Carlos Quirino 2010 stamp of the Philippines

Carlos Lozada Quirino (14 January 1910 – 20 May 1999) was a

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

biographer and historian. Not only known for his works on biographies and history but also on varied subjects such as the old maps of the Philippines and also the culinary legacy of the country.

Life

Carlos Quirino is a nephew of Philippine president

Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (born Elpidio Quirino y Rivera; ; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the sixth president of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino enter ...

. He is a famous Filipino historian and biographer at his time, receiving his journalism degree in 1931 from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Known for his early biography of

Jose Rizal Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galile ...

entitled ''"The Great Malayan"'' (1940), he also wrote several works in relation with the Philippine history and biographies of President

Manuel Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his d ...

and the painter Damian Domingo. Quirino joined the Philippine Army and became second lieutenant before the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. During the Japanese occupation, he was forced to join the

Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March (Filipino: ''Martsa ng Kamatayan sa Bataan''; Spanish: ''Marcha de la muerte de Bataán'' ; Kapampangan: ''Martsa ning Kematayan quing Bataan''; Japanese: バターン死の行進, Hepburn: ''Batān Shi no Kōshin'') was ...

but escaped and joined the underground resistance. Under President

Diosdado Macapagal Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. (; September 28, 1910 – April 21, 1997) was a Filipino lawyer, poet and politician who served as the ninth president of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth vice president, serving from 19 ...

, Quirino became director of the National Library. He was also became the first director of the

Ayala Museum The Ayala Museum is a museum in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is run privately by the Ayala Foundation and houses archaeological, ethnographic, historical, fine arts, numismatics, and ecclesiastical exhibits. Since its establishment in ...

in 1970 due to his historical expertise. In 1997 he was recognised as a

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippin ...

for Historical Literature.

Writing Style

Quirino's style of writing took a liberal approach of putting narrative and storytelling in his biographies. His biography of Rizal is a good example of his playful writing, as it is evident that he transformed the thoughts of Rizal and other relevant individuals, occasionally breaking them into direct conversations.

Bibliography

* ''Man of Destiny'' (1935) * ''The Great Malayan'' (1940) * ''Magsaysay and the Philippines'' (1958) * ''Philippine Cartography'' (1959) * ''Damian Domingo: First Eminent Filipino Painter'' (1961) * ''History of the Philippine Sugar Industry'' (1974) * ''Filipinos at War'' (1981) * ''Amang, the Life and Times of Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr.'' (1983)

References

1910 births 1999 deaths 20th-century Filipino historians Carlos Burials at the Libingan ng mga Bayani {{Philippines-writer-stub