Find your next favorite literary masterpiece

Deciding what to read next? Try some of the most notable and brilliant works by National Artists for Literature.

The Flowers of May by National Artist Francisco Arcellana. Set in 1934, this short story revolves around a father who just lost his daughter. It narrates how the grieving family, amid their shock and pain, comes to accept the death of their family member two months after the funeral. This piece won second place in the 1951 Palanca Awards. It was also featured in Our Very Own, a TV anthology of dramatic readings directed by Father James Reuter and starring National Artists Lamberto Avellana and Daisy Avellana. Arcellana was named National Artist in 1990.

The Tracks of Babylon and Other Poems by National Artist Edith L. Tiempo. If you are into poetry, this is the book for you. A collection of poems that exemplifies the National Artist’s genius in creating images and incorporating irony through her phenomenal usage of words. In this book, you can find poems such as “The Tracks of Babylon,” “The Return,” “Mid-Morning for Sheba,” “Lament for the Littlest Fellow” and “St. Anthony’s Feast,” among others. Tiempo was conferred the National Artist award in 1999.

Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa by National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera. The anthology contains 103 poems the National Artist wrote between 1956 and 1992. Divided into three sections, “Paghihintay,” “Paroo’t Parito” and “Paglingon at Pagtanaw,” this poetry collection depicts massive poverty, realities of urban dwelling and the tyranny of the city’s idle upper class.

A Season of Grace by National Artist N.V.M Gonzales. Set in post-war Oriental Mindoro, the novel depicts the barrio life, with farming and kaingin as central theme. From the book synopsis, the novel counters the myth of the Philippines’ lost native past and cultural weakness in the face of foreign dominance. González was proclaimed National Artist in 1997.

Lemlúnay: Pagunita sa Gunita by National Artist Virgilio S. Almario. Almario’s latest collection of poems features 30 poems, written from 2018 to 2023, with English translation by poet Marne Kilates. The book is one of Almario’s most visual books with photographs by journalist and publication designer Roel Hoang Manipon, and design by Manipon and Mervin Concepcion Vergara, adding additional ways of seeing and interpreting. Almario was proclaimed National Artist in 2003.

The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus by National Artist Cirilo F. Bautista. The Archipelago, Telex Moon and Sunlight on Broken Stones comprise The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus, which have been written individually but are connected by historical events. The first book, The Archipelago, depicts the Spanish colonization in the Philippines, while the second book, Telex Moon, laments the simultaneous growth and degradation of Manila. The trilogy continues with Sunlight on Broken Stones, chronicling Philippine history and the search of Filipino identity during the tumultuous periods. The National Artist award was conferred on Bautista in 2014.

The Woman Who Had Two Navels by National Artist Nick Joaquin. One of the most popular works by Nick Joaquin, next to A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, the novel follows the story of a Filipino woman who believes that she has two navels and consults a horse doctor to rectify her abnormality. Joaquin was named National Artist in 1976.

Mga Ibong Mandaragit by National Artist Amado V. Hernandez. This is what a telenovela should be made of — swashbuckling adventures of the protagonist, voyeuristic lives of the upper classes and love stories among the characters, set during the last year of Japanese occupation. Hernandez was one of the first Filipinos proclaimed as National Artists, in 1973, the second year the prestigious award was given.

Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig by National Artist Lazaro Francisco. First serialized in Liwayway magazine in 1955, the novel is about a gardener who lost faith in the oppressive social system. After he is accused of committing robbery and homicide, he becomes a fugitive. With each encounter he has along the way, he returns to living a normal life. The National Artist award was posthumously given to Francisco in 2009.

The Rosales Saga novels by National Artist F. Sionil Jose. A series of five interconnected historical novels — Po-on, Tree, My Brother My Executioner, The Pretenders and Mass — the saga traces the five generations of two families, the Samsons and the Asperri, through Spanish and American periods in Philippine history. All books are set in Rosales, Pangasinan, the hometown of the author. The National Artist award was bestowed upon Jose in 2001.

“I Am A Filipino” by National Artist Carlos P. Romulo. If you need inspiration on why you should be proud to be a Filipino despite the realities of our time, read Romulo’s I Am A Filipino. Published in The Philippines Herald in 1941, the essay touched on the “immortal seed of heroes,” exemplifying the sacrifices made by Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Gen. Gregorio del Pilar, Antonio Luna and Diego Silang, among others. It also contains the pledge of the National Artist as a Filipino. He became a National Artist in 1982.

Poems 55 by National Artist Jose Garcia Villa. Known for its revolutionary content, the collection of poems portrays a sensual kind of love and the human relationship with the Divine. The poems found here started the movement of modernism in Philippine poetry. Villa was conferred the National Artist award in 1973.

“Of Cocks and Kites” by National Artist Alejandro Roces. Originally titled “Of Cocks and Men” when it was first published by the Philippine Free Press, the story is about people who are predators and use questionable means to get what they want and harm their victims. With the book, Of Cocks and Kites, and Other Short Stories, he was deemed “perhaps the country’s best writer of humor stories.” Roces was bestowed the National Artist award in 2003.

Kristal na Uniberso by National Artist Rolando S. Tinio. This collection of poems marked Tinio’s return to the Philippine poetic tradition, as mirrored in the affectionate and sentimental nature of the contents. The collection is divided into five sections: Russian sojourn, domestic poems, poems of parting and regret, love songs (including the Filipino translation of English love songs) and original lyrics of folk songs. Tinio was awarded posthumously in 1997 as National Artist for theater and literature.

Brains of the Nation: Pedro Paterno, T.H. Pardo De Tavera, Isabelo de los Reyes and the Production of Modern Knowledge by National Artist Resil B. Mojares. Focusing on the lives and works of Pedro Paterno, T.H. Pardo de Tavera and Isabelo de los Reyes, three of the most famous movers in Philippine history, the book gives readers a closer look into the thoughts of these individuals. Mojares was awarded the National Artist in 2018.

Margosatubig: Maragtas ni Salagunting by National Artist Ramon L. Muzones. Set in a fictional Muslim state called Margosatubig, a hero-heir leads the fight to recover their kingdom after its legitimate rulers because of treachery and intrigue. Filled with fantastic scenes, romance and epic plot, the Hiligaynon novel is considered the first Ilonggo bestseller. It first appeared as a serial novel published in Yuhum magazine in 1946. Muzones was a posthumous recipient of the National Artist award in 2018.

In Another Light: Poems and Essays by National Artist Gemino H. Abad. The book contains 11 critical essays on Philippine poetry, analyzing it through the Chicago neo-Aristotelian method of literary criticism. Several poems are included, such as “Islander in the Yard,” “The Moon and the Prisoner” and “Iimpressions of a Guitarist,” among others. Abad received the National Artist award in 2022.