Nicomedes “Nick” Marquez Joaquin, Who Wrote in English Essay Example

de Manila.

His journalism was both intellectual and provocative, an unknown genre in the Philippines at that time, and he raised the level of reportage in the country. Joaquin deeply admired Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. Joaquin paid tribute to him in books such as The Storyteller's New Medium - Rizal in Saga, The Complete Poems and Plays of Jose Rizal, and A Question of Heroes: Essays in Criticism on Ten Key Figures of Philippine History. He translated the hero's valedictory poem, in the original Spanish Mi Ultimo Adios, as "Land That I Love, Farewell! Joaquin represented the Philippines at the International PEN Congress in Tokyo in 1957, and was appointed as a member of the Motion Pictures commission under presidents Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand E. Marcos.

After being honored as National Artist, Joaquin used his position to work for intellectual freedom in society. He secured the release of imprisoned writer Jose F. Lacaba. At a ceremony on Mount Makiling attended by First Lady Imelda Marcos, Joaquin delivered an invocation to Mariang Makiling, the mountain's mythical maiden.

Joaquin touched on the importance of freedom and the artist. After that, Joaquin was excluded by the Marcos regime as a speaker from important cultural events. Joaquin died of cardiac arrest in the early morning of April 29, 2004, at his home in San Juan, Metro Manila. He was then editor of Philippine Graphic magazine where he worked with Juan P. Dayang, who was the magazine's first publisher. Joaquin was also publisher of its sister publication, Mirror Weekly, a women’s magazine. He also wrote the column (“Small Beer”) for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Isyu, an opinion tabloid.

Adaptations

Tatarin (2001), a movie based on Joaquin’s short story "The Summer Solstice", was directed by Amable “Tikoy” Aguiluz. The screenplay was written by Ricardo Lee. Joaquin was consulted on the film. The cast included notable Filipino actors Edu Manzano (as Paeng Moreta,) Dina Bonnevie (Lupe Moreta), Rica Peralejo (Amada), and Raymond B. Bagatsing.

Works

1. May Day Eve (1947)
2. Prose and Poems (1952)
3. The Woman Who had Two Navels (1961)
4. La Naval de Manila and Other Essays (1964)
5. A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1966)
6. Tropical Gothic (1972) A Question of Heroes (1977)
7. Jeseph Estrada and Other Sketches (1977)
8. Nora Aunor & Other Profiles (1977)
9. Ronnie Poe & Other Silhouettes (1977)
10. Reportage on Lovers (1977)
11. Reportage on Crime (1977)
12. Amalia Fuentes & Other Etchings (1977)
13. Gloria Diaz & Other Delineations (1977)
14. Doveglion & Other Cameos (1977)
15. Language of the Streets and Other Essays (1977)
16. Manila: Sin City and Other Chronicles (1977)
17. Tropical Baroque (1979),
18. Pop Stories for Groovy Kids (1979)
19. Reportage on the Marcoses (1979)
20. Language of the Street and Other Essays (1980) The Ballad of the Five Battles (1981)
21. Reportage on Politics (1981)
22. The Aquinos of Tarlac: An Essay on History as Three Generations (1983)
23. Almanac for Manilenos
24. Cave and Shadows (1983)
25. The Quartet of the Tiger Moon: Scenes from the People Power Apocalypse (1986)
26. Collected Verse (1987)
27. Culture and History: Occasional Notes on the Process of Philippine Becoming (1988)
28. Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young (1990),
29. The D. M. Guevara Story (1993),
30. Mr. F. E. U. , the Culture Hero That Was Nicanor Reyes (1995).
31. Rizal in Saga (1996) ABE: A Frank Sketch of E. Aguilar Cruz (2004) Awards
32. Jose Garcia Villa's
    

Honor Roll (1940)