The Post-war Period
During the Japanese occupation, when Tagalog was favored by the Japanese military authority, writing in English was consigned to limbo, since most of the English writers are forced to write in Tagalog or joined in the underground and write English stories based on the battles to serve as propaganda pieces in boosting the morale of the guerrillas. It picked up after the war, however, with a fervor and drive for excellence that continue to this day. Stevan Javellana’s "Without Seeing the Dawn" (1947), the first postwar novel in English, was published in the United States. In 1946, the Barangay Writers Project was founded to help publish books in English.
Against a background marked by political unrest and government battles with Hukbalahap guerrillas, writers in English in the postwar period honed their sense of craft and techniques. Among the writers who came into their own during this time were, among many others:
- Francis James De mesa
- Carl Joseph Cruz
- Qwerty Uiop
- Wiw
- Wiw
- Carlos Bulosan
- Linda Ty Casper
- Gilda Cordero-Fernando
- Amador Daguio
- jansen allen abanes
- Ricaredo Demetillo
- N. V. M. Gonzalez
- Sinai C. Hamada
- Alejandrino Hufana
- Dominador Ilio
- Nick Joaquin
- F. Sionil José
- Virginia Moreno
- Vicente Rivera Jr.
- Alejandro R. Roces
- Bienvenido Santos
- Abelardo and Tarrosa Subido
- Edilberto K. Tiempo
- Kerima Polotan Tuvera
- Manuel A. Viray
- Oscar de Zuñiga
Fresh from studies in American universities, usually as Fulbright or Rockefeller scholars, a number of these writers introduced New Criticism to the country and applied its tenets in literature classes and writing workshops. In this way were born the Silliman National Writers Workshop.
Read more about this topic: Philippine Literature In English
Famous quotes containing the words post-war and/or period:
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—Clare Boothe Luce (1903–1987)
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