Angela Manalang-Gloria
Encyclopedia
Angela Manalang-Gloria was a Filipina
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

.

Early life

Angela Caridad Legaspi Manalang was born on August 2, 1907 in Guagua
Guagua
Guagua may refer to:*Guagua , a minibus used in North and South America as public transportation*Guagua, Pampanga*Guagua *Piaroa language*Jorge Guagua, Ecuadorian footballer...

, Pampanga
Pampanga
Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...

 to parents, Felipe Dizon Manalang (born in Mexico, Pampanga) and Tomasa Legaspi (whom she hardly mentions). However, their family later settled in the Bicol region, particularly in Albay. Caring—as she is fondly called—studied at St. Agnes Academy in Legaspi, where she graduated valedictorian in elementary. In her senior year, she moved to St. Scholastica's College in Malate, Manila
Malate, Manila
Malate is an old district of the city of Manila in Metro Manila, the Philippines. The district is located at the southern end of the city of Manila, bordered by Pasay City to the south, by Manila Bay to the west, by the district of Ermita to the north and by the districts of Paco and San Andres to...

, where her writing started to get noticed.

Angela Manalang was among the first generation female students at the University of the Philippines. Angela initially enrolled in law, as suggested by her father. However, with the advice of her professor C.V. Wickers, who also became her mentor, she eventually transferred to literature.

Writing

It was also during her education at the University of the Philippines that she and poet, Jose Garcia Villa
José García Villa
Jose Garcia Villa was a Filipino poet, literary critic, short story writer, and painter. He was awarded the National Artist of the Philippines title for literature in 1973, as well as the Guggenheim Fellowship in creative writing by Conrad Aiken...

 developed a life-long rivalry. Both poets vied for the position of literary editor of The Philippine Collegian, which Manalang eventually held for two successive years. In her junior year, she was quietly engaged to Celedonio Gloria whom she married. She graduated summa cum laude with the degree of Ph.B. in March 1929.

After graduation, Manalang-Gloria worked briefly for the Philippine Herald Mid-Week Magazine. However, this was cut short when she contracted tuberculosis.

Achievements

She was the author of "puta" Revolt from Hymen
Hymen
The hymen is a membrane that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening. It forms part of the vulva, or external genitalia. The size of the hymenal opening increases with age. Although an often practiced method, it is not possible to confirm with certainty that a girl or woman is a...

, a poem protesting against marital rape
Spousal rape
Marital rape, also known as spousal rape, is non-consensual sex in which the perpetrator is the victim's spouse. As such, it as a form of partner rape, of domestic violence, and of sexual abuse. Once widely condoned or ignored by law, spousal rape is now repudiated by international conventions and...

, which caused her denial by an all-male jury from winning the Philippine
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

's Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...

 Literary Awards in 1940. She was also the author of the poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 collection , Poems, first published in 1940 (and revised in 1950). The collection contained the best of her early work as well as unpublished poems written between 1934-1938. Her last poem, Old Maid Walking on a City Street can also be found in the collection. This book was her entry to the Commonwealth Literary Awards, losing to Rafael Zulueta y da Costa’s verse Like the Molave.

Personal life

On March 11, 1945, her husband Celedonio and her son Ruben were attacked by a Japanese patrol in Alitagtag, Batangas
Alitagtag, Batangas
Alitagtag is a 4th class municipality in the Province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 22,794 people in 3,708 households....

. Though her husband died, Ruben was able to survive, yet his trauma had been so severe that he could not bring himself to recount the attack. This event left Manalang-Gloria a young widow with three children to support, which forced her to abandon writing and enter the abaca
Abacá
Abacá, Musa textilis is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant is of great economic importance, being harvested for its fibre, once generally called Manila hemp, extracted from the trunk or pseudostem. On...

 business, which she successfully managed.

See also

  • Maria Rosa Luna Henson
  • Ninotchka Rosca
    Ninotchka Rosca
    Ninotchka Rosca is a Filipina feminist, author, journalist and human rights activist who is active in AF3IRM , the Mariposa Center for Change , Sisterhood is Global and the initiating committee of the MARIPOSA ALLIANCE , a multi-racial, multi-ethnic women's activist center for understanding the...

  • Paz Márquez-Benítez
    Paz Márquez-Benítez
    -Biography:Born in 1894 in Lucena City, Quezon, Marquez - Benítez authored the first Filipino modern English-language short story, Dead Stars, published in the Philippine Herald in 1925. Born into the prominent Marquez family of Quezon province, she was among the first generation of Filipinos...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK