Ma. Felisa H. Batacan
Encyclopedia
Maria Felisa H. Batacan is a Filipino journalist and a writer of crime and mystery fiction. Her work has been published in the Philippines and abroad under the name F.H. Batacan.
She was a fellow at the 1996 Dumaguete National Writers' Workshop.
Batacan worked in the Philippine intelligence community and then became a broadcast journalist. She attended the University of the Philippines
, where she pursued a master's degree in Arts Studies. In 1999 her manuscript, Smaller and Smaller Circles
, won the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature Grand Prize for the English Novel. This novel was published in 2002 by the University of the Philippines Press
. Although most Filipino English-language fiction works garner a single print run of only 1,000 copies, Smaller and Smaller Circles had been reprinted four times by the year 2006, for a total of 6,000 copies. The novel was one of the first Filipino works of crime fiction
.
The novel also won the 2002 Manila Critics’ Circle National Book Award and the Madrigal-Gonzales Best First Book Award in 2003.
In 2008, she won 1st prize in the English short story category of the Philippines Free Press Literary Awards.
She was a fellow at the 1996 Dumaguete National Writers' Workshop.
Batacan worked in the Philippine intelligence community and then became a broadcast journalist. She attended the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
, where she pursued a master's degree in Arts Studies. In 1999 her manuscript, Smaller and Smaller Circles
Smaller and Smaller Circles
Smaller and Smaller Circles is a mystery novel by Filipino novelist F. H. Batacan. It won the Carlos Palanca Grand Prize for the English Novel in 1999. It also won the National Book Award 2002 and Madrigal-Gonzalez Award 2003....
, won the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature Grand Prize for the English Novel. This novel was published in 2002 by the University of the Philippines Press
University of the Philippines Press
The University of the Philippines Press is the official publishing house for all constituent units of the U.P. system, and is the first university press in the country...
. Although most Filipino English-language fiction works garner a single print run of only 1,000 copies, Smaller and Smaller Circles had been reprinted four times by the year 2006, for a total of 6,000 copies. The novel was one of the first Filipino works of crime fiction
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
.
The novel also won the 2002 Manila Critics’ Circle National Book Award and the Madrigal-Gonzales Best First Book Award in 2003.
In 2008, she won 1st prize in the English short story category of the Philippines Free Press Literary Awards.