F. Sionil José

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F. Sionil José or Francisco Sionil José, born December 3, 1924, is one of the most widely-read Filipino writers in the English language. His series of novels and short stories depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society.

Although F. Sionil José was born Rosales, Pangasinan, the setting of many of his stories, he is an Ilocano. He attended the University of Santo Tomas after World War II, but dropped-out and plunged into writing and journalism in Manila. In subsequent years, he edited various literary and journalistic publications, started a publishing house, and founded the Philippine branch of PEN, an international organization for writers. José received numerous awards for his work. The Pretenders is his most popular novel. It is the story of one man's alienation from his poor background and the decadence of his wife's wealthy family.

Throughout his career, his writings espouse social justice and change to better the lives of average Filipino families. Probably the most critically acclaimed Filipino author internationally, he is much underrated in his own country because of his authentic "Filipino English" and his anti-elite views.

Sionil José also owns a bookshop, Solidaridad Bookshop, which is located in Padre Faura Street, Ermita, Manila. The bookshop offers mostly hard-to-find books and Filipiniana reading materials. It is said to be one of the favorite haunts of many local writers.

[edit] Works

Rosales Novels Saga

A five-novel series that spans three centuries of Philippine history, widely read around the world and translated into 22 languages

Original Novels which contained the Rosales Saga

Other Novels

Novella

Short Story Collection

Verse

  • Questions

Non-Fiction

  • In Search of the Word
  • We Filipinos: Our Moral Malaise, Our Heroic Heritage
  • Soba, Senbei and Shibuya: A memoir of post-war Japan
  • Heroes in the Attic, Termites in the Sala: Why We are Poor

[edit] Awards

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