Epifanio San Juan, Jr, as Poet

Excerpt It is certainly safe to safe that Epifanio San Juan\u27s reputation rests on his literary criticism. Although controversial (Casper 1974, 109 and 1968, 70 and Demetillo 1974 it has earned him a place in the forefront of contemporary critics of Philippine literature. Sna Juan\u27s poetry is less well known, though anthologists have placed him in very select company. His Fragment appears in A Doveglion Book of Philippine Poetry in English, assembled by the exacting Jose Garcia Villa. Four of San Juan\u27s poems were included in the special summer 1964 issue of the Beloit Poetry Journal which, according to the editors, is a culling of the best two works from a vast assortment of materials gathered for us by the Publications Program of the Asia Society (p. 3). Casper selected two San Juan poems for New Writing from the Philippines, quite a distinction since only eleven poets are represented. Valeros and Valeros-Gruenberg (1987, 199) note that San Juan\u27s poetry had had modest but certainly not inconsequential success in literary contests: HIs Kundiman XL was awarded honorable mention in the 1964 Talaang Ginto Contest, poetry division, and his \u27Isang Pangkaraniwang Dalaw\u27 and \u27Eklipse ng Buwan at Araw sa Nayon ng Montalban\u27 both rated honorable mention in the same contest the next year