Rolando Tinio
Encyclopedia
Rolando Santos Tinio was a Filipino
poet
, dramatist, director, actor
, critic
, essayist and educator.
, 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. Tinio himself became a film actor and scriptwriter. He is often described as a religious, well-behaved and gifted person. Tinio graduated with honors (a "magna cum laude" achiever) with a degree in Philosophy
from the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas
at age 18 in 1955 and an M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing:Poetry from the State University of Iowa.
In Iowa, Tinio was known as a great writer that used English as the medium of the Filipino writer. He wrote his poetic collection: Rage and Ritual which won an award from the University of the Philippines. Bienvenido Lumbera, also an alumnus of the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, describes this collection as elegant and with a truly contemporary tone if taken from the European literary critical view. At this point in time, Tinio believed that only English can hone the themes that he wanted to communicate in his works. Once, in a conference, an author delivered his belief in the value of the Tagalog dialect in Creative Writing. In response to this, Tinio published an article in the scholarly journal Philippine Studies, which contained parts of English poems translated into Tagalog. The article’s purpose was to prove the inadequacy of Tagalog as the writer’s medium. (Lumbera)
In the mid-1960s, however, Tinio decided to try writing in Tagalog and the product of this trial was the collection of poems now called Bagay. Rolando Tinio was the sole inventor of “Taglish” in Philippine poetry. Through this, he gave an authentic tone to the poetry of the native middle-class Filipino. In 1972, Tinio wrote another poetry collection: Sitsit sa Kuliglig and this showed the great contrast between his old and new advocacy. If in Rage and Ritual, portrayals of art and the artist that are not closely associated with the Filipino lifestyle are communicated, Sitsit sa Kuliglig clearly portrays the everyday experiences of a Tondo-grown individual now living in Loyola heights. Heaven and earth; the gap between Tinio’s works in English and those in Tagalog.(Lumbera)
Tinio was also an actor, director, and a set and costume designer. He served all these roles during his stay with the Ateneo Experimental Theater. Tinio chooses the plays, designs the stage, directs, creates the costumes and determines the musical score and other sounds. Productions of the Ateneo Experimental Theater are completely his vision. In his production of Oedipus Rex, he replaced the Greek costumes with modern renditions made primarily of metal pipes supposedly to express the thought of industrial 20th century. (Lumbera)
His work with the Ateneo Experimental Theater expresses the concept of the actor being merely one of the director’s tools in shaping the stage; communicate his vision through all aspects of the production. The last production of Tinio’s “personal” theater company was entitled ?. The production was performed in a classroom rather than an auditorium and Tinio made the actors mingle freely with the audience. There is no real “meaning” in the action and there is no definite storyline. The “meaning” is hidden in the intentional actions of the actors and the unexpected reply of the audience (Lumbera)
He published four seminal books of poems between 1972 and 1993, in which, along with his longtime friend, Bienvenido Lumbera
, helped modernize the traditionally sentimental Filipino style. He had also worked on his own projects such as the Ateneo Experimental Theater
productions and other serious dramas in Filipino. His contribution to Philippine literature and theater is immense.
Circa 1976, Tinio also wrote the lyrics for the six hymns of the "Misa ng Alay-Kapwa" the music for which was composed by Fr. Eduardo P. Hontiveros, SJ. (The most popular of these hymns still sung in Churches throughout the Philippines is "Buksan ang Aming Puso.) These hymns were published in the now out of print, -Mga Awiting Pansamba-.
Rolando Santos Tinio was directing a musical
when he suffered a heart attack in Manila
on July 7, 1997. He died on July 8, 1997 at age 60. His wife, theatre and film actress, Ella Luansing had died some years before. He was survived by his two children, Antonio and Victoria.
classics
, which includes the works of Sophocles
, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov
, Puccini
and Verdi
, into Tagalog
. He did these translations in order to advance the Filipino language
. He was a prolific poet and writer who helped establish the Filipino
-language drama in the 1970s.Rolando Tinio Gives a Filipino voice to Hamlet, ABS-CBN Interactive, ABS-CBNNews.com, 2006, retrieved on: June 17, 2007
He was made a National Artist of the Philippines
for Theater and Literature in 1997.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, dramatist, director, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
, essayist and educator.
Biography
Rolando Tinio was the Philippine National Artist for Theater and Literature. He was born in Gagalangin, TondoTondo, Manila
Tondo is a district of Manila, Philippines. The locale has existed prior to the arrival of the Spanish, referred to as "Tundun" in the Laguna Copperplate Inscription. One of the most densely populated areas of land in the world, Tondo is located in the northwest portion of the city and is primarily...
, Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
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. Tinio himself became a film actor and scriptwriter. He is often described as a religious, well-behaved and gifted person. Tinio graduated with honors (a "magna cum laude" achiever) with a degree in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas
University of Santo Tomas
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the...
at age 18 in 1955 and an M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing:Poetry from the State University of Iowa.
In Iowa, Tinio was known as a great writer that used English as the medium of the Filipino writer. He wrote his poetic collection: Rage and Ritual which won an award from the University of the Philippines. Bienvenido Lumbera, also an alumnus of the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, describes this collection as elegant and with a truly contemporary tone if taken from the European literary critical view. At this point in time, Tinio believed that only English can hone the themes that he wanted to communicate in his works. Once, in a conference, an author delivered his belief in the value of the Tagalog dialect in Creative Writing. In response to this, Tinio published an article in the scholarly journal Philippine Studies, which contained parts of English poems translated into Tagalog. The article’s purpose was to prove the inadequacy of Tagalog as the writer’s medium. (Lumbera)
In the mid-1960s, however, Tinio decided to try writing in Tagalog and the product of this trial was the collection of poems now called Bagay. Rolando Tinio was the sole inventor of “Taglish” in Philippine poetry. Through this, he gave an authentic tone to the poetry of the native middle-class Filipino. In 1972, Tinio wrote another poetry collection: Sitsit sa Kuliglig and this showed the great contrast between his old and new advocacy. If in Rage and Ritual, portrayals of art and the artist that are not closely associated with the Filipino lifestyle are communicated, Sitsit sa Kuliglig clearly portrays the everyday experiences of a Tondo-grown individual now living in Loyola heights. Heaven and earth; the gap between Tinio’s works in English and those in Tagalog.(Lumbera)
Tinio was also an actor, director, and a set and costume designer. He served all these roles during his stay with the Ateneo Experimental Theater. Tinio chooses the plays, designs the stage, directs, creates the costumes and determines the musical score and other sounds. Productions of the Ateneo Experimental Theater are completely his vision. In his production of Oedipus Rex, he replaced the Greek costumes with modern renditions made primarily of metal pipes supposedly to express the thought of industrial 20th century. (Lumbera)
His work with the Ateneo Experimental Theater expresses the concept of the actor being merely one of the director’s tools in shaping the stage; communicate his vision through all aspects of the production. The last production of Tinio’s “personal” theater company was entitled ?. The production was performed in a classroom rather than an auditorium and Tinio made the actors mingle freely with the audience. There is no real “meaning” in the action and there is no definite storyline. The “meaning” is hidden in the intentional actions of the actors and the unexpected reply of the audience (Lumbera)
He published four seminal books of poems between 1972 and 1993, in which, along with his longtime friend, Bienvenido Lumbera
Bienvenido Lumbera
Bienvenido Lumbera is a prizewinning poet, critic and dramatist from the Philippines.He is a National Artist of the Philippines and a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communications...
, helped modernize the traditionally sentimental Filipino style. He had also worked on his own projects such as the Ateneo Experimental Theater
Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
productions and other serious dramas in Filipino. His contribution to Philippine literature and theater is immense.
Circa 1976, Tinio also wrote the lyrics for the six hymns of the "Misa ng Alay-Kapwa" the music for which was composed by Fr. Eduardo P. Hontiveros, SJ. (The most popular of these hymns still sung in Churches throughout the Philippines is "Buksan ang Aming Puso.) These hymns were published in the now out of print, -Mga Awiting Pansamba-.
Rolando Santos Tinio was directing a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
when he suffered a heart attack in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
on July 7, 1997. He died on July 8, 1997 at age 60. His wife, theatre and film actress, Ella Luansing had died some years before. He was survived by his two children, Antonio and Victoria.
Poetry Collections
- "Sitsit sa Kulilig" (Whistling at Cicadas) or (Shusshing Cicadas) (1972)
- "Dunung-Dunungan" (Pedantry) (1975)
- "Kristal na Uniberso" (Crystal Universe) (1989)
- "Trick of Mirrors" (1993)
- "Ang Burgis sa Kanyang Almusal"(1970)
Translated Plays
- "Laruang Kristal" (The Glass Menagerie) (1966)
- "Pahimakas sa Isang Ahente" (Death of a Salesman) (1966)
- "Paghihintay Kay Godo" (Waiting for Godot) (1967)
- "Miss Julie" (1967)
Newspaper Columns
- "Touchstones" for Metro Manila (1977)
- "Totally Tinio" for Manila Chronicle (1986–1987, 1990)
- "In Black and White" for Philippine Daily Globe (1987–1989)
Achievements
Tinio was known for translating WesternWestern (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
, which includes the works of Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
and Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
, into Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
. He did these translations in order to advance the Filipino language
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
. He was a prolific poet and writer who helped establish the Filipino
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
-language drama in the 1970s.Rolando Tinio Gives a Filipino voice to Hamlet, ABS-CBN Interactive, ABS-CBNNews.com, 2006, retrieved on: June 17, 2007
He was made a National Artist of the Philippines
National Artist of the Philippines
A National Artist of the Philippines is a title given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts...
for Theater and Literature in 1997.
Other achievements
- Ten Outstanding Young Men (1967)
- Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan, City government of Manila (1967)
- Gantimpalang Quezon sa Panitikan (1977)
- Gawad CCP Para Sa Sining for Theater (1993)
- Famas Award for 'Sidhi'(1999)