Tuesday last week was Jose Garcia Villa's ninth death anniversary. I was hoping that the national publications would give tribute to this remarkable figure who put the Philippines in the map of world literature. Sometime ago I was upset upon knowing that most students do not know who he is. What was more troubling was knowing that they don't even care to research who this figure is.
The late National Artist for Literature was an interesting entity. Who could have had a more interesting life, career and aura than this slave of art or maybe to make it more apt - Art's red-thighed lover. He was suspended from UP after the publication of his famous series of prose poems entitled "Man Songs" in the late 1920s when he was just a college student. The eminent poem that earned the ire of some conservative groups was "The Coconut Poem" (formerly called "Song of Ripeness) because of its "obvious" sensuality. He was suspended from the school upon the recommendation of then dean of the College of Law, Jorge Bocobo and fined P50. Villa, however, protested, saying that his poems were not at all explicit if looked into another level. This did not, however, toned down the "sentence" he met with the school. Villa did not stoop down into the conservative group's view of art. By then he won the prestigious literary competition of the Philippines FREE PRESS Magazine for his short story "Mir-i-Nisa". With the P1,000 prize money he went to the United States to secure "greener pastures" and to seek literary roots. In the US, Villa became the poet and critic immortal he had always wanted. Every year he rated the best stories published locally and established the standards of Philippine literature. Villa's annual selection became the item of the year in Philippine literary scene. It generated both positive and negative responses. But he was never undaunted of these counter-criticisms. He was a genius and his theories were amazing. In the US Villa became a celebrity. His first collection of poems "Have Come, Am Here" generated wonderful review from gargantuan critics and poets like Edith Sitwell, Marianne Moore, Babette Deutsch, among others. That book could have been the first poetry book by a Filipino to have won the prestigious Pulitzer prize in Poetry in 1943. It was unanimously voted for the top prize by the Pulitzer committee but vetoed by the chairman as he did not want the prize to be awarded to an experimental poet. That collection contains Villa's valid experiment - the reverse consonance. The award was instead given to Robert Frost who also has a poetry collection that year entitled "A Witness Tree", however, it was only the second choice. During his prime, the Villa stories were sprouting - in national magazines and in local dailies. He was always the talk of the town because of his "acts". He believed in "Art for art's sake" approach and he applied it to his life and works. The first article I have read about Villa was authored by Jonathan Chua for the Fookien Times years ago. It was beautifully written that it lead me to research on the wonderful persona. It lead to an article written by another National Artist Nick Joaquin, who, writing as Quijano de Manila, who wrote a comely description of the life of Villa in the article "Viva Villa". Chua by the way compiled Villa's literary criticisms in one book "The Critical Villa". If anyone who wishes to know more of Villa as an artist and critic he should secure this rare volume. It also contains Villa's annual selections and other valuable essays on criticisms. The footnotes were precious, too. UP's J. Neil Garcia wrote a comely essay on Villa years back, which was published in the Free Press. In it, he brought to light the stories that missed the press when Villa's first and only collection of stories came out. These stories were said to be daring because it tackles homosexual theme - that, in the 1930s when such themes were a big taboo. Poet and De La Salle professor Cirilo F. Bautista made a fitting tribute to his friend in his column in Panorama Magazine a month after Villa's death in 1997. He said despite the haphazard articles written about Villa, he was a "sweet angel" who "sprinkled intelligence and self-effacent on the obedient throng." Villa's friend e.e. cummings, who made a great influence in his poetry, gifted him a poem which was included in the former's last volume of poetry. The poem was presented to him by Mrs. Cummings herself when Villa spent Thanksgiving Day with her. Doveglion was Villa's penname, a fitting combination of Villa's life as dove, eagle and lion. Before he died he requested that he be dressed in a barong tagalog when he'll encased in his coffin so "his nipples would show." Now, we can't say it is explicit.
The late National Artist for Literature was an interesting entity. Who could have had a more interesting life, career and aura than this slave of art or maybe to make it more apt - Art's red-thighed lover. He was suspended from UP after the publication of his famous series of prose poems entitled "Man Songs" in the late 1920s when he was just a college student. The eminent poem that earned the ire of some conservative groups was "The Coconut Poem" (formerly called "Song of Ripeness) because of its "obvious" sensuality. He was suspended from the school upon the recommendation of then dean of the College of Law, Jorge Bocobo and fined P50. Villa, however, protested, saying that his poems were not at all explicit if looked into another level. This did not, however, toned down the "sentence" he met with the school. Villa did not stoop down into the conservative group's view of art. By then he won the prestigious literary competition of the Philippines FREE PRESS Magazine for his short story "Mir-i-Nisa". With the P1,000 prize money he went to the United States to secure "greener pastures" and to seek literary roots. In the US, Villa became the poet and critic immortal he had always wanted. Every year he rated the best stories published locally and established the standards of Philippine literature. Villa's annual selection became the item of the year in Philippine literary scene. It generated both positive and negative responses. But he was never undaunted of these counter-criticisms. He was a genius and his theories were amazing. In the US Villa became a celebrity. His first collection of poems "Have Come, Am Here" generated wonderful review from gargantuan critics and poets like Edith Sitwell, Marianne Moore, Babette Deutsch, among others. That book could have been the first poetry book by a Filipino to have won the prestigious Pulitzer prize in Poetry in 1943. It was unanimously voted for the top prize by the Pulitzer committee but vetoed by the chairman as he did not want the prize to be awarded to an experimental poet. That collection contains Villa's valid experiment - the reverse consonance. The award was instead given to Robert Frost who also has a poetry collection that year entitled "A Witness Tree", however, it was only the second choice. During his prime, the Villa stories were sprouting - in national magazines and in local dailies. He was always the talk of the town because of his "acts". He believed in "Art for art's sake" approach and he applied it to his life and works. The first article I have read about Villa was authored by Jonathan Chua for the Fookien Times years ago. It was beautifully written that it lead me to research on the wonderful persona. It lead to an article written by another National Artist Nick Joaquin, who, writing as Quijano de Manila, who wrote a comely description of the life of Villa in the article "Viva Villa". Chua by the way compiled Villa's literary criticisms in one book "The Critical Villa". If anyone who wishes to know more of Villa as an artist and critic he should secure this rare volume. It also contains Villa's annual selections and other valuable essays on criticisms. The footnotes were precious, too. UP's J. Neil Garcia wrote a comely essay on Villa years back, which was published in the Free Press. In it, he brought to light the stories that missed the press when Villa's first and only collection of stories came out. These stories were said to be daring because it tackles homosexual theme - that, in the 1930s when such themes were a big taboo. Poet and De La Salle professor Cirilo F. Bautista made a fitting tribute to his friend in his column in Panorama Magazine a month after Villa's death in 1997. He said despite the haphazard articles written about Villa, he was a "sweet angel" who "sprinkled intelligence and self-effacent on the obedient throng." Villa's friend e.e. cummings, who made a great influence in his poetry, gifted him a poem which was included in the former's last volume of poetry. The poem was presented to him by Mrs. Cummings herself when Villa spent Thanksgiving Day with her. Doveglion was Villa's penname, a fitting combination of Villa's life as dove, eagle and lion. Before he died he requested that he be dressed in a barong tagalog when he'll encased in his coffin so "his nipples would show." Now, we can't say it is explicit.
(Published in Sun.Star Bacolod Feb. 13, 2006 under my column, The Mango Generation)
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