Jesús Batikuling Balmori

Jesús Balmori (born January 10, 1887 in Ermita (Manila) , † May 23, 1948 in the Philippines ; pseudonym: Batikuling ) was a Filipino writer .

Educational path

Jesús Balmori studied at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, the Colegio de San Juan de Letran (where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree) and the University of Santo Tomas . There he showed outstanding achievements in the subject "literature". He married Dolores Rodríguez. While he turned to literature, his brother Joaquin Balmori was one of the leading workers in the Labor Unions in the Philippines.

The teenage years

As a teenager, Balmori won the first literary prizes for poetry. In a competition organized by the Philippine writer Rizal, he entered under three different names and won first, second and third prizes with his works “Specs”, “Vae Victis” and “Himno A Rizal”. Before the war he wrote under the pseudonym "Batikuling" the "Vanguardia" (a daily afternoon newspaper) and a column entitled "Vida Manileña". It was an ironically satirical criticism of the country's elite class. After the war he wrote a similar column under the title "Vida Filipina".

In 1904, at the age of 17, Batikuling wrote his first book of verses: "Rimas Malayas", which contained spiritual and nationalistic themes. In 1908 he won the first prize for his poem "Gloria" at a contest sponsored by the newspaper "El Renacimiento". In 1920 Balmori received first prize in a competition from the Casas de España (Spanish Houses) for his poem "A nuestro señor Don Quixote de la Mancha".

Career high point

In 1926, Balmori and the Filipino author Bernabé were awarded the Premio Zóbel (world's oldest literary prize) for their services to Filipino literature. In 1928, Balmori's second book, "El librode mis Vidas Manileñas", appeared, which contains satirical verses. In 1938 Batikuling published a collection of poems (“Mi casa de Nipa”). For this he wins first prize in a national literary competition organized by the Commonwealth government. With his second volume "Mi choza de Nipa" he wins again in a competition sponsored by the Commonwealth government.

Three novels follow: “Bancarrota de Almas” (failure of the soul), “Se Deshojó la Flor” (I tear the leaves from the flower) and “Pájaros de Fuego” (Birds of Fire). The last book was finished during the Japanese occupation. Batikuling Balmori wrote several three-act dramas ("Compañados de Gloria", "Las de Sangkit en Malacañang", "Dona Juana La Oca", "Flor del Carmelo" and "Hidra"). These are performed at the Manila Grand Opera House.

The last years of life

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Jesús Balmori works as ambassador for the Philippines in Spain, Mexico, South America and Japan. General Franco awards him the Falangistas Cross. During a trip to Mexico he suffers from partial paralysis. Balmori accepts a position as Principal Technical Assistant and member of the Philippine Historical Research Committee. In the end, Jesús "Batikuling" Balmori dies of throat cancer. He dedicates his last poem “A Cristo” to his wife.

Antonio Perez de Olaguer said of Batikuling: "If he had been in Spain, he would have been the first poetic man of letters and his inseparable 'Batikuling' would be a landmark as the first figure of cultivated satire, framed with a lot of humor in the style of Quevedo."

Works

• Rimas Malayas (1904)
• A nuestro señor Don Quixote de la Mancha (1918)
• El librode mis Vidas Manileñas (1928)
• Mi casa de Nipa (1938)
• Mi choza de Nipa (1940)

and many poems and 3-act dramas

Web links

• [1] WikiPilipinas - The Hip 'n Free Philippines Encyclopedia , accessed November 15, 2010
• [2] (English) Oocities , accessed November 15, 2010