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Philippine Literature in English
Philippine Literature in English - English as a literary vehicle for Filipino writers is a choice forced by history. With the coming of the Americans a new system of education was begun and English was made the medium of instruction in the schools.
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The Filipino writers began haltingly at first producing unimaginative verse patterned after American and European models but soon progressed to produce a body of literature for the world to notice.
The period of self discovery and growth found Philippine writing in English diverse and prolific. There was improvement and growth and the Filipino writers showed mastery of the English idiom. There were many incentives: recognition abroad, national awards in literature, a wider reading public.
The war years, 1942-1945 set back the development of Philippine literature in English. The Japanese conquerors discouraged the use of English; moreover, freedom of speech and freedom of the press was denied. Such an atmosphere did not provide the impetus for writing. Primarily, however, the writers were concerned more with survival in the face of war, famine, and disease than with writing.
The post-war reorientation period was marked by a rapid rise in journalistic writing. Most of the books published in the years immediately after the war were collections, anthologies, or second editions of prewar or wartime works. Recently, however, our contemporary writers have been prolific in producing quality literature in English. The Filipino author has at last mastered not only the language but also the form and standards of English literature.
Lately, Philippine literature has been enriched with the publication of more and more books not only in English but also in Pilipino. With Pilipino as the national language, there is the move to make is eventually the medium of instruction in the schools. Bilinigualism is used in the classrooms. Because of this, it is expected that more literature in Pilipino will be produced by a new crop of writers. Recently, masterpieces, such as the works of Shakespeare and other famous writers have been translated into Pilipino. the future will, no doubt, see great works produced in English as well as Pilipino.