21st Century

• Different Periods of Philippine Literature

  • Pre-Colonial Period
  • Spanish Colonization Period
  • Nationalistic/Propaganda and Revolutionary Period
  • American Colonial Period
  • Japanese Occupation
  • The Rebirth of Freedom
  • Contemporary/Modern Period
• Literary Forms in Pre-Colonial Period


  • Oral Literature
  • Folk Songs
  • Folk Tales
• Oral Literature


  • Riddles (bugtong, tigmo, paktakon, patotdon)
  • Proverbs (salawikain)
  • Tanaga
• Folk Songs


  • Hele or oyayi (lullaby)
  • Ambahan (Mangyan)
  • Kalusan (Ivatan)
  • Tagay (Cebuano and Waray)
  • Kanogan (Cebuano)
• Folk Tales


  • Myths
  • Legends
  • Fables
  • Fantasy stories
  • Epics
• Literary Forms in Spanish Colonization Period

  • Religious Literature
  • Secular (non-religious literature)
• Religious Literature


  • Pasyon
  • Senakulo
• Secular (non-religious literature)


  • Awit
  • Korido
  • Prose Narratives
• Literary Forms in Nationalistic/Propaganda and Revolutionary Period

  • Propaganda Literature
  • Revolutionary Literature
• Propaganda Literature


  • Political Essays
  • Political Novels
• Revolutionary Literature


  • Political Essays
  • Poetry
• Period of Apprenticeship (1910-1930)


  • Filipino writers imitated English and American models
  • Poems were amateurish and mushy, with awkward and artificial phrasing and diction
• Short Stories in Period of Apprenticeship

  • Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez
  • The Key by Paz Latorena
  • Footnote to Youth by Jose Garcia Villa
• Period of Emergence (1920-1930)


  • Highly influenced by Western literary trends like Romanticism and Realism
  • Short stories were the most prevalent literary form
• Jose Garcia Villa earned the international title "Poet of the Century"
• Fiction during Japanese Occupation


  • 25 Pinakamabuting Maikling Kathang Pilipino (1943)
  • Suyuan sa Tubigan by Macario Pineda
  • Lupang Tinubuan by Narciso Reyes
  • Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa by Liwayway Arceo
• Period of Maturity and Originality (1945-1960)


  • Bountiful harvest in poetry, fiction, drama, essay
  • Filipino writers mastered English and familiarized themselves with diverse techniques
• Palanca Awards for Literature and National Artist Awards were established
• The Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature was launched in 1950 and served as inspiration to Filipino writers
• Tigsik


  A form of literature in the Bicol region of the Philippines, similar to Haiku of Japan but with a different syllable pattern