? Signal #. (1pt)
4. What happens when the morning comes? (2pts)
5. Can this story happen in real life? (1pt)
6. What do you do when there is a typhoon? (4pts)
ANSWERS:
1. Typhoons
2. City
3. Signal #4 or Signal # 3
4. The sun shines so bright
5. Yes
6. Essay (4pts)
 Literary Text from the Different Regions
■ Cebuano Literature – refers to the body of oral and written literature of speakers
of Cebuano, the mother tongue of a quarter of the country’s population who live in Cebu,
Siquijor, Negros Oriental, and parts of Leyte and Mindanao.
■ It have a rich oral tradition, including legends associated with specific locales, like the
Maria Cacao legends of southern Cebu and folktales like the fable “haring Gangis us
Haring Leon”, which warn of abusive behavior by the dominant group. Many of the tales
carry lessons, but just as many suggest the value of humor, keeping of one’s wit and
resourcefulness, as in the Juan Pusong trickster tales.
■ It influence of the Spanish period is found in the plays called linambay (known also as
moromoro because of its anti-Muslim theme), a regular fare at town fiestas that involved
participation of the whole rural community and attracted audiences from the neighboring
towns.
■ The prose narratives developed into the sugilanon or short story, the first example of
which is “Maning” (1901) by Vicente Sotto, the “father of Cebuano Letters”, and later into
the Sugilambong or novel.
■ Another important influence of the Spanish period is found in the plays called linambay
(known also as moromoro because of its anti-Muslim theme), a regular fare at town
fiestas that involved parti- cipation of the whole rural community and attracted audienc
 Biographical, Linguistic, and Socio Cultural
Contexts of Cebuano Literature
■ The Cebuano writer’s craft was honed in early translations of European fiction and
imitations of American models, as shown in the works of Juan Villagonzalo,
Uldarico Alviola, Angel Enemecio, Flaviano Boquecos, Sulpicio Osorio, Nicolas
Rafols and others.
■ Most of all the writers have attended the annual Cornelio Faigao Memorial Writers
Workshop conducted since 1984 by the Cebuano studies center of the University
of San Carlos. These workshops, which the Cebuano writers may attend fellows a
few times and as observers any number of times, provide a venue for the old and
young, male and female to share works and discuss problems.
■ Pre-commonwealth fiction was mostly nationalistic and didactic in spirit, to be
replaced later by more escapist fare like stories of love, detection and adventure.
A similar shift was ween in drama, but the more popular plays were a combination
of social criticism and entertainment, as in the works of Buenaventura Rodriguez,
Piux Kabahar and Florentino Borromeo.
The Short Story by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Your world -- or your mind -- does not allow for an afternoon

walk to the museum, nor a stop at the chapel for silent prayer,
a glass of halo-halo under the ipil-ipil, laughter and stories, for
old time‘s sake. It allows for a few hours at the Hilton. Face
like stone you give a false name to the man at the registry, pay
in cash, and ascend to the sunstreamed room, for an
afternoon of sad, hot-blooded lovemaking. Face like stone,
you tell your wife whom you have long-ago stopped loving, that
you had a late business meeting with some Japanese clients.
(It‘s the same story you had left at your office earlier that day.)
And you wonder why you go about in muted sorrow and anger.
End
Activity#2
Instruction: Answer the following question based on the short story.
1. Who is talking in the story? (1pt)
2. Who is the speaker talking to? (1pt)
3. What is the narrative point of view that was used in the story? (1pt)
a. First Person View b. Second Person View c. Third Person View

4. Do you agree that the narrator may be the same character being
described in the story? Why? (1pt)
5. What is the reason behind the sorrow and anger of the character?
(2pts)
6. Did you understand the story even when it is short? Will it be better
if it were longer? (4pts)
Answers
1. The Husband
2. Younger version of his self
3. Second Point of view
4. Yes, because the narrative point of view used is the
second point of view which means that the narrator is the
younger version of itself.
5. does not allow for an afternoon walk to the museum, nor
a stop at the chapel for silent prayer, a glass of halo-halo
under the ipil-ipil, laughter and stories, for old time‘s
sake.
6. Essay (4pts)
 Literary Text from the Different Regions
■ Hiligaynon Literature
■ Purely oral, West Visayan literature before the coming of the
Spaniards was in Kinaray-a which must have been the language
in folk literature of the ten Bornean datus who, according to the
folk account of the Maragatas, got the island of Panay from the
aboriginal Ati in exchange for a headgear of gold and a necklace
that touched the ground.
■ Important young writers in West Visayas today include: Hiligaynon-
Alicia Tan Gonzales, Peter Solis Nery, Edgar Siscar, Resurrection
Hidalgo, Alain Russ Dimzon, Kinaray-a Ma. Milagros C. Geremia
Lanchica, Alex De los Santos, John Iremil E. Teodoro, Jose Edison
C Tondares, Maragtas S. V. Amante, Ma. Felicia Flores, Aklanon –
Melchor F. Cichon, Alexander C. De Juan, John E. Barrios.
 Biographical, Linguistic, and Socio Cultural
Contexts of Hiligaynon Literature
■ It is the lingua franca of the west Visayas in Central Philippines.
Politically labeled Region 6, West Visayas is composed of the
provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Antique, and Aklan on the island of Panay,
Negros Occidental, the western half of the island of Negros, and the
new island-province of Guimaras which used to be a sub-province of
Iloilo.
■ The coming of the Spaniards and the conversion of the people to
Christianity produced new forms of folk literature. Written literature
also started first with translations of Spanish texts of prayers and
lives of the saints.
 Figure of Speech
-Simile figurative language to compare two
different things using the words “like” or “as.”
Activity # 3
 Literary Text from the Different Regions
■ Ilocano Literature

■ Is one of the most colorful regional Filipino literatures. It is one of the most active
tributaries to the general Philippine literature next to Tagalog, Cebuano,
Hiligaynon, Bikol and Pangasinense.
■ Prior to the Spanish colonial period, the Ilocano literature is purely alive in form of
written and oral literature. When the Spaniards arrived in Ilocos Norte poetry was
heavily influences by Spanish poetry.
■ Today, Ilocano writers are known to have published their works in foreign
countries.
■ Contemporary Ilocano writers are also known to bag numerous major awards in
the most prestigious Philippine Literature award giving body, the Palanca Awards.
 Major Genres
■ Poetry
• It is written by a poet in meter or in verse expressing various emotions which use a lot of
techniques like figures of speech. It heavily uses imagery, meter and rhyme. Poetry is
generally considered to be the oldest of the arts.
• In the Philippines has indeed come a long way - evolving and taking on dramatic turns as
it journeys with history – from the ancient times, the monoarchic rule of Spain, U.S
colonialism, the birth of Republic, martial law, to Edsa and present .
■ Narrative poetry – a story that main purpose is to entertain through story telling.
• Mood – one element in the narrative structure of a piece of literature. It can also be
referred to as atmosphere because it creates an emotional setting enveloping the reader.
• It is established in order to affect the reader emotionally and psychologically and to
provide a feeling for the narrative. It is how a reader feels after reading a story.

• Free verse – an open form of poetry. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or
any other musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech
 Major Genres
■ Narrative Point of Views
1. The first person – it was told by an “I”, where can “I” can be the main
character, a less important character witnessing events or a person
retelling a story they were told to someone.
2. The Second Person – the narrator addresses the protagonist as “you”.
This kind of story often has the narrator speaking to a younger version
of their self. This point of view is very rare because it is extremely
difficult to pull off.
3. The third Person – characters are referred as “he” or “she”. In this
case the narrator is not a character in the story. Depending on the
type of third person point of view, the narrator may know – and be
able to tell about – the thoughts and feelings of all characters .
 Major Genres
■ Text Tula
• One of the recent genres here in the Philippine Literature, it is a poetry genre
mastered by Frank Rivera where entire poems are written and read on mobile
phones. Though usually short due to the necessity of the number of characters
allowed in text messaging, the elements of poetry are still present in this genre.
a. Lyric poem – often divided into stanzas or verses. Stanzas are usually
separated by a single blank line. Stanzas within poem may have the
same form or may vary. It also tries to develop interesting forms
based on variations of rhyme, rhythm and metre.
b. Rhyme – is the repetition of sounds in different words. Rhyme can
occur within lines (internal rhyme) or more usually – at the end of
lines (end rhyme). A rhyme scheme is a shirt formula for describing
the pattern of rhyme in a poem. End words that rhyme are assigned
the same letter.
 Major Genres
■ Tanaga - Is a type of Filipino poem, consisting of four lines with seven to nine
syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of each line – that is to say a 7-7-7-
7 or 9-9-9-9 syllabic verse with an AABB rhyme scheme.
■ Haiku – has a 17 phonetic units divided into three phrase of 5, 7 and 5 units
respectively.
■ Chick lit or Chick Literature – a genre fiction which addresses issues of modern
womanhood, often humorously and light-heartedly. It became popular in the late
1990s. It is generally not considered a direct subcategory of the romance novel
genre, because heroin’s relationship with her family or friends is often just as
important as her romantic relationships.
■ Short story – is a piece of prose fiction marked by relative shortness and destiny,
organized into a plot and with some kind of denouement at the end. The plot may
be comic, tragic, romantic or sarcastic. It usually focuses on one important event
in the lives of small number of central characters.
 Major Genres
■ Speculative fiction – is a broad umbrella category of narrative fiction referring to
any fiction story that includes elements, settings and characters whose features
are created out of human imagination and speculation rather than based on
attested and everyday life. It includes elements of one or more of the following
genres:
• Fantasy – it include elements in the beings from human cultural imagination, such
as mythical creatures (dragons, and fairies), magic and magical elements, sorcery,
witchcraft, etc.
• Science Fiction – features technologies that do not exist in real life including time
travel, interstellar travel, flying cars and also beings and societies from other
planets.
• Horror – similar to fantasy, but focusing on terrifying, evil, and often powerful
beings, such as monsters and ghost. Also aims to transmit actual fear and
confusion to the reader/watcher.
• Utopia – takes place in a highly desirable society, often presented as advanced,
happy, intelligent or even perfect or problem-free.
 Major Genres

• Dystopia – takes place in a highly undesirable society, often plagued with strict
control, violence, chaos, brainwashing and other negative elements.
• Alternative History – focusing on historical events as if they happened in a
different way, and its implications on the present.
• Apocalyptic – takes place before and during a massive, worldwide disaster.
• Post-Apocalyptic – focuses on groups of survivors after a massive worldwide
disaster.

■ One of the 21st century speculative fiction writers in the country is Ian Casocot.
His work ‗The Sugilanon of Epefania's Heartbreak‟ is a fusion of magic realism
and a love story.
 Major Genres
• Essay – an analytic, interpretative, or critical literary composition usually much
shorter and less systematic and formal than a dissertation or thesis and usually
dealing with its subject from a limited and often personal point of view.
 How to write an essay:
a. Introductory paragraph – accomplishes three purposes, it captures the reader’s
interest, it suggest the importance of the essay’s topic and it ends with a thesis
sentence. Often, the thesis sentence states a claim that consists of two or more
related points. In the thesis, you are telling the reader what you think are the most
important points which need to be addressed in your essay.
b. Body paragraph – begins with a topic sentence. If the thesis contains multiple
points or assertions, each body paragraph should support or justify them,
preferably in the order the assertions originally stated in the thesis.
c. Concluding paragraph – usually restates the thesis and leaves the reader
something about the topic to think about. If appropriate, it may also issue a call to
act, inviting the reader to take a specific course of action with regard to the points
that the essay presented.
 Figures of Speech used in Literature
■ Figure of Speech – it is a phrase or word having different meanings than its literal meanings. It
conveys meaning by identify or comparing one thing to another, which has connotation or meaning
familiar to the audience.
1. Personification – it is used by writers to give human traits to non-human or inanimate objects. It is
similar to metaphors an similes that also use comparison between two objects.
Example: “Hadn’t she felt it in every touch of the sunshine, as its golden finger-tips pressed her lids
open and wound their way through her hair?

2. Hyperbole – it uses extreme exaggeration. It exaggerates to lay emphasis on a certain quality or

feature. It stirs up emotions among the readers, these emotions could be about happiness,
romance, inspiration, laughter or sadness.
Example:
I love you, dear, I’ll love you
Till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street
 Figures of Speech used in Literature
3. Simile – it is a type of comparison between things or objects by using “as” or “like”.
Example:
My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a water’d shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
My heart is like a rainbow shell

4. Metaphor – is comparing two unlike objects or things, which may have some
common qualities
Example:
a. Heart of stone
b. Time is money
c. The world is a stage
 Figures of Speech used in Literature
5. Alliteration – is the repetition of the beginning sounds of neighboring words
Example:
a. She sells seashells
b. Walter wondered where Winnie was
c. Blue baby bonnets bobbed through the bayou
d. Nick needed new notebooks

6. Anaphora – is a technique where several phrase or verses begin with the same
words or words.
Example:
a. I came, I saw, I conquered
b. Mad world, mad kings, mad composition
c. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom.
 Figures of Speech used in Literature
7. Assonance – is the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together. The
sounds don’t have to be at the beginning of the words.
Example:
a. A – for the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore
b. E – therefore, all the season shall be sweet to thee
c. I – from what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire.

8. Euphemism – is a mild, indirect or vague term that often subtitles a harsh, blunt,
or offensive term.
Example instead of using the word “DIED”
a. Passed away
b. Dearly departed
c. Negative patient outcome
 Figures of Speech used in Literature
9. Irony – occurs when there’s a marked contrast between what is said and what is
meant, or between appearance and reality.
Example:
a. A fire station burns down
b. A marriage counselor files for divorce
c. The police station get robbed

10.Onomatopoeia – is the term for a word that sounds like what it is describing.
Example:
a. On my first morning on the farm, I was awoken suddenly by the cock-a-doodle-do if
the resident rooster.
b. Ticktock, ticktock, the sound of the clock was all that could be heard in the
hospital waiting room.
 Figures of Speech used in Literature
11. Oxymoron – is two contradictory terms used together.
Example:
a. This is another fine mess you have got us into
b. There is a real love hate relationship developing between the two of them
12. Synecdoche – occurs when apart is represented by the whole or, conversely, the whole is
represented by the part.
Example:
a. The word sails is often used to refer to a whole ship
b. The phrase hired hands can be used to refer to workers
13. Understatement – occurs when something is said to make something appear less
important or less serious.
Example:
a. It’s just a scratch – referring to a large dent
b. It’s a little dry and sandy – referring to the driest desert in the world.
Style defines writers – who they are, what they have in mind and
how they construct reality as seen in their own works, be it in poem or in
prose. Style is the technique writers use in his writing.

■ Expository writing style is a subject-oriented style. The focus of the

writer is to tell the readers about the specific subject or topic and in
the end the author leaves out his own opinion about the topic.
Examples: how-to manuals, textbooks
■ Descriptive writing is when the author is trying to paint a picture for
you. Descriptive writing, by its nature, is poetic, often using sensory
details to pull the reader into the writer's world.
Example: In good descriptive writing, the author will not just say: ―The
vampire killed his lover. He or she will change the sentence, focusing
on more details and descriptions, like:
―The bloody, red-eyed vampire, sunk his rust-colored teeth into the
soft skin of his lover and ended her life."
■ Persuasive writing is pretty much what it sounds like: the
writer is trying to persuade you to see his or her point-of-view.
Persuasive writing is subjective since the writer is using his or
her opinions to support a central idea. Some forms of
persuasive writing include presidential speeches, opinion-
based editorials in the newspaper, or texts that serve as 'calls
to action.
■ Narrative writing’s main purpose is to tell a story. The author
will create different characters and tell you what happens to
them (sometimes the author writes from the point of view of
one of the characters—this is known as first person narration).
Novels, short stories, novellas, poetry, and biographies can all
fall in the narrative writing style. Simply, narrative writing
answers the question: ―What happened then?