 The flowering of Philippine literature in the various languages

continue especially with the appearance of new publications

after the Martial Law years and the resurgence of committed
literature in the 1960s and the 1970s.
Filipino writers continue to write poetry, short stories,novella,
novels and essays whether these are socially committed,
gender/ethnic related or are personal in intention or not.
Of course the Filipino writer has become more conscious of his
art with the proliferation of writers workshops here and
abroad and the bulk of literature available to him via the mass
media including the internet. Following military rule in the
1960s, the contemporary period emerged. Poetry, prose and
short stories remain popular, but writing has become more
competitive and professional throughout the country. Writers
are encouraged to attend workshops, and literary awards
ceremonies are held each year.
 Contemporary literature reflects current trends in life and
culture, these things change often, contemporary
literature changes as well. It reflects the author's
perspective and can come across as cynical. It questions
facts, historical perspectives and presents two
contradictory arguments side by side. Post-modern
literature. It includes literature written after World War
Two through the present and includes several unique
identifying characteristics. Although difficult to
comprehensively define, some of the most obvious
characteristics include multiple narrators, literature that
comments upon itself, a mixture or pastiche of subjects
and genres, and experimentation with form and
structure.
 Contemporary literature features a somewhat modern
narrative, but it also contains a harsher reality.
Contemporary written works tend to be influenced by the
prosperous lifestyle that followed WWII, but this literary
class is rooted in the devastation that war brought to the
world. A new reality blossomed in the post-war mind,
and it included a personal cynicism, disillusionment, and
frustration that is common to this literary period. Typical
characteristics of the contemporary period include
reality-based stories with strong characters and a
believable story. Settings usually keep to the current or
modern era, so futuristic and science fiction novels are
rarely included in this category. Well-defined, realistic,
and highly developed characters are important in
classifying a written work as contemporary, and most
writing in this category features stories that are more
character driven than plot driven.
 The Filipino literary contemporary period is
characterized by the use of native languages as the main
tool of literary expression rather than foreign languages.
The contemporary period began in the 1960s but truly
began to flourish following the end of the martial-law
dictatorship in 1986.
 The Philippines were first invaded by the Spanish in 1521,
followed by the United States in 1898 and the Japanese in
1941. Filipino literature transformed to take on the
occupiers' language during these times.
 A rich culture of folk narratives and traditions served as
the foundation of Filipino literature prior to the Spanish
invasion in 1521. With the Spanish invasion, these native
literary traditions were undermined and replaced with
Spanish language traditions. One of the most heralded
Filipino writers, Jose Rizal, wrote all his works in Spanish
when he called for a revolution against Spanish
occupation.
 With the invasion of the United States in 1898, the
language for literary works turned to English, and new
literary forms were introduced, including the short story,
essay and free-verse poem. Many Filipino writers during
this period attended American and British schools and
brought Western literary traditions back to the
Philippines. English was suppressed during the Japanese
occupation in 1941 and replaced with Japanese literary
traditions until 1946, when the Philippines became
independent.
 The contemporary movement toward the use of native
languages in Filipino literature was slow to begin due to
the oppressive martial-law dictatorship of Ferdinand
Marcos from 1972 to 1986. However, following the end of
the dictatorship, the Philippines undertook an effort to
resurface their native language literary history, and the
Philippine Commission on Higher Education made it
obligatory to teach Philippine literature to students.
Poetry-
the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken,
for exciting pleasure by beautiful,imaginative, or ele
vated thoughts.
Short Story-brief fictional prose narrative that is
shorter than a novel and that usually deals with only
a few characters.
Novella- is a type of prose fiction, which is shorter than
full length novels and longer than short stories.
Novels- an invented prose narrative that is usually long
and complex and deals especially with human
experience through a usually connected sequence of
events.
Essay-is a short piece of writing that expresses
information as well as the writer's opinion.
Drama-is the portrayal of fictional or non-fictional
events through the performance of written dialog.
Media-The newest type of literature that has been
defined as a distinct genre is media.The main means
of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing,
and the Internet) regarded collectively.
Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín (May 4, 1917–April 29, 2004) was
a Filipino writer, historian and journalist, best known for his
short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote
using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaquin was conferred
the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for
Literature.
Carlos P. Romulo (1899-1985) was an author and the
foremost diplomat of the Philippines. He was the only
Filipino journalist to win the Pulitzer Prize and the first
Asian to serve as president of the UN General Assembly
(1949). He also gained prominence as America's most
trusted Asian spokesman.
Francisco "Franz" Arcellana(September 6, 1916 – August 1,
2002) was a Filipino writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and
teacher. He was born on September 6, 1916. Arcellana already
had ambitions of becoming a writer early in his childhood.
Néstor Vicente Madali González (September 8, 1915 –
November 28, 1999) was a Filipino novelist, short story writer,
essayist and poet. Conferred as the National Artist of the
Philippines for Literature in 1997.
Rolando Tinio is a Philippine National Artist for Theater and
Literature, he was born in Gagalangin, Tondo, Manila on March
5, 1937.As a child, Tinio was fond of organizing and directing his
playmates for costumed celebrations, he was an active participant
in the Filipino movie industry and enjoyed working with
Philippine celebrities who he himself had admired in his
childhood.
He`s one of the Philippine National Artist in Literature and
Music. Levi Celerio is a very Talented person aside from being a
musician, Celerio is also poet. He was also a film actor who
appeared in various Philippine films of the 1950s and 1960s.
Edith L. Tiempo, poet, fiction writer, teacher and literary critic is
one of the finest Filipino Writers in English whose works are
characterized by a remarkable fusion of style and substance, of
craftsmanship and insight.
Francisco Sionil Jose(born December 3, 1924) is one of the
most widely-read Filipino writers in the English language. His
novels and short stories depict the social underpinnings of class
struggles and colonialism in Filipino society. Jose's works -
written in English - have been translated into 22 languages,
including Korean, Indonesian, Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian and
Dutch.
Virgilio Senadrin Almario (born March 9, 1944), better known
by his pen name Rio Alma, is a Filipino artist, poet, critic,
translator, editor, teacher, and cultural manager.He is a National
Artist of the Philippines and currently serves as the chairman
of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), the government
agency mandated to promote and standardize the use of the
Filipino language.
Alejandro Reyes Roces was a Filipino author, essayist, dramatist
and a National Artist of the Philippines for literature. He
served as Secretary of Education from 1961 to 1965, during the
term of Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal.