Sharisse R.

Vejerano 2A3 Nick As a Man and As a Writer

Assignment in Literature

Nicomedes Marquez Joaquin is known for his nobility in writing; however Nick Joaquin stood up as a man first before he became a prestigious writer. His different experiences in life helped and inspired him in his writings and that makes him a National Artist. Nick is the fifth son of Leocadio Joaquin and Salome Marquez. They once lived as a wealthy family but misfortune in the family and the death of Leocadio came. His educational background makes him different from others because he does not have any formal education about writing. He attended Paco Elementary School but soon after three years of secondary education in Mapa High School, he quitted because of incompetent educators. Due to the misfortune that their family had, he was forced to work as an apprentice in a bakery and as a printers devil, which aroused his interest in writing. He was fond of books and that is why his father lent him a borrowers card at the National Library and there discovered different kinds of books; the library supplied the knowledge what the school should have given him. At a young age, he already started to write, including the essay, La Naval de Manila. This essay served as a ticket in entering Saint Alberts in Hongkong by the scholarship offered by the impressed Dominicans. They also give Nick an honorary Associate in Arts certificate only to qualify in the said scholarship. No allowance was given for Nick that is why he sold his outputs when he was in Hongkong. After two years, he quitted and went back to Manila due to restless life he had experienced. He also became a movie critique in the Board of Censors for Motion Picture. He seldom uncensored or cut a movie because he believe in the intelligence and good sense of moviegoers. Surprisingly, in 1998, Nick, besides being a National Artist, became an icon for Filipino drinkers in the commercial of San Miguel Beer due to his love for the said brand. Nick or Quijano de Manila, his penname, is the greatest Filipino writer of his generation. He is a Filipino poet, novelist, fictionist, essayist, playwright, biographer, journalist, historian, and lastly, a National Artist. He also became the proofreader, copywriter, and staff of the Philippine Free Press. During his years in Free Press, he was being estimated as a leading public figure in Philippine letters and he was also the reason why Free Press was the standard in Philippine writing in English. Another breakthrough in his career was the publication of Prose and Poems in 1952 that bolstered his reputation as Philippine Literature original voice. Some of his writings also marked him like Summer Solstice, Mayday Eve and Guardia de Honor that became his signature stories in Philippine writing in English. He also excelled in writing a play, like A Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino: An Elegy in Three Scenes, that became popular as it was translated and staged so many times. Candidos Apocalypse, Dona Jeronima, and The Order of Melkizedek was published by University of Queensland Press in Australia as a new edition of his fiction entitled Tropical Gothic. These writings of Nick Joaquin are the most outstanding Philippine fiction that has been ever written. Because of his notable talent in writing, he was appreciated through giving him numerous awards. Some of them are Jose Garcias Honor Roll (1940), Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Literary Awards (1957-58; 1965; 1976), Stonehill Award for the Novel (1961), Republic Cultural Heritage Award (1961), Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature (1996), and many more. And in 1976, he was proclaimed and received the title as the National Artist as an exchange for freedom of his close friend, Jose F. Lacaba. Nick Joaquin can be considered as a writer of all time because the pieces he created will undoubtedly last for many years and even century. Writers like him should be an epitome of a true Filipino writer.