BIENVENIDO LUMBERA:
A LEGACY OF NATIONALISM THROUGH LITERATURE
By Lualhati Madlangawa-Guererro
This note pay tribute to National Artist Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera, a stalwart of Filipino revolutionary culture and the arts. Popularly known as "Ka Bien", he passed away at the age of 89 years. This note extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the late National Artist.
From being a young cultural worker to that of an esteemed artist of the people, Ka Bien was a respected writer whose works challenged Philippine society's colonial point of view with poems and stories expressing local vernacular. He was inspired by the revival of patriotic sentiment during the early 60s, especially after he chaired the Panulat para sa Kaunlaran ng Sambayanan (PAKSA), an organisation of cultural workers during the period.
For promoting nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented culture, he was arrested and thrown into prison in 1974. His imprisonment rather steeled further his courage and his determination to resist against the establishment. Using his craft, Ka Bien went underground and participated in revolutionary cultural work by using the local vernacular in producing revolutionary poetry, anthologies, and other literary pieces that promoted people's resistance against the Marcos dictatorship. From then on, he also played an important role that cultural workers played in the growing resistance and in the course of waging national and social revolution. Ever convinced that the artist should always speak out against injustice, Lumbera served as chair of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP). He also served as past president of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), and was also a member of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN).
He was a Professor Emeritus at the University of the Philippines and also taught literature and creative writing at the Ateneo De Manila University after graduating from the University of Santo Tomas and the University of Indiana. The author and editor of many books, his major books also include Tagalog Poetry, 1570-1898: Tradition and Influences in its Development; Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology, Revaluation: Essays on Philippine Literature, Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa. He was also an influential playwright, known widely for his “Tales of the Manuvu,” “Rama Hari,” and “Bayani,” and musicals based on Jose Rizal’s “ Noli Me Tangere” and Carlos Bulosan’s “America is in the Heart.”
From his contributions to Filipino literature, Lumbera was also a recipient of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, the National Book Award, the Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas award, and the Philippine Literary Prize for Drama. He also recived the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and the Creative Communication Arts in 1993. Finally, Lumbera was named to the Order of the National Artist in 2006 by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.