Sulpicio Selerio Osório (January 17, 1898 – March 26, 1970) was a Filipino editor, poet, and writer of fiction and essay in Cebuano language.

Personal life

Osório was born in

Dalaguete Dalaguete, officially the Municipality of Dalaguete ( ceb, Lungsod sa Dalaguete; tgl, Bayan ng Dalaguete), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 74,596 people. Lo ...

, Cebu, Philippines on January 17, 1898 to parents, Estanislao Osório and Hilaria Selerio. His cousin is poet and novelist Amando Osorio. Sulpicio attended Cebu Normal University, and Philippine Normal College in Manila where he didn't finish his teaching degree. He once served as secretary of the municipality of Dalaguete.

Writing

A prolific novelist and one of the early short story writers in Cebuano in the pre- World War II period, Osório used the pen names Biyan Torinoy and Sulposor. His first articles saw print in 1918 and he was actively publishing his novels, short stories, and essays well into 1920s and 1930s in various prewar Cebuano periodicals including

Vicente Rama Vicente Rama (June 6, 1887 – December 24, 1956) was a Filipino Visayan legislator, publisher, and writer from Cebu, Philippines. Recognized as the Father of Cebu City, he authored the bill for its cityhood which was approved into law by Octobe ...

's ''

Bag-ong Kusog ''Bag-ong Kusog'' (''New Force'') was a periodical in the Cebuano language that was in circulation before World War II. Established in 1915 in Cebu, Philippines, with its bilingual predecessor, ''Nueva Fuerza,'' it was published every Friday unt ...

''. At one time, he had four serialized novels running simultaneously. He became an editor for the periodical ''El Democrata'' in 1921. His best known novel was ''Mga Bungsod nga Gipangguba'' (Destroyed Fish Corrals) which when printed in 1929 caused a stir for its anti-clerical theme and earned the Catholic Church's ire. Similar to the works of his contemporaries, the novel was characterized as heavily influenced by the 19th century European

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

and naturalism and the 20th century American realistic fiction. His later works featured romance and

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

such as ''Carlito ug Amparing'' that was published in 1947 and the trilogy: ''Sa Kinahitas-an sa Panganud'' (Upon the Highest Cloud) in 1928, ''Sa Kinahiladman sa Dagat'' (In the Depths of the Sea) in 1931, and ''Sa Kayutaan ni Konpusyo'' (In the Land of Konpusyo) in 1932. He died on March 26, 1970.

Works

Cebuano Studies Center of the

University of San Carlos The University of San Carlos, also referred to by its acronym USC or colloquially shortened to San Carlos, is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province ...

compiled a list of his works that were printed in ''Bag-ong Kusog.''

Historical commemoration

* In 1994, writer Gumer Rufanan was awarded a Literature Grant by the Cultural Center of the Philippines for translating Sulpicio Osório's ''Mga Bungsod Nga Gipangguba.''

External links

Cebuano Studies Center: Sulpicio Osorio

References