Bienvenido Lumbera: A True Artist

       A National Artist of the Philippines is a honor and title given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts. Such Filipinos are declared, the President's proclamation should be bestowed upon them. Furthermore, according to a website, they are then conferred membership in the Order of National Artists, the regalia of which is an ornate, gilden collar of honor. In addition to the collar, each newly proclaimed member of the Order is given a citation that is presented during the awardees' conferment ceremonies. One of the Filipinos who were given this title is Bienvenido Lumbera as National Artist for Literature.

      According to the website Good Reads, Bienvenido L. Lumbera was born on April 11, 1932. He spent most of his youth in Batangas until he entered the University of Santo Tomas in 1950 to pursue a degree in journalism. He completed his M.A. and then his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at Indiana University in 1967. Lumbera writes in English and Filipino, and has produced works in both languages.

      He has a poetry collection entitled Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa (1993), and Balaybay: Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang, a collection of new poems in Filipino and those from Likhang Dila. He has several critical works, including Abot-Tanaw: Sulyap at Suri sa Nagbabagong Kultura at Lipunan (1987) and Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa (2000). He has also done several librettos, among them Tales of the Manuvu (1977) and Rama Hari (1980). Sa Sariling Bayan: Apat na Dulang May Musika (DLSU, 2003) collects the four historical musicals Nasa Puso ang Amerika, Bayani, Noli Me Tangere: The Musical, and Hibik at Himagsik Nina Victoria Laktaw.

       Dr. Lumbera has been a recipient of numerous awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts in 1993, the Gawad CCP, Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, Manila Critics' Circle and the Palanca. He has also gained Professor Emeritus status in the University of the Philippines. He also serves in the Board of Advisers of the UP Institute of Creative Writing. This 2006, for his creative and critical work directed towards a literature rooted in the search for nationhood, Dr. Lumbera received the much-coveted title of National Artist for Literature. 

        After reading all of these, I can say that he really deserves the title as the National Artist in literature because as we can see in his works, he's really passionate about on what he is doing. Everything that he has done is a masterpiece. I admit that this generation today can't really appreciate these kinds of work but if you look closely, you can see the beauty and the hard work that the artist did in making it.