Francisco Sionil José (December 3, 1924 – January 6, 2022) was a Filipino writer who was one of the most widely read in the English language. A National Artist of the Philippines for Literature, which was bestowed upon him in 2001, José's

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s and

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

in Filipino society. His works—written in English—have been translated into 28 languages, including

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

, Indonesian,

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

, Latvian, Ukrainian and Dutch. He was often considered the leading Filipino candidate for the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

Early life

José was born in Rosales, Pangasinan, the setting of many of his stories. He spent his childhood in Barrio Cabugawan, Rosales, where he first began to write. José is of Ilocano descent whose family had migrated to Pangasinan prior to his birth. Fleeing poverty, his forefathers traveled from Ilocos towards

Cagayan Valley Cagayan Valley (; ), designated as Region II, is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines. Located in the northeastern section of Luzon, it is composed of five Provinces of the Philippines, Philippine provinces: ...

through the Santa Fe Trail. Like many migrant families, they brought their lifetime possessions with them, including uprooted posts of their old houses and their , 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 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 A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

to her students, which is how José managed to read the novels of

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including ''O Pioneers!'', ''The Song of the Lark (novel), The Song of the Lark'', a ...

’s ''My Antonia'', Faulkner and

Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...

. Reading about ''Basilio'' and ''Crispin'' in Rizal's ''

Noli Me Tangere ''Noli me tangere'' ('touch me not') is the Latin version of a phrase spoken, according to John 20:17, by Jesus to Mary Magdalene when she recognized him after His resurrection. The original Koine Greek phrase is (). The biblical scene has b ...

'' 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 ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...

landlord A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord appli ...

s who knew how to work the system against

illiterate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

s like his grandfather.

Writing career

José attended the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but dropped out and plunged into writing and journalism in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. In subsequent years, he edited various literary and journalistic publications, started a publishing house, and founded the Philippine branch of

PEN PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...

, 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.

's life and writings profoundly influenced José's work. The five volume Rosales Saga, in particular, employs and integrates 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. José also owned Solidaridad Bookshop, located on Padre Faura Street in

Ermita, Manila Ermita is a district in central Manila, Philippines. It is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of Manila, bearing the seat of city government and a large portion of the area's e ...

. The bookshop offers mostly hard-to-find books and Filipiniana reading materials previously curated by his wife, Teresita, and foreign selections previously curated by himself. It is said to be one of the favorite haunts of many local writers. In his regular column, ''Hindsight'', in ''

The Philippine STAR ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...

'', 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. Nominated on numerous occasions for the

, the Nobel Library of the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy (), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is best known as the body t ...

possesses 39 copies of Sionil José's works in English and French translations. In May 2021, José stirred up controversy after publicly backing President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

amid his

Philippine drug war The Philippine drug war, also referred to as the Philippine war on drugs, is the intensified drug policy, anti-drug campaign initiated during Duterte administration, the administration of Rodrigo Duterte, who served as President of the Philipp ...

. José referred to Duterte as someone who "may yet be, next to Magsaysay, the best president we ever had", adding that under Duterte's term, the Philippines, he claims, was safer. Around 30,000 Filipinos, including children, were killed under the drug war initiated by Duterte. The Philippines also fell to 138th in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index under his watch. Duterte was later arrested by the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

for

crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...

in 2025.

Death

José died on the night of January 6, 2022, aged 97, at the Makati Medical Center, where he was scheduled for an

angioplasty Angioplasty, also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure, minimally invasive endovascular surgery, endovascular Medical procedure, procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructe ...

the next day.

Awards

Five of José's works have won the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature: his short stories ''The God Stealer'' in 1959, ''Waywaya'' in 1979, ''Arbol de Fuego'' (Firetree) in 1980, his novel ''Mass'' in 1981, and his essay ''A Scenario for Philippine Resistance'' in 1979. Since the 1980s, various award-giving bodies have feted José with awards for his outstanding works and for being an outstanding Filipino in the field of literature. His first award was the 1979 City of Manila Award for Literature which was presented to him by

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Ramon Bagatsing Ramon Delaraga Bagatsing Sr. (August 19, 1916 – February 14, 2006) was a Filipino politician. He was the only Filipino of Indian ancestry and person with disability (an amputee) who served as 17th Mayor of Manila from 1971 to 1986. Bagatsi ...

. The following year, he was given the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts. Among his other awards during that period include the Outstanding Fulbrighters Award for Literature (1988) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines Award (Gawad para sa Sining) for Literature (1989). By the turn of the century, José continued to receive recognition from several award-giving bodies. These include the Cultural Center of the Philippines Centennial Award in 1999, the prestigious

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

in 2000, and the Order of Sacred Treasure (Kun Santo Zuiho Sho) in 2001. In that same year, the Philippine government bestowed upon him the prestigious title of National Artist for Literature for his outstanding contributions to Philippine literature. In 2004, José garnered the coveted Pablo Neruda Centennial Award in Chile.

Works

''Rosales Saga'' novels

''A five-novel series that spans three centuries of Philippine history,'' translated into 22 languages: * ''

Po-on ''Po-on: A Novel'' is a 1984 novel written by Filipino English language writer, Francisco Sionil José, F. Sionil José. This is the original title when it was first published in the Philippines in the English language. In the United States, it ...

'' (Source) (1984) * ''

Tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

'' (1978) * '' My Brother, My Executioner'' (1973) * ''

The Pretenders The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...

'' (1962) * ''

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

'' (December 31, 1974)

Original novels containing the ''Rosales Saga''

* ''Source (Po-on)'' (1993) * ''Don Vicente'' (1980) – ''Tree'' and ''My Brother, My Executioner'' combined in one book * ''The Samsons'' ''The Pretenders'' and ''Mass'' combined in one book

Other novels

Novellas

* '' Three Filipino Women'' (1992) * '' Two Filipino Women'' (1981)

Short story collections

* ''Collected Short Stories'' (2022) * ''Short Stories'' (with Introduction and Teaching Guide by Thelma B. Kintanar) (2008) * '' The God Stealer and Other Stories'' (2001) * ''Puppy Love and Thirteen Short Stories'' (March 15, 1998) and * ''Olvidon and Other Stories'' (1988) * ''Platinum: Ten Filipino Stories'' (1983) (now out of print, its stories are added to the new version of ''Olvidon and Other Stories'') * ''Waywaya: Eleven Filipino Short Stories'' (1980) * ''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)

Children's books

*''The Molave and The Orchid'' (November 2004)

Verses

* ''Questions'' (1988)

Essays and non-fiction

* ''Literature and Liberation'' (co-author) (1988) * ''In Search of the Word'' (De La Salle University Press, March 15, 1998) and * ''We Filipinos: Our Moral Malaise, Our Heroic Heritage'' (1999) * ''Soba, Senbei and Shibuya: A Memoir of Post-War Japan'' (2000) and * ''Why We are Poor: Heroes in the Attic, Termites in the Sala'' (2005) * ''This I Believe: Gleanings from a Life in Literature'' (2006) * ''Why We are Hungry: Rats in the Kitchen, Carabaos in the Garden'' (2008) * ''Promdi: An Ilokano Biography'' (2021) * ''Writing the Nation: Essays on Philippine Literature, Politics, and Culture'' (2021)

In translation

* ''Zajatec bludného kruhu (The Pretenders)'' (Translated into

by Veronika Veisová) (Svoboda, 1981) * ''Po-on'' (Translated into Tagalog by Lilia F. Antonio) (De La Salle University Press, 1998) and * ''Puno'' (''Tree'') (Translated into Tagalog by Aurora E. Batnag) (Solidaridad Publishing House, 2017) * ''Aking Kapatid, Aking Berdugo'' (''My Brother, My Executioner'') (Translated into Tagalog by Jun Cruz Reyes) (Solidaridad Publishing House, 2018) * ''Mga Mapagpanggap'' (''The Pretenders'') (Translated into Tagalog by

Rogelio Mangahas Rogelio Mangahas (9 May 1939 – 4 July 2018) was a Filipino artist and poet. Born in Palasinan, Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, he was educated at the University of the East where he studied AB Filipino. Even then, he was already seeking o ...

) (Solidaridad Publishing House, 2019) * ''Masa'' (''Mass'') (Translated into Tagalog by Lualhati Bautista) (Solidaridad Publishing House, 2014) * ''Anochecer (Littera)'' (''Po-on'') (Translated into

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

by Carlos Milla Soler) (Maeva, October 2003) and

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) and

In film documentaries

* ''Francisco Sionil José – A Filipino Odyssey'' by Art Makosinski (Documentary, in color, 28min, 16mm. Winner of the Golden Shortie for Best Documentary at the 1996 Victoria Film and Video Festival)

Reviews

References

External links

F. Sionil José: The Myth of a Filipino Writer

Full Text: The God Stealer by F. Sionil Jose
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jose, F. Sionil 1924 births 2022 deaths Writers from Pangasinan Ilocano-language writers National Artists of the Philippines Jose, Franciso Sionil Jose, Franciso Sionil Filipino novelists Filipino male short story writers Filipino short story writers Ramon Magsaysay Award winners Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class Ilocano people The Philippine Star people Burials at the Libingan ng mga Bayani