Gregorio Brillantes has joined the National Artist roster for Literature, having been recognised posthumously by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. under Proclamation No. 1414, signed on 1 September 2026.
Brillantes, who died on 26 September 2025 at the age of 92, was recognised alongside nine other Filipinos declared National Artists in 2026 for their contributions to the country’s cultural life.
Brillantes in Philippine literature
Born on 18 December 1932 in Camiling, Tarlac, Brillantes studied at Ateneo de Manila, where he later taught English while publishing short stories in the Philippines Free Press.
His collections include The Distance to Andromeda and Other Stories (1960), The Apollo Centennial (1980), and On a Clear Day in November, Shortly Before the Millennium (2000).
The University of the Philippines said his fiction addressed questions of faith and spirituality, humanity’s place in the universe, and the nation’s future.
Critics and contemporaries have described him as the “godfather of Philippine speculative fiction.”
His literary standing was reflected in numerous honours, including the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, and induction into the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature Hall of Fame.
“From The Distance to Andromeda to The Apollo Centennial, it can justly be said that Brillantes is, without intent of invidious comparison, the major figure among the young writers of his generation,” Gémino H. Abad, who later became a fellow National Artist for Literature, wrote about Brillantes, as quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
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Brillantes in the National Artist tradition
Brillantes joins the Literature roster that includes Amado V. Hernandez and Jose Garcia Villa (1973), Nick Joaquin (1976), Carlos P. Romulo (1982), Francisco Arcellana (1990), N. V. M. Gonzalez (1997), Edith Tiempo (1999), F. Sionil Jose (2001), Virgilio S. Almario and Alejandro Roces (2003), Bienvenido Lumbera (2006), Lazaro Francisco (2009), Cirilo Bautista (2014), Ramon Muzones and Resil Mojares (2018), Gémino Abad (2022) and fellow 2026 honouree Nicanor Tiongson.
Brillantes, considered the “James Joyce of the Philippines,” hoped that younger writers would “look to the future,” reflecting his belief in the continuing possibilities of Philippine literature.
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