21st

• Newspapers

  • El Nuevo Dia (The New Day) by Sergio Osmena, El Grito Del Pueblo (The Call of the Nation) by Pascual Poblete, El Renacimiento (The Rebirth) by Rafael Palma
• Literary creation during the American Period was motivated by two advancements in education and culture
• During the Period of Apprenticeship (1910-1930), Filipino writers imitated English and American models
• Characteristics and Features of the American Period

  • Zarzuelas popularized by Severino Reyes, Tagalog Prose Fiction by Lope K. Santos, Modesto Santiago, Valeriano Hernandez, Novel "Banaag at Sikat" by Lope K. Santos, Poetry by Marcelo de Gracia Concepcion, Jose Garcia Villa, Angela Manalang Gloria, Abelardo Subido, Trinidad Tarrosa Subido, Rafael Zulueta da Costa
• The Three Periods That Emerged During American Period

  • The Period of Reorientation (1898-1910), The Period of Imitation (1910-1924), Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-1941)
• Well-known translators during the Japanese Period

  • Francisco Soc Rodrigo, Alberto Concio, Narciso Pimentel
• Voice of Freedom, an underground radio, served as the only contact of Filipinos with the outside world during the Japanese Period
• During the Japanese Period, freedom of speech was prohibited and Filipino literature was described as "bitter and pessimistic" by Victoria Abelardo
• The guerillas performed oral and written literature to fight against the Japanese during the Japanese Period
• Short Stories


  • Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez, The Small Key by Paz Latorena, Footnote to Youth by Jose Garcia Villa
• During the Japanese Period, writers in English turned to writing in Filipino, encouraged by the circumstances
• During the Japanese Period (1941-1945), the development of Philippine literature was jeopardized when Japan conquered the Philippines
• During the American Period, the short story prospered in college publications like UP Literary Apprentice, Philippine Free Press, The Graphic, The Philippine Magazine
• Founded Schools/Universities in the Philippines during American Colonial Period

  • 1901: Philippine Normal College (now PNU), National University, Siliman University, El Colegio de San Beda (now SBU)

  1902: Negros Oriental High school, Ilo-ilo Normal School

  1904: St. Paul University, Filamer Christian University, Zamboanga Normal School, Escuela de Farmacia del Liceo de Manila (now MCU)

  1905: Central Philippine University

  1908: University of the Philippines

  1914: University of Manila

  1915: Cebu Normal School

  1919: Philippine Women’s University, Jose Rizal University

  1925: Mapua Institute of Technology

  1933: Far Eastern University

  1938: Arellano University

  1941: San Sebastian College – Recoletos
• Plays


  • Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) by Aurelio Tolentino, Tanikalang Ginto by Juan Abad, Malaya by Tomas Remigio, Walang Sugat by Severino Reyes
• Movie houses showing American films were closed during the Japanese Period and were replaced by stage plays translated from English to Tagalog
• Most poems during the Japanese Period centered on nationalism, love, life in the barrios, faith, religion, and arts
• Well-known translators during that time

  • Francisco Soc Rodrigo
  • Alberto Concio
  • Narciso Pimentel
• Ginto sa Makiling, a novel by Macario Pineda, was published


  1946
• Only those residing in the United States were able to write freely
• Many plays during the Japanese Period were reproductions of English plays translated to Tagalog
• Common themes of Philippine Literature during the Post War-Contemporary Period include Romanticism, Nationalism, Independence, Nature, and Expression of Feelings
• Amado Hernandez, a poet and social activist, wrote novels encouraging social change
• Types of poems that emerged during the Japanese Period

  • Haiku (5-7-5)
  • Tanaga (4 lines, each with 7 syllables)
  • Karaniwang anyo (usual metrical form)
• Lazaro Francisco, a famous Tagalog novelist, produced three novels reflecting social and moral ideals influenced by Rizal
• Common themes of Philippine Literature during the Post War- Contemporary Period

  • Romanticism
  • Nationalism
  • Independence
  • Nature
  • Expression of Feelings
• Writers in English dominated the genres of Post-war poetry and fiction
• Movie houses showing American films were closed and replaced by stage plays translated from English to Tagalog
• Challenges faced by the Government


  • In the 1950s, Guerilla warfare (HUKBALAHAP) caused problems, but in the Magsaysay administration, they vanished, neutralized, or were gone
  • Journalists indulged in a more militant attitude in their reporting
• Playwrights and their well-known plays

  • Jose Ma. Hernandez - "Panday Pira"
  • Francisco Soc Rodrigo - "Sa pula, sa Puti"
  • Clodualdo del Mundo - "Bulaga"
  • Julian Cruz Balmaceda - "Sino ba Kayo?", "Dahil sa Anak", "Higante ng Patay"
• Filipino writers during the Post-War Period

  • Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez - "The Bamboo Dancers"
  • Macario Pineda - "Ginto sa Makiling"
  • Steven “Esteban” Javellana - "Without seeing the Dawn"