The Canonical Authors and Philippine National Artists

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions of the literary canon and the key achievements, roles, and notable works of Philippine National Artists.

Canon

Refers to a collection of works considered authoritative, influential, or essential within a particular field like literature, representing a “gold standard.”

Virgilio S. Almario

Known as Rio Alma, he is a poet and critic who revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms and served as the author of the UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino.

Cirilo F. Bautista

A poet and fictionist who was awarded the National Book Award five times and was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Palanca Awards in 1993.

Francisco Arcellana

One of the most important progenitors of the modern Filipino short story in English who pioneered its development as a lyrical prose-poetic form.

Nestor Vicente Madali (N.V.M.) Gonzalez

A fictionist and poet who articulated the Filipino spirit in rural and urban landscapes and was conferred the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, by U.P. in 1987.

Amado V. Hernandez

A poet and novelist known for his socio-political writings who viewed the function of the writer as acting as the conscience of society.

Mga Ibong Mandaragit (Birds of Prey)

A 1969 novel by Amado V. Hernandez based on his experiences as a guerilla and a labor leader.

Luha ng Buwaya (Crocodile Tears)

A masterpiece novel by Amado V. Hernandez written during his imprisonment and published in 1972.

Nick Joaquin

The most distinguished Filipino writer in English, famous for his baroque "Joaquinesque" style and works like The Woman Who Had Two Navels.

F. Sionil Jose

The author of the five-novel series known as the Rosales Saga and the founder of the Philippine chapter of PEN.

The God Stealer

A 1959 short story by F. Sionil Jose that won the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature.

Bienvenido Lumbera

A poet and scholar regarded as the "Edgar Allan Poe" of the Philippines who introduced Bagay Poetry to Tagalog literature.

Bagay Poetry

A form of Tagalog literature characterized by the use of the vernacular language and everyday speech patterns to make it accessible to ordinary people.

Alejandro R. Roces

Considered the country’s best writer of comic short stories, known for "My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken" and leading the campaign to change Independence Day to June 12.

Carlos P. Romulo

The only Asian to win the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism and the first Asian president of the United Nations General Assembly.

I am a Filipino

A 1941 essay by Carlos P. Romulo discussing Philippine identity and pride in the country’s culture and heroes.

Edith L. Tiempo

A poet and teacher who, with her husband, founded the Silliman National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City.

Jose Garcia Villa

A poet who used the penname Doveglion and introduced the reversed consonance rhyme scheme and "comma poems."

Doveglion

The penname of Jose Garcia Villa, which stands for Dove, Eagle, and Lion.

Lazaro Francisco

Known as the Master of the Tagalog novel, he developed the social realist tradition and established KAWIKA in 1958.

KAWIKA

The Kapatiran ng mga Alagad ng Wikang Pilipino, an advocacy group for Tagalog as a national language established by Lazaro Francisco.

Carlos Quirino

A historian and biographer who was the first recipient of the National Artist for Historical Literature award in 1997.

The Great Malayan

A 1940 biography of Jose Rizal written by Carlos Quirino.