Jesus Balmori

Jesús Balmori (Manila, Philippines. 1886-1948) was one of the leading writers of the golden age of Philippine literature in Spanish. At age seventeen he published a groundbreaking book in Philippine poetry, Rimas Malayas (1904), in which he introduced the aesthetics of Modernismo for the first time in the Philippines. In 1926 he received the prestigious Zóbel Prize in the literary genre known as Balagtasan, a form of call-and-response debate conducted in verse. Balmori achieved his greatest...See more

Jesús Balmori (Manila, Philippines. 1886-1948) was one of the leading writers of the golden age of Philippine literature in Spanish. At age seventeen he published a groundbreaking book in Philippine poetry, Rimas Malayas (1904), in which he introduced the aesthetics of Modernismo for the first time in the Philippines. In 1926 he received the prestigious Zóbel Prize in the literary genre known as Balagtasan, a form of call-and-response debate conducted in verse. Balmori achieved his greatest recognition as a poet in 1940 with Mi Casa de Nipa, a collection of his best poems that won the National Literary Award sponsored by the U.S. Commonwealth Government. In his poetry, Balmori expressed his intention to create a Filipino aesthetic that could transcend Modernismo and help establish the identity of Spanish-Philippine literature. He wrote prolifically in many genres, including scathing articles and satirical poems under the pseudonym "Batikuling," criticizing the socio-political establishment and the ruling elite of the times. Balmori was also considered one of the most accomplished novelists of his time. His first two novels, Bancarrota de almas (Bankruptcy of Souls, 1911) and Se deshojó la flor (Withering Flowers, 1915), attempted to go beyond the romantic novel, developing a social realist narrative with the intention of unveiling Filipino national psychology. His third and last novel, Los pájaros de fuego (Birds of Fire, 1945), is a testimonial account of the chaos of war and the destruction of the archipelago during World War II. Written in secret during the years of the Japanese military occupation, it is today considered his most important work. Before his death in 1948, Balmori was able to complete the manuscript of his novel and cede it to the Philippine government for publication. However, Birds of Fire was never published and was thought to be lost for over half a century. Its recent rediscovery and publication represents a historic event for the memory of the Filipino people and their literary tradition. This is the first English translation. See less