F. Sionil José
Encyclopedia
F. Sionil José or in full Francisco Sionil José (born December 3, 1924) is one of the most widely-read Filipino
writers in the English language
. His novel
s and short stories
depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism
in Filipino society. José's works - written in English
- have been translated
into 22 languages, including Korean
, Indonesian
, Russian
, Latvian
, Ukrainian
and Dutch
.
, the setting of many of his stories. He spent his childhood in Barrio Cabugawan, Rosales, where he first began to write. José was of Ilocano
descent whose family had migrated to Pangasinan before his birth. Fleeing poverty, his forefathers traveled from Ilocos
towards Cagayan Valley
through the Santa Fe Trail. Like many migrant families, they brought their lifetime possessions with them, including uprooted molave posts of their old houses and their alsong, a stone mortar for pounding rice.
One of the greatest influences to José was his industrious mother who went out of her way to get him the books he loved to read, while making sure her family did not go hungry despite of poverty and landlessness. José started writing in grade school, at the time he started reading. In the fifth grade, one of José’s teachers opened the school library
to her students, which is how José managed to read the novels of José Rizal
, Willa Cather
’s My Antonia, Faulkner
and Steinbeck. Reading about Basilio and Crispin in Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere
made the young José cry, because injustice was not an alien thing to him. When José was five years old, his grandfather who was a soldier during the Philippine revolution, had once tearfully showed him the land their family had once tilled but was taken away by rich mestizo
landlord
s who knew how to work the system against illiterates like his grandfather.
after World War II
, but dropped out and plunged into writing and journalism in Manila
. In subsequent years, he edited various literary and journalistic publications, started a publishing house, and founded the Philippine branch of PEN
, an international organization for writers. José received numerous awards for his work. The Pretenders is his most popular novel, which is the story of one man's alienation from his poor background and the decadence of his wife's wealthy family.
Jose Rizal
's life and writings profoundly influenced José's work. The five volume Rosales Saga, in particular, employs and interrogates themes and characters from Rizal's work.
Throughout his career, José's writings espouse social justice and change to better the lives of average Filipino families. He is one of the most critically acclaimed Filipino authors internationally, although much underrated in his own country because of his authentic Filipino English
and his anti-elite views.
Sionil José also owns Solidaridad Bookshop, which is on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila
. The bookshop offers mostly hard-to-find books and Filipiniana
reading materials. It is said to be one of the favorite haunts of many local writers.
In his regular column, Hindsight, in The Philippine Star, dated September 12, 2011, he wrote "Why we are shallow," blaming the decline of Filipino intellectual and cultural standards on a variety of modern amenities, including media, the education system--particularly the loss of emphasis on classic literature and the study of Greek and Latin--, and the abundance and immediacy of information on the internet.
that spans three centuries of Philippine history, widely read around the world and translated into 22 languages
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...
writers 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...
. His novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s and short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
in Filipino society. José's works - written in English
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...
- have been translated
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
into 22 languages, including Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Latvian
Latvian language
Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
, Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
and Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
.
Childhood
José was born in Rosales, PangasinanRosales, Pangasinan
Rosales is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. It is sometimes called as Carmen, Pangasinan based on its progressive barangay, Carmen...
, the setting of many of his stories. He spent his childhood in Barrio Cabugawan, Rosales, where he first began to write. José was of Ilocano
Ilocano people
The Ilocano or Ilokano people are the third largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. Aside from being referred to as Ilocanos, from "i"-from, and "looc"-bay, they also refer to themselves as Samtoy, from the Ilocano phrase "sao mi ditoy", meaning 'our language here.' The word "Ilocano" came from...
descent whose family had migrated to Pangasinan before his birth. Fleeing poverty, his forefathers traveled from Ilocos
Ilocos
Ilocos collectively refers to two provinces in the Philippines: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Inhabitants are called Ilocanos and they speak the language Iloko, also called Ilocano.The Ilocos Region, containing four provinces, is named after Ilocos...
towards Cagayan Valley
Cagayan Valley
Cagayan Valley is a region of the Philippines, also designated as Region II or Region 02. It is composed of five provinces, namely: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino...
through the Santa Fe Trail. Like many migrant families, they brought their lifetime possessions with them, including uprooted molave posts of their old houses and their alsong, a stone mortar for pounding rice.
One of the greatest influences to José was his industrious mother who went out of her way to get him the books he loved to read, while making sure her family did not go hungry despite of poverty and landlessness. José started writing in grade school, at the time he started reading. In the fifth grade, one of José’s teachers opened the school library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
to her students, which is how José managed to read the novels of José Rizal
José Rizal
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
, Willa Cather
Willa Cather
Willa Seibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours , a novel set during World War I...
’s My Antonia, Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
and Steinbeck. Reading about Basilio and Crispin in Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere
Noli Me Tangere (novel)
Noli Me Tangere is a novel by Filipino polymath José Rizal and first published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. Early English translations used titles like An Eagle Flight and The Social Cancer, but more recent translations have been published using the original Latin title.Though originally written in...
made the young José cry, because injustice was not an alien thing to him. When José was five years old, his grandfather who was a soldier during the Philippine revolution, had once tearfully showed him the land their family had once tilled but was taken away by rich mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
s who knew how to work the system against illiterates like his grandfather.
Life as a writer
José attended the University of Santo TomasUniversity of Santo Tomas
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the...
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but dropped out and plunged into writing and journalism in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. In subsequent years, he edited various literary and journalistic publications, started a publishing house, and founded the Philippine branch of PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
, an international organization for writers. José received numerous awards for his work. The Pretenders is his most popular novel, which is the story of one man's alienation from his poor background and the decadence of his wife's wealthy family.
Jose Rizal
José Rizal
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
's life and writings profoundly influenced José's work. The five volume Rosales Saga, in particular, employs and interrogates themes and characters from Rizal's work.
Throughout his career, José's writings espouse social justice and change to better the lives of average Filipino families. He is one of the most critically acclaimed Filipino authors internationally, although much underrated in his own country because of his authentic Filipino English
Philippine English
Philippine English is the variety of English used in the Philippines by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. English is taught in schools as one of the two official languages of the country, the other being Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog.English is used in education,...
and his anti-elite views.
Sionil José also owns Solidaridad Bookshop, which is on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila
Ermita, Manila
Ermita is a district of Manila, Philippines located halfway between Intramuros and Malate.-History:Ermita was founded in the late 16th century...
. The bookshop offers mostly hard-to-find books and Filipiniana
Filipiniana
Filipiniana, based on the definition by Isagani Medina from “Collection Building: Filipiniana,” in his In Developing Special Library Collections, Filipiniana: Proceedings , refers to Philippine-related books and non-book materials...
reading materials. It is said to be one of the favorite haunts of many local writers.
In his regular column, Hindsight, in The Philippine Star, dated September 12, 2011, he wrote "Why we are shallow," blaming the decline of Filipino intellectual and cultural standards on a variety of modern amenities, including media, the education system--particularly the loss of emphasis on classic literature and the study of Greek and Latin--, and the abundance and immediacy of information on the internet.
Rosales Saga novels
A five-novel seriesThe Rosales Saga
The Rosales Saga, also known as the Rosales Novels, is a series of five historical and political novels written by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José...
that spans three centuries of Philippine history, widely read around the world and translated into 22 languages
- Po-onPo-on (novel)Po-on A Novel is a novel written by Francisco Sionil José, a Filipino English-language writer. This is the original title when it was first published in the Philippines in the English language. In the United States, it was published under the title Dusk A Novel...
(Dusk) (1984) ISBN 9718845100 - The PretendersThe Pretenders (novel)The Pretenders is a 1962 historical novel written by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José. It is the second to the last novel composing José’s series known as The Rosales Saga.-Description:...
(1962) ISBN 9718845003 - My Brother, My ExecutionerMy Brother, My ExecutionerMy Brother, My Executioner is a novel by Filipino author Francisco Sionil José written in Philippine English. A part of the so-called Rosales Saga - a series of five interconnected fiction novels - My Brother, My Executioner ranks third in terms of chronology...
(1973) ISBN 971884516X - MassMass (novel)Mass, also known as Mass: A Novel, is a 1973 historical and political novel written by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José. Together with The Pretenders, the Mass is the completion of José’s The Rosales Saga, which is also known as the Rosales Novels...
(December 31, 1974) ISBN 0868615722 - TreeTree (novel)Tree is a 1978 historical novel by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José. A story of empathy and subjugation, it is the second in José’s series known as The Rosales Saga or the Rosales Novels...
(1978) ISBN 9718845143
Original novels containing the Rosales Saga
- Dusk (Po-on) (1993) ISBN 0375751440
- Don Vicente (1980) ISBN 0375752439 - Tree and My Brother, My Executioner combined in one book
- The Samsons ISBN 0375752447- The Pretenders and Mass combined in one book
Other novels
- Gagamba (The Spider Man) (1991) ISBN 971536105645
- ViajeroViajeroViajero, Spanish for "The Wanderer" or "The Traveller", is a 1993 English-language novel written by multi-award winning Filipino author F. Sionil José. The literary theme is about the constant search of the Filipino people for “social justice and moral order”...
(1993) ISBN 971884504689 - SinSin (novel)Sin: A Novel, also known as Sins, is a 1973 politico-historical novel written by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José. This particular work of literature features the History of the Philippines, for the most part spanning the twentieth century, through the eyes of the “amoral” Don Carlos...
(1994) ISBN 0517284464 - Ben SingkolBen SingkolBen Singkol is a 2001 novel written by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José. It is about Benjamin "Ben" Singkol, who is described as “perhaps the most interesting character” created by the author. Based on José's novel, Singkol is a renowned novelist who wrote the book entitled "Pain", an...
(2001) ISBN 9718845321 - ErmitaErmita (novel)Ermita: A Filipino Novel is a novel by the known Filipino author F. Sionil Jose written in the English language.-Scenes:F. Sionil José brings the reader to a story to a time in Philippine history before the declaration of Martial Law by Ferdinand Marcos during the 1950s. José also brings his...
ISBN 9718845127 - Vibora!Vibora!Vibora! is a 2007 novel written by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José. The novel narrates the life of an accidental hero, Benjamin Singkol, during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines after escaping from Bataan during the Second World War...
(2007) - Sherds (2008)
- Muse and Balikbayan: Two Plays (2008)
- Short Stories (with Introduction and Teaching Guide by Thelma B. Kintanar) (2008)
Short story collection
- The God StealerThe God Stealer"The God Stealer" is a short story by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José. It is José's most anthologized work of fiction. It is not just a tale about an Ifugao stealing a religious idol, but also about the friendship that developed between a Filipino and an American, a representation of the...
and Other Short Stories (2001) ISBN 9718845356 - Puppy Love and Other Short Stories (March 15, 1998) ISBN 9718845267 and ISBN 978-9718845264
- Olvidon and Other Stories (1988) ISBN 9718845186
- Platinum: Ten Filipino Stories (1983) ISBN 9718845224 (now out of print, its stories are added to the new version of Olvidon and Other Stories)
- Waywaya: Eleven Filipino Short Stories (1980) ISBN 999228840X
- Asian PEN Anthology (as editor) (1966)
- Short Story International (SSI): Tales by the World's Great Contemporary Writers (Unabridged, Volume 13, Number 75) (co-author, 1989) ISBN 1555730426
Essays and non-fiction
- In Search of the Word (De La Salle University Press, March 15, 1998) ISBN 9715552641 and ISBN 978-9715552646
- We Filipinos: Our Moral Malaise, Our Heroic Heritage
- Soba, Senbei and Shibuya: A Memoir of Post-War Japan ISBN 9718845313 and ISBN 978-9718845318
- Heroes in the Attic, Termites in the Sala: Why We are Poor (2005)
- This I Believe: Gleanings from a Life in Literature (2006)
- Literature and Liberation (co-author) (1988)
In translation
- Po-on (Tagalog languageTagalog languageTagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
, De La Salle University Press, 1998) ISBN 9715552676 and ISBN 978-9715552677 - Anochecer (Littera) (Spanish languageSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Maeva, October 2003) ISBN 8495354950 and ISBN 978-8495354952
In anthologies
- Tong (a short story from Brown River, White Ocean: An Anthology of Twentieth-Century Philippine Literature in English by Luis Francia, Rutgers University Press, August 1993) ISBN 0813519993 and ISBN 978-0813519999
Awards
- Ramon Magsaysay AwardRamon Magsaysay AwardThe Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts (1980) - National Artist AwardNational Artist of the PhilippinesA National Artist of the Philippines is a title given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts...
for Literature (2001) - Pablo NerudaPablo NerudaPablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
Centennial Award (2004) - Palanca AwardsPalanca AwardsThe Palanca Awards or Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature is the Philippines' most prestigious and most enduring literary awards and is dubbed as the "Pulitzer Prize" of the Philippines...
Titles
- Frankie Sionil José: A Tribute by Edwin Thuboo (editor) (Times Academic Press, Singapore, January 2005) ISBN 9812104259 and ISBN 978-9812104250
- Conversations with F. Sionil José by Miguel A. Bernard (editor) (Vera-Reyes Publishing Inc., Philippines, 304 pages, 1991
- The Ilocos: A Philippine Discovery by James FallowsJames FallowsJames Fallows is an American print and radio journalist. He has been a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly for many years. His work has also appeared in Slate, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker and The American Prospect, among others. He is a...
, The Atlantic Monthly magazine, Volume 267, No. 5, May 1991 - F. Sionil José and His Fiction by Alfredo T. Morales (Vera-Reyes Publishing Inc., Philippines, 129 pages)
See also
- Philippine literature in EnglishPhilippine literature in EnglishPhilippine literature in English has its roots in the efforts of the United States, then engaged in a war with Filipino nationalist forces at the end of the 19th century. By 1901, public education was institutionalized in the Philippines, with English serving as the medium of instruction. That...
- Literature of the PhilippinesLiterature of the PhilippinesPhilippine literature is the literature associated with the Philippines and includes the legends of prehistory, and the colonial legacy of the Philippines, written in both Indigenous, and Hispanic languages. Most of the notable literature of the Philippines was written during the Spanish period and...
- Philippine EnglishPhilippine EnglishPhilippine English is the variety of English used in the Philippines by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. English is taught in schools as one of the two official languages of the country, the other being Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog.English is used in education,...
- The ThomasitesThomasitesThe Thomasites is a group of about five hundred pioneer American teachers sent by the U.S. government to the Philippines in August 1901.-Foundation, purpose and etymology:...
- Philinda RandPhilinda RandPhilinda Parsons Rand Anglemyer was an American English-language teacher in the Philippines. She was among the pioneering five hundred Thomasites who landed on the shores of the Philippines in August 1901 on board the U.S. sea vessel, USS Thomas, a converted cattle ship.-Biography:Rand is a...