Bienvenido lumbera biography of michael

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November 29, 2013. "National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera passes away at 89".

He also received several awards citing his contribution to Philippine letters, most notably the 1975 Palanca Award for Literature; the 1993 Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts; several National Book Awards from the Manila Critics Circle; the 1998 Philippine Centennial Literary Prize for Drama; and the 1999 Cultural Center of the Philippines Centennial Honors for the Arts.

Retrieved April 15, 2022.

  • ^ abCastillo Llaneta, Celeste Ann (September 29, 2021). September 29, 2021.
  • ^"National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera dies at 89". Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  • ^ abcGalang, Miguel Louis M.

    (September 28, 2021). in Comparative Literature in 1967.[9]

    For his dissertation, he wrote a historico-critical study of Philippine literature on Francisco Baltazar, which would eventually be published chapter by chapter in a local academic journal, and later as the influential book Tagalog Poetry 1570-1898: Tradition and Influences in its Development.[11]

    Nationalist awakening

    It was while writing his dissertation at the Indiana University Bloomington that Lumbera took an interest in the American Civil Rights movement, which he credits for beginning his awakening as a Filipino nationalist.[3]

    Coming back to the Philippines after earning his PhD, Lumbera returned to teaching at the Ateneo at period when the campus was going through social change.[10]

    He became a key figure in the Filipinization movement, both within the campus and in the broader academic community of Manila.

    bienvenido lumbera biography of michael

    This has verifiable impact in elevating non-English vernaculars, yet debates persist on its selective emphasis—favoring leftist and nationalist voices—which some scholars argue sidelines conservative or accommodationist perspectives in historiography, potentially reflecting the editors' ideological commitments over pluralistic representation.[44][2][45]

    Librettos and Other Contributions

    Bienvenido Lumbera contributed librettos to several musical theater productions, collaborating with composers and choreographers to adapt Philippine literary and mythological narratives for the stage.

    In such ways, Lumbera contributed to the downfall of Marcos although he was in Japan during the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, teaching at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies. ABS CBN News and Public Affairs. Balaybay, Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang (2002) presented verses described as "rotten and bewitched," probing decay and resistance in societal structures through vivid, grounded imagery.[1] This progression culminated in Sa Dawit ng mga Salita (2010), where poems harness language's tension to articulate nationalist persistence.[1]Reception metrics include multiple National Book Awards for his literary output, alongside induction into the Palanca Hall of Fame in 2001 for sustained excellence across genres, though specific poetry wins underscore competitive recognition in verse.[4] Editions of these collections have been reprinted by publishers like Anvil, indicating ongoing demand in academic and literary circles.[46]

    Literary Criticism and Histories

    Bienvenido Lumbera's literary criticism emphasized the interplay between Philippine texts and their socio-historical contexts, often employing materialist frameworks to trace influences from colonial impositions to nationalist resistance.

    Lumbera authored numerous books, anthologies and textbooks such as: Revaluation; Pedagogy; Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology; Rediscovery: Essays in Philippine Life and Culture; Filipinos Writing: Philippine Literature from the Regions; and Paano Magbasa ng Panitikang Filipino: Mga Babasahing Pangkolehiyo.

    Early life

    Lumbera was born in Lipa on April 11, 1932.[7] He was barely a year old when his father, Timoteo Lumbera (a baseball player), fell from a fruit tree, broke his neck, and died.[8] Carmen Lumbera, his mother, suffered from cancer and died a few years later.

    In 1977, he served as editor of Diliman Review upon the request of then College of Arts and Sciences Dean Francisco Nemenzo Jr. The publication was openly against the dictatorship but was left alone by Marcos' authorities. Retrieved April 16, 2022.

  • ^Zulueta, Lito B. (October 3, 2021). He aligned with progressive groups pursuing national democratic objectives, including support for mass movements aimed at addressing social inequalities and land reform.[35] These affiliations reflected a persistent critique of post-EDSA governance as insufficiently transformative, favoring ongoing mobilization over electoral compromises.[2]Lumbera's ties extended to radical networks, as evidenced by posthumous tributes from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), who addressed him as "Ka Bien"—a revolutionaryhonorific signifying deep ideological alignment.[37] The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the CPP's political umbrella, similarly lauded his contributions to the protracted people's war, underscoring his perceived role in sustaining insurgency efforts despite the non-violent success of EDSA.[38] Such recognition from these entities, designated as terrorist organizations by the Philippine government and allies like the United States since 2002, highlights empirical sympathies for armed struggle, though originating from self-interested sources prone to aggrandizement.[37]Lumbera's post-1986 writings and public recitations at rallies emphasized anti-fascist themes, framing persistent activism as essential against perceived elite restoration.[39] However, this stance has drawn scrutiny for sidelining the NPA's documented involvement in over 40,000 clashes since 1969, resulting in civilian casualties and economic disruption exceeding PHP 100 billion in damages by 2020 estimates from government reports.[39] Evidence-based evaluations reveal that while left-wing pressures aided Marcos's downfall, the rejection of EDSA's pluralist outcome in favor of indefinite insurgency yielded no systemic reforms, perpetuating cycles of violence amid comparable regimes' collapses due to inefficiency and repression—outcomes underexplored in sympathetic narratives.[35]

    Academic and Institutional Roles

    Teaching Career at Universities

    Lumbera commenced his university-level teaching in the late 1960s at Ateneo de Manila University, delivering courses in literature, Philippine studies, and creative writing following his return from graduate studies in the United States.[2][29] His tenure there, spanning until the early 1970s, focused on introducing students to foundational texts in Philippine literary traditions amid the institution's English-medium curriculum.[40]After his release from detention in 1976, Lumbera joined the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1977, initially contributing to the Department of Filipino as an instructor before ascending to full professorial roles in Filipino and Philippine literature.[6] He served as editor of the Diliman Review from 1977 to 1978, influencing academic discourse on national literature through curated publications.

    In essays like "The Nationalist Literary Tradition," Lumbera highlighted how American control, secured by 1900, embedded political ideas that obscured exploitative dynamics in Philippine-American relations, framing literature as a tool for demystifying these legacies.[28] These efforts yielded tangible shifts, such as Ateneo's establishment of its first Philippine Studies Department under his influence by 1970, which institutionalized vernacular-focused scholarship and influenced wider academic debates on linguistic policy.[16]Supporters of Lumbera's approach praised it as a liberationist corrective, enabling empirical gains in cultural autonomy by elevating pre-colonial and revolutionary Tagalog poetry in syllabi, thereby fostering a literature responsive to Filipino realities over abstracted universalism.[29] Yet, these nationalist campaigns drew scrutiny for potentially prioritizing anti-Western rhetoric at the expense of addressing endogenous governance failures, such as elite corruption and regional disparities, which some observers argued hindered broader unity in favor of ideologically driven fragmentation.[14]

    Arrest and Imprisonment During Martial Law

    Bienvenido Lumbera was arrested by Philippine military forces in January 1974, following the imposition of martial law under Proclamation No.

    1081 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos on September 21, 1972.[30][31] He was detained at Camp Crame, a primary facility for political prisoners in Metro Manila, without formal charges or trial, as permitted under the regime's suspension of habeas corpus and warrantless arrest provisions aimed at suspected subversives.[32][33]Lumbera's nearly year-long detention, ending with his release in December 1974, occurred amid broader government efforts to suppress perceived threats from communist insurgency and leftist networks, including intellectuals accused of links to groups like the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People's Army.[31][16] While dissident accounts portray his imprisonment as emblematic of authoritarian repression against cultural figures resisting Marcos's rule, official rationales framed such arrests as essential security measures against subversion fueling armed rebellion, which had escalated with bombings, assassinations, and rural guerrilla activities in the early 1970s.[34][33] Verifiable records confirm the absence of due process in thousands of cases, including Lumbera's, yet contextual data indicate martial law's partial success in curbing urban crime and insurgency in certain regions through these detentions.[33]During confinement, Lumbera endured standard prison hardships but reportedly maintained productivity by crafting items for sale among inmates to supplement resources, reflecting adaptive resilience under duress rather than documented literary output smuggled externally.[35] His release, facilitated by regime discretion without specified presidential fiat, aligned with periodic amnesties for non-violent detainees amid international scrutiny of human rights abuses.

    Retrieved September 28, 2021.

  • ^Mendoza, John Eric (September 28, 2021). Inquirer Lifestyle.

    Sa Sariling Bayan: Apat na Dulang May Musika, an anthology of Lumbera's musical dramas, was published by De La Salle University-Manila Press in 2004.