1st Century Literature in Various Regions, 21st Century Literature from the Philippines

and the World

Life and Works of Nestor Vicente Madali (N.V.M.) Gonzalez

 Lesson6 chapters
 Questions

Objective
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to analyze literary works by N.V.M. Gonzalez and name
his contributions to the development of Philippine literature.

What are N.V.M. Gonzalez's contributions to the development of Philippine literature?

N.V.M. Gonzalez
 Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez is an award-winning Filipino poet, essayist, fictionist,
journalist, editor, and teacher of creative writing.
 He is the first president of the Philippine Writers’ Association.
 He is also honored as one of the great Filipino writers who advanced literary traditions and
culture.
 He was a recipient of the following awards: The Republic Cultural Heritage Award, the Jose
Rizal Pro-Patria Award, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, and the National
Artist Award for Literature in 1997.
 Some of his published works are Seven Hills Away (1947), Children of the Ash-Covered
Loam and Other Stories (1954), and The Bamboo Dancers (1949), which appeared in
Russian translation in 1965 and 1974.
 Seven Hills Away is a collection of short stories that sketch the daily lives of the Filipino
kaingeros in his hometown province, Mindoro.
 The Bamboo Dancers is a diasporic novel that features the challenges faced by Filipinos in
America.

arefully analyzing the works of a writer will help in determining what his works have contributed to
literature.

Example:
"Children of the Ash-Covered Loam" is a short story that depicts Filipino family practices and beliefs
in a rural setting.

a. Setting
The story is set in a provincial place where kaingin is a common practice.

b. Plot

 Exposition
The story begins one sunny afternoon when Tarang’s father arrives with a pig to be taken
care of by Tarang, a seven-year-old boy.
 Rising Action
Tia Orang, an old midwife, sees Tarang and tells him to inform his mother of her passing by.
  Climax
Tatay and Nanay, Tarang’s parents, together with their neighbors are all set for performing
religious rites after kaingin (burning of trees). They believe that these practices will take away
all evil spirits and will give them a bountiful harvest. Tatay lays the pullet’s neck and lets the
streaks of blood drop on the ash-covered loam.
 Falling Action
After the clearing of the land, Tia Orang visits the family and performs hilot on Nanay and
tells her that she is ready to bear a child. She also shares stories of evil ones and spirits.
 Conclusion
Tarang, half-awake, hears the noise outside, gets up, and accidentally strikes a tree stump
with his big toe. The hurt does not concern him, for he is more interested in seeing how life
emerge from the land as the rice grains peek through the dirt.

c. Theme
Death forms new life. Death and new formations of life are recurring motifs in the story. When a
living thing dies, a new life emerges. The story paints a cycle of life and death for the family.
The kaingin practice and the killing of the pullet as a ritual are some forms of deaths that the family
believes will bring new life like a bountiful harvest and another child.

Explanation:
The use of words such as kaingin, hilot, Nanay, and Tatay is part of N.V.M. Gonzalez's writing style,
as even his other works showcase terms that are unique to the setting of the story. Analyzing a story
will help readers see details such as this that will give them ideas regarding the writer's contributions
to Philippine literature.

 N.V.M. Gonzalez is known as a local colorist writer. Local color is a literary technique that
features the unique regional traditions of people and emphasizes the ordinary events in their
lives. This is used by N.V.M Gonzalez to present the sociocultural dimensions of Filipino
families and farmers in the provinces. In "Children of the Ash-Covered Loam," words that
show local color include kaingin, hilot, Nanay, and Tatay.

Tip
Since the terms used by local colorists may be unfamiliar to you, you should analyze and infer their
meaning by taking note of context clues in the story.