Rolando Tinio
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Rolando Santos Tinio (March 5, 1937 – July 7, 1997) was a Filipino
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
,
dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...
,
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
,
actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
,
critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...
,
essayist An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
and
educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
."Philippine Theater", Nicanor G. Tiongson (ed.), CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, Volume VII, 1994


Biography

Rolando Tinio was a Philippine National Artist for Theater and Literature. He was born in Gagalangin, Tondo,
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
on March 5, 1937.Biography and Trivia on Rolando Tinio from the IMDB Website, date retrieved: 27 May 2007
/ref> 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 Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
achiever) with a degree in
Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
from the Royal and Pontifical
University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...
at age 18 in 1955 and an M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing: Poetry from the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
. In
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
, 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 chose 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 ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...
, he replaced the Greek costumes with modern renditions made primarily of metal pipes supposedly to express the thought of the 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 L. Lumbera (April 11, 1932 – September 28, 2021) was a Filipino poet, critic and dramatist. Lumbera is known for his nationalist writing and for his leading role in the Filipinization movement in Philippine literature in the 1960s, ...
, 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 contributions to Philippine literature and theater are immense. His contributions include establishing the Filipino Department of Ateneo de Manila. 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, S.J. 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''.


Illness and death

Rolando Santos Tinio was directing a
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
when he suffered a heart attack in
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
on July 7, 1997. He died on July 8, 1997, at age 60. His wife, theater and film actress Ella Luansing, had died some years before. He was survived by his two children,
Antonio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top ...
and Victoria.


Work


Poetry collections

*"Sitsit sa Kuliglig" (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) *"Rama Hari" (Rama, King) (1980)


Essay collections

*"A Matter of Language, Where English Fails" (1990)


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)


Filmography


Film

*'' Aguila'' (1980) *''
Of the Flesh ''Karnal'', internationally titled ''Of the Flesh'', is a 1983 Philippine drama horror film directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya. It was adapted and written by Ricky Lee from the legal story "To Take a Life" by Teresa Añover Rodriguez and produced b ...
'' (1983) - Bino *''
Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit ''Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit'' (English: ''Count the Stars in the Sky'') is a 1989 Philippine drama film directed by Elwood Perez from a story and screenplay written by Jake Cocadiz, with Jigs Recto as the co-writer of the latter. The film s ...
'' (1989) – Principal *'' Demonstone'' (1990) – Prof. Olmeda *''
Kadenang Bulaklak ''Kadenang Bulaklak'' is a 1994 Philippine drama film directed by Joel Lamangan. The film stars Vina Morales, Ana Roces, Donna Cruz and Angelu de Leon. Plot Jasmin, Baby, Violy and Daisy are siblings who lost their parents Elsa and Domeng ...
'' (1994) - Fr. Barrientos *''
Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama, based on the novel by Judy Blume * '' ...
'' (1994) – Mr. Malicsi *'' Run Barbi Run'' (1995) – Mr. Tengko *'' Muling Umawit ang Puso'' (1995) – Dindo *'' May Nagmamahal Sa'yo'' (''Madonna and Child'') (1996) - Father Nicandro *'' Mumbaki'' (1996) – Ngidulu *'' Bakit May Kahapon Pa?'' (1996) - Priest *'' Milagros'' (1997) – Fr. Fermin *'' Curacha: Ang Babaeng Walang Pahinga'' (1998) – Propaganda vendor *'' Sa Pusod ng Dagat'' (1998) – Apo


Television

*'' A Dangerous Life'' (1988) -
Jaime Sin Jaime Cardinal Lachica Sin, ( zh, t=辛海梅, 辛海棉, poj=Sin Hái-mûi, Sin Hái-mî; August 31, 1928 – June 21, 2005), commonly and also formally known as Cardinal Sin, was the 30th Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third cardina ...
*''
Noli Me Tangere ''Noli me tangere'' ('touch me not') is the Latin version of a phrase spoken, according to John 20:17, by Jesus to Mary Magdalene when she recognized him after His resurrection. The original Koine Greek phrase is (). The biblical scene has b ...
'' (1993) – Pilosopong Tasio *'' Bayani'' (1995) - Lolo


Achievements

Tinio was known for translating
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...
, which includes the works of
Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...
,
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
,
Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
,
Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
,
Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, s ...
and
Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...
, into Tagalog. He did these translations in order to advance the
Filipino language Filipino ( ; , ) is the national language of the Philippines, the main lingua franca, and one of the two official languages of the country, along with Philippine English, English. It is only a ''de facto'' and not a ''de jure'' standard langu ...
. He was a prolific poet and writer who helped establish the Filipino-language drama in the 1970s. He was made a
National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Tagalog: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the President of the Philippines on Philippine nationals who have made significant contributions to ...
for Theater and Literature in 1997.


Other achievements of Tinio

*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)


Family

Tinio was related to Manuel Tinio, a Tagalog
revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...
general who fought in the Ilocos during the Philippine-American War.


References


Bibliography


Rolando Tinio Gives a Filipino Voice to Hamlet, Life and Times, ManilaTimes.net, November 27, 2006
retrieved on: June 17, 2007
National Artist: Rolando S. Tinio, Theater and Literature (1997), About Culture and Arts, Culture Profile, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, NCCA.gov, 2002
retrieved on: June 17, 2007

retrieved on: June 21, 2007

retrieved on: June 21, 2007 #[https://web.archive.org/web/20080103201017/http://www.geocities.com/palanca_awards/1975.html Filipino Division, Tula: Special Prizes, Rolando S. Tinio, “12 Tula”, Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards 1975, Geocities.com], retrieved on: June 21, 2007
Filipino Division, Tula: Rolando S. Tinio, “Sitsit sa Kuliglig”, Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards 1972, Geocities.com
retrieved on: June 21, 2007 #Lumbera, Bienvenido. introduction to May Katwiran Ang Katwiran, Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 2001 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tinio, Rolando 1937 births 1997 deaths Filipino people of Chinese descent Filipino writers of bilingual works Palanca Award recipients People from Tondo, Manila Tagalog-language writers University of Iowa alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni Writers from Manila