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BY PETER SOLIS NERY
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18 Palancas and me
HUMILITY is not my virtue. Sure, I can be humble at times, but humility is not my favorite virtue especially where my literary career is concerned. I mean, I just can’t afford it. I got serious social acceptance and image insecurity issues.
I mean, let others more hypocritical, or less successful, than I sell their humility. I’m not buying it!
Perhaps because I am not connected with the academe, and I don’t have very strong ties with teachers of literature who can push for the study of my literary works in high schools, colleges and universities, I look to the Palanca Awards for validation as a creative writer. Thankfully, the Palanca contest gives me what I want (need!) year in and out.
By a general consensus, the Palanca Awards is the biggest literary contest in the country. It is even dubbed as the Pulitzer Prize of the Philippines. Started in 1950 (thus 66 years old this year), it is still the gold standard by which Filipino writers are measured. So, you see, it is not easy for me to be humble about my 18 Palanca wins in 18 years.
Who knew I had 18 Palanca Awards including the Hall of Fame (HOF) that was awarded to me in 2012? If you didn’t know, well, that’s exactly the point, and the reason, for this article. There is just not much information about my literary career out there. And I am what you may call a seasoned literary writer at 47, with well over two decades spent sacrificing, languishing, in the thankless job of promoting, developing, and advancing Philippine literature.
True, most Filipino people, because of their economic situation, cannot afford to be literary, or cannot afford literature, period; but that’s exactly the reason why they should celebrate occasional brilliant writers like me. I mean, like brilliant genius me who wasn’t schooled in literature and creative writing. It’s like I’m a real literary genius!
If you still haven’t noticed, most of our so-called living big names in Philippine literature today are in the academe either as teachers of literature and writing, or students of languages (AB English, AB Filipino), literature, and creative writing (usually MFA). They, and of course, me, Peter Solis Nery — erstwhile nurse, bum, religious missionary, Philosophy instructor, social worker; now, newspaper columnist and social media whore.
I bet you don’t know that I am not the only Palanca Awards Hall of Famer who writes for a newspaper. But I wouldn’t call you illiterate because of that. FYI, there are at least five other HOFs who write for Manila-based newspapers and magazines.
But yes, I am the only newspaper columnist in the whole Western Visayas who can claim the Palanca HOF trademark. If you didn’t know that, well, you must be a real illiterate now. Haha! But seriously, how can I feign humility about that?
I won my first Palanca award, a gold medal, in 1998. This year, 2016, I won my ninth gold medal, and my sixth consecutive gold since 2011. My literary career is very tied up to my triumphs at the Palanca Awards. Sure, my books are important, too, but it’s the awards that really gave me the confidence to continue and persevere in writing, and even venture into publication.
In a very unusual way, too, my Palanca successes gave me this cocky accent, this haughty voice, this wicked writing stance for my newspaper columns. Because I am pretty literary — pretty and literary — I am always given much free rein (free reign, too!) in my column writing. And I milk it like absolute power corrupts.
But to be very honest, in the core of my core, in my heart of hearts, I am really just a most charming guy; shy even. But with only a sliver of humility. Because it is as I said, Humility is not my virtue. And sorry, it’s one of those things I just can’t afford!
So, love me or hate me, but love me more./PN
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