Francisco Sionil Jose

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.

REFERENCE:

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

Lualhati Bautista

In addition to being a novelist, Lualhati Bautista is also a movie and television screenwriter and a short story writer. Her first screenplay was Sakada (Seasonal Sugarcane Workers), a story written in 1975 that exposed the plight of Filipino peasants. Bautista has received recognition from the Philippines' Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature and the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa in 1987. Her award-winning screenplays include Bulaklak sa City Jail (A Flower in City Jail) (1984), Kung Mahawi Man ang Ulap (If The Clouds are Parted) (1984), Sex Object (1985). For screenplay writing, she has received recognition from the Metro Manila Film Festival (best story-best screenplay), Film Academy Awards (best story-best screenplay), Star Awards (finalist for best screenplay), FAMAS (finalist for best screenplay), and URIAN awards. Two of her short stories have also won the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, Tatlong Kuwento ng Buhay ni Julian Candelabra (Three Stories in the Life of Julian Candelabra), first prize, 1982; and Buwan, Buwan, Hulugan mo Ako ng Sundang (Moon, Moon, Drop Me a Sword), third prize, 1983. Bautista also authored the television dramas Daga sa Timba ng Tubig (The Mouse in the Bucket of Water) (1975) and Isang Kabanata sa Libro ng Buhay ni Leilani Cruzaldo (A Chapter in the Book of Life of Leilani Cruzaldo) (1987). The latter won best drama story for television from the Catholic Mass Media Awards.

Bautista was honored by the Ateneo Library of Women’s Writings on March 10, 2004 during the 8th Annual Lecture on Vernacular Literature by Women. In 2005, the Feminist Centennial Film Festival presented her with a recognition award for her outstanding achievement in screenplay writing. In 2006, she was recipient of the Diwata Award for best writer by the 16th International Women's Film Festival of the UP Film Center.

She is also the only Filipino included in a book on foremost International Women Writers published in Japan, 1991.

reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lualhati_Bautista

Liwayway Arceo

(1924 - 1999)

When multi-awarded Liwayway Arceo decided to donate the typescripts of her novels to the University of the Philippine some years ago, she deliberately held on to one of them. This was the typescript of her first novel, Titser (1952). Though she conceded that it was not a masterpiece, she nevertheless wished to keep it because “nais naming ingatan at laging makita, ang aming unang hakbang sa larangan ng nobela.” (“I want to treasure and to always keep before me, my first step in the field of novel writing.”) She also said she wished to measure her progress against this “first step”—if indeed, she coyly added, she had made any progress at all. Literary scholars will undoubtedly protest her modesty and point to the great strides she has made in the world of fiction. Arceo went on to write hundreds of short stories (including the classic “Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa”) over fifty novels, numerous essays and articles, dramas for radio and television (including what is arguably the first and longest-running radio soap opera, “Ilaw ng Tahanan”), and religious biographies. Through her column “Bagong Dugo,” which ran from 1959 to 1963 in Liwayway magazine, she also helped launch the careers of many young writers—among them Rogelio Sikat and Dominador Mirasol. Soledad S. Reyes, literary critic of Tagalog novels, calls Arceo “one of the best female fictionists of her generation, for her expert mining of emotions attending domestic and familial relationships.” REFERENCE: http://rizal.lib.admu.edu.ph/aliww/writers_filipino.html

Love for Literature

I choose the title love for literature because I do love reading and as for me all books is an example a piece of literature. Literature is a body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution. Literature may be classified according to a variety of systems, including language, national origin, historical period, genre, and subject matter. Works of imagination characterized by excellence of style and expression and by the themes of general or enduring interests. My favorite definition of literature is my Rebecca West. She says that "Literature must be an analysis of experience and the synthesis of the findings into unity". Literature for me is an expression of one's self.


References:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/