From Imitation to Self-Discovery in Filipino Literature

The American occupation completely rewired how Filipinos told stories. Imagine going from

Spanish swords to English textbooks almost overnight. It started with the Thomasites,

American teachers who arrived on a ship to teach English. At first, Filipino writers

just copied American styles in what historians call the Period of Imitation. It was basically

a practice round. But then came the game changer. Paz Marquez Benitez wrote Dead Stars,

and the vibe shifted. We entered the Period of Self-Discovery. Writers like Jose Garcia Villa stopped

imitating and started mastering, taking a foreign language and finally making it sound

undeniably Filipino.