National Artist for literature Archives

Jan72022 by Scenes EditorNo Comments

National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose dies at 97

News

by DAWN DANIELLE SOLANO National Artist for Literature and one of the most celebrated novelists in the Philippines, F. Sionil Jose, died on Thursday evening at the age of 97. Jose was declared dead at 9:30 pm at the Makati Medical Center, the Philippine Center of International PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists), a literary group he founded, announced on Facebook. He died in his sleep and was supposed to undergo angioplasty on Friday, Jan. 7, according to his wife Tessie Jovellana Jose. “It is with sadness that I announce the death of Manong Frankie Sionil Jose,” University of Santo Tomas (UST) journalism professor Lito Zulueta also confirmed his death through a Twitter post. Jose’s works had always been focused on social justice for the plight of underprivile...

‘Salamat, Bien’

Features

by PATRICK V. MIGUEL IN AN online wake, several people pointed out that one distinguished trait of Bienvenido Lumbera—his sense of humor. Behind his distinctive smile is a story worth to tell, and the jokes he told around his friends and family will be missed. Smiling as she talked about Lumbera and their memorable times together, actress Bibeth Orteza said in the wake, “He really had a sense of humor.” Charlson Ong, a colleague in the PH chapter of the International PEN recalled how he once shared a dingy room with Lumbera while they were in a Baguio workshop. The bathroom had a washbowl that was barely supported by a mesh wire. “I remember him as a trooper,” Ong told The Flame. “At lunch, [Lumbera] was regaling us about how he had to keep the sink from collapsing wh...

National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera dies at 89

News

by JANIS JOPLIN MOISES NATIONAL ARTIST for Literature and Faculty of Philosophy and Letters alumnus Bienvenido Lumbera, 89, passed away on Sept. 28 due to “complications of stroke.” Lumbera’s death was confirmed by his daughter Tala Lumbera through a Facebook post, while Metro Manila Film Festival spokesperson Noel Ferrer disclosed the cause of death. Lumbera finished his Bachelor of Literature in Journalism cum laude in 1957 in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, now Faculty of Arts and Letters. He also served as a literary editor of the Varsitarian in 1953. He was named National Artist for Literature in 2006. Lumbera was also a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communications in 1993, and Carlos Palanca Memorial Award fo...