Legendary Philippine novelist Francisco Sionil Jose dies at 97

The son of a church minister and a dressmaker, Jose was best known for his five-part series Rosales Saga

The prolific writer, whose work was influenced by the Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, penned more than a dozen novels and several short story collections

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Philippine novelist Francisco Sionil Jose. Photo: Facebook

Published: 1:55pm, 7 Jan 2022Updated: 2:49pm, 7 Jan 2022

Philippine novelist Francisco Sionil Jose, whose widely translated works delved into the Southeast Asian country’s painful colonial past and social injustices, died on Thursday, according to a literary guild he had founded. He was 97.

In a prolific writing career spanning seven decades, Jose penned more than a dozen novels, several short story collections, essays and a regular newspaper column. He also owned a bookshop.

He died at a Manila hospital one day before he was to undergo an angioplasty, the Philippine Centre of International PEN said in a statement on its Facebook page.

His death was also announced by The Varsitarian, the student paper which he had edited at the Manila university where he studied.

A self-declared “agnostic”, the writer took to Facebook earlier on Thursday in what would effectively be his last words, thanking God as well as his “brave heart” for “this most precious gift” as he waited for his blood vessel procedure.