Six Filipino Poets

by Leonard Casper (Editor), Edith L. Tiempo, Ricaredo D. Demetillo

"It is not often that society listens to its poets. In a country like ours where barbers can be more respectable than writers of verse, poets have to come disguised in as many ways as the imagination can make masks for them. The incredible thing is that they continue as poets, though it has never been easy to breathe through the masks." "In this book are newspapermen, teachers, and public servants--in short, practical people--who have functioned as poets, not off and on, but rather consistently. The masks have become no longer livable." "Mr. Dominador I Ilio, tearing the thing off his face one morning, showed us a collection of his poems. Thus an idea was born. Dr Leonard Casper thought six poets would be more interesting than one and agreed to undertake a selection. Why six, not nine? Why not fifteen or seventeen? But truly, six would make a nice little book. So that was that."—N.V.M. Gonzalez (January 16, 1955)

Genres: Poetry

76 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Leonard Ralph Casper (1923–2018) was an American literary critic, fiction writer, and professor best known for his extensive work on Philippine literature. He taught at Boston College for 45 years and was a visiting professor in the Philippines on several occasions. Casper's books on Philippine literature were widely referenced in the 1980s by English majors in the Philippines. His work was instrumental in connecting Philippine literature with American readership and was respected by many Filipino writers and critics.

Reviews

[Kristoffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never read such hilariously bombastic gobbledygook as the editor's introductions to the poets.