Nick Joaquin
A literary titan of the Philippines who wove the nation's Spanish colonial past and vibrant present into rich, atmospheric English prose.
1917–2004 (age 87)·Filipino writer and journalist·Birthday: May 4·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Nick Joaquin left school early but possessed a library of a mind, educating himself amidst the bookshelves of his father's law office. He found his voice not in the dominant political novels of his era, but in evocative, spiritually charged stories that delved into the Filipino soul. His work, written in a distinctive, ornate English, served as a bridge between the nation's Hispanic Catholic heritage and its complex modern identity. As a journalist under the pen name Quijano de Manila, his profiles and reportage were as celebrated as his fiction, capturing the characters and contradictions of Manila life with a novelist's eye. Awarded the National Artist for Literature, Joaquin became the essential chronicler of a culture in transition, finding the timeless in the everyday.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Nick was born in 1917, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Nick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1917
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Nick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1917Born
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Started school
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1930Became a teenager
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1933Could drive
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1935Could vote
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1938Turned 21
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1947Turned 30
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 40
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 50
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 60
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 70
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 80
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2004Died at 87
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
Key Achievements
- Awarded the title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature in 1976.
- Won the prestigious Stonehill Award for his novel 'The Woman Who Had Two Navels'.
- Authored 'A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino', a celebrated play that is a staple of Philippine theatre.
- Served as the editor-in-chief of the Philippine Graphic magazine and wrote a widely-read column for *Philippines Free Press*.
Did You Know?
He dropped out of school after third grade but was a voracious autodidact.
He briefly entered a Dominican monastery as a young man, considering a religious life before leaving after a few months.
He wrote the English lyrics to the Philippine national anthem, 'Lupang Hinirang', for a 1972 version.
He was a close friend and biographer of the Philippine president Elpidio Quirino.
““The past is what you remember, what you choose to remember, and how you remember it.””
