Rafael Zulueta da Costa is a Filipino poet. He uses the name R. Zulueta da Costa as a writer, and Rafael Zulueta as a businessman.

He was a graduate of De La Salle College

De La Salle University-Manila

De La Salle University is a private Lasallian university in Malate, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1911 by De La Salle Brothers as the De La Salle College in Paco, Manila with Blimond Pierre serving as its first director...

(now University) where he specialized in business administration. He began writing poems in Spanish and later he also wrote in English. His most famous work is Like the Molave and Other Poems, which won the Commonwealth Literary Award for Poetry in 1940.

Pre-war literature

The Filipino writing in English was somewhat formal and imitative from the Spanish literature brought in during the Spanish rule in the country. Grammatical expressions and terms used were awkward and unpolished. Filipino writers found difficulties in the use of prepositions and pronouns, thus the quality of their works were quite poor. However, after several years of painful endeavor of the Filipino writes and the establishment of publication, newspapers and magazines, brought about distinguishing improvement in their works. Filipinos received much encouragement and more influential group of writers were found.