Nick Joaquin, 86; Honored Writer of English in Philippines
Nick Joaquin, 86, the Philippines’ national artist for literature, died Thursday of cardiac arrest in the Philippines municipality of San Juan.
Joaquin was widely considered one of the most distinguished Filipino writers in English. He wrote largely about the Spanish colonial period, the diverse Filipino heritage and the dimensions of the human psyche.
He was named national artist for literature in 1976. In 1996, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award -- Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize -- for journalism, literature and creative writing.
The son of a lawyer, Joaquin was born in Paco on Calle Herran. He quit high school to work on Manila’s waterfront and in odd jobs.
As a journalist, Joaquin used the pen name Quijano de Manila. He started as a proofreader at the Philippines Free Press, then rose to literary editor. He later became editor of the Asia-Philippines Leader and Philippine Graphic magazine and publisher of Women’s Weekly.
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