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CARLOS SAMPAYAN BULOSAN 2. LETTERS FROM AMERICA (1942) – which is a book of poems;
became a starter for Bulosan’s national acclaim in America.
Birthdate: November 2, 1911.
Birthplace: Village of MANGUSMANA, Binalonan, Pangasinan 3. VOICE OF BATAAN (1943) – another book of poems. When this
Death: September 11, 1956. book was published by a New York publisher, it was widely
Father: SIMEON BULOSAN circulated around the country. This was the time during the World
Mother: AUTELIA SAMPAYAN War II after the fall of Bataan which made it more relevant,
Brothers: Leon, Luciano, Macario and Amado popular and desirable.
Sisters: Irene (who died at an early age), Francisca and Marcela. This book is considered by COWARD MCCANN as expressing
a concept that “the war is not only a war of machine and bullets
Bulosan is considered as a “literary star” among Filipinos, and soldier; it is also a war o minds for the islands they have
Filipino-Americans and Asian-Americans alike. In the year 2005 created within themselves; it is a war of faiths.”
marks the 75th ANNIVERSARY of his arrival in Seattle.
4. LAUGHTER OF MY FATHER (1944) – Bulosan’s first best-seller and it
Bulosan came to America in 1930 with only a few years of was translated in 7 languages.
formal schooling and a few clothes in his OPIGAN (suitcase of
native-woven bamboo). His awareness of his limited schooling Because of the quality and quantity of literary pieces that Bulosan
created him a deep thirst for knowledge and wisdom. had written, his name has soared the literary atmosphere. He has
become the Filipino as well as the Filipino-American Literary Eagle.
According to FRED CORDOVA, co-director of the Seattle-
based National Filipino-American Historical Society, Bulosan “was a EPIFANIO SAN JUAN JR. published the FIRST BOOKLENGTH
little guy, very slim, and he was very well-dressed all the time.” “He study of the works of Bulosan that brought about ‘rediscovery’ of
was not what you’d call a charismatic speaker. He was Bulosan’s greatness.
unassuming and very quiet - a very gentle person. But he wrote
like a lion.” According to San Juan, Bulosan is now beginning to be
recognized as one of the first Third World Revolutionary workers
SOME NOTABLE WORKS OF CARLOS BULOSAN whose success fully articulated the sufferings and struggles of
national minorities against U.S. monopoly capitalism and classed
1. AMERICA IS IN THE HEART him alongside the much honored political giants as Jose P. Rizal,
Lope K. Santos and Amado V. Hernandez.

[email protected] MR. JK RANCHEZ

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Since then, Bulosan’s recognition of honor has come one after

HERE LIES A COMPARISON BETWEEN RIZAL AND BULOSAN: another. One prestigious award given to him recently is a
magazine published to honor the sixteen (16) greatest Asian-
JOSE P. RIZAL CARLOS S. BULOSAN Americans in the field of Literature.
Rizal came from a wealthy, Bulosan came from a poor,
prominent family. downtrodden family. “AMERICA IS IN THE HEART,” Bulosan’s autobiography is
Rizal’s power emanated from Bulosan’s power emanated considered as the stellar among his works. The book is studied in
the family’s capability to send from the poignancy of poverty, many high schools and universities in United States of America
him to the most progressive sufferings and exploitations. His because it contains rich reservoir of Filipino-American experience
countries of the world. family could not afford to send in the United States before, during, and after World War II,
him to any conducive especially during the depression period; and because it portrays
atmosphere. life of the peasantry in its most basic form in the Philippines, hence,
His extraordinary exposure to He had very limited formal it is considered as classic.
the best social, political and education. His sufferance
historical atmosphere coupled created in him a deep love for Is “America is in the Heart” a fiction or an autobiography?
by an exemplary educational his country and people. His
background, created in him an unconquerable will to fight for Filipino-American writers consider it as a fiction.
indomitable spirit. the poor, oppressed and  Greg Castilla
tortured minorities through the  P.C. Morantte – he believes that Bulosan made many
power of his mighty pen, statements that are incredible. Morantte assigned
resounded across the globe. percentage points to Bulosan’s autobiography as:
As a consequence, he was As a consequence, he was 30% biography;
felled by a bullet from the nozzle felled by a bullet from extreme 40% case history of Pinoy life in America; and
of a gun. want, contemporaneous 30% fiction
discrimination, unbearable
loneliness and desperation. Castilla considers Bulosan “as the first Filipino immigrant to interpret
and articulate the collective interest of the Filipinos.” With such
Bulosan’s patriotism is spotlighted through the pages of his books impression, Castilla expound his thoughts by saying that Bulosan’s
and other publications. autobiography is a BIOGRAPHICAL FICTION in that he related the
story of other people and not only of his own.

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BULOSAN CLAIMED AS HIS OWN THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS 2. His mother had to sell beans and salted fish, as if they were very
poor. But how could one of his brothers become a mayor of a
Castilla pointed out some factors that he consideres Bulosan town where money played a very decisive role in winning an
exaggerated: election?

“Bulosan claimed as his own the experiences of others. He CASTILLA’S CLAIMS AS TO WHY BULOSAN’S SO-CALLED ‘AUTOBIOGRAPHY’
identified with the conditions of the Filipinos during his time. His work, is FICTIONALIZED
therefore, were based NOT SIMPLY on his life, but also on the lives of
those people that he encountered.” 1. That Bulosan claimed as his own the experiences of others.
2. That he fictionalized some people and conditions.
“It is no surprise that Bulosan’s main pre-occupation as a writer 3. That Bulosan had the tendency to exaggerate certain realities to drive
was to expose the unjust conditions of the early Filipino immigrants. He his point; and
drew the contents of his writings from their experiences (and not solely 4. That it is not important to know the real truth about Bulosan in order to
for himself). We can, thus, find that in almost all his writings he wrote understand “America is in the Heart.”
about racist violence committed against Filipino, poverty,
unemployment, police brutality, prostitution, and murder” (Castilla, In the Philippines, Bulosan’s story took place in the towns that
unpublished and “In His Own Words 2003). complemented his experiences in Binalonan. They are San Manuel,
Pozzorubio, Lingayen, and cities of Baguio and Manila.
Castilla concluded that “since it can be established that
‘America is in the Heart’ is not about the personal history of Bulosan, but In America, the towns and cities of Washington, Alaska, Oregon,
about the COLLECTIVE history of the early Filipinos, the important thing to California, Idaho, Montana, New York and Washington D.C. were well
consider in teaching the work of Bulosan is NOT BULOSAN, the person, documented as contributors of some space in his personal history in his
but the TRUTH about the people that Bulosan portrayed.” later years.

“His works are not only closely based on the events of his life, but On SEPTEMBER 11, 1956, Carlos Bulosan COLLAPSED on the lawn of
are also proximate to his social and political views” – Daroy as quoted by the King Country Courthouse. He died alone, poor and unemployed. He
Castilla. was buried in an unmarked grave donated by the city of Seattle at the
cemetery for the poor in Queen Anne Hill.
Bulosan has the tendency to EXAGGERATE certain realities to drive his
point. In his granite headstone, the birthday of Carlos is 1914. It has been
an issue for long years. But the REAL birthday of Carlos is November 2,
For example: 1911. His sister Irene was born in 1912 and Francisca in 1914. The
1. The family’s “little grass hut” that Bulosan described in ‘America is youngest, Marcela, was born in 1916. These dates were recorded by
in the Heart’ is actually a huge wooden house. Francisca Bulosan-Domaoal according to her daughters, Milagros Rivera,
Elizabeth Basanes and Ruben Domaoal, their brother.

[email protected] MR. JK RANCHEZ