Philippines Graphic is 95!
It’s hard to imagine that this magazine has managed to exist and bear witness to the long and winding march of our nation’s history. Until opportunity and a bit of luck finds the Graphic in the company of men who have lent their pen on its pages more than 50 years ago.
For our 95th anniversary, we present to our readers the essays of two Graphic alums—Amadis Ma. Guerrero and Pablo Tariman.
Guerrero was a staff writer of the Graphic from 1969 to 1972, when Martial Law closed down all the newspapers and magazines in the country.
A multi-awarded writer, Guerrero, now 81, has authored some 20 books, including collections of short stories, travel essays, biographies, as well as coffee-table books on the visual and performing arts.
In this issue, he returns to write for us the life and works of the late poet, verse playwright, literary and art critic, essayist, author, and Art Studies (formerly Humanities) professor Ricaredo Demetillo.
It is an essay that comes with a companion feature on the late Panay poet, written by his granddaughter, Astarte Demetillo Abraham. We managed to present to our readers excerpts of the poetry of Ricaredo Demetillo, courtesy of Astarte and her father, the poet’s son-in-law, Edru Abraham, a celebrated performing artist, musician, ethnic band founder and leader, composer, and retired Art Studies professor.
The story on Demetillo is part of our continuing series on past Filipino writers. It is, in our small way, a move to expose the new generation of literary readers and would-be writers to the thoughts and writings that defined the age of these literary greats. We hope that by doing this, our readers may know what goaded these writers to do the literature that they did.
Pablo Tariman was a proofreader-writer for the Graphic in 1971, covering politics, travel and entertainment. He is a poet whose poems have been included in the anthology, “The Best Asian Poetry 2021,” published by Kitaab Publishing in Singapore.
Tariman captures with his pen the life and works of the late Queen of Philippine movies Susan Roces, who passed away last May. His heartfelt memory essay relives special moments, not known by many, about the woman whose beauty has been described as the “face that refreshes.”
The past merges with the present as Philippines Graphic reaches 95. We have on our cover president-elect and incoming Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.
The proclamation and inauguration of Bongbong Marcos as the 17th President of the Philippines is the biggest story in the month of June. And the Graphic, as in decades past, is there to witness as the son of the late President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos takes hold of the highest elected position in the country.
Last, but not the least, we offer to our readers the June issue of the Philippines Graphic Reader, the first nationally-circulated literary magazine of Philippine literature in English under the editorship of noted poet and essayist Marra PL. Lanot
