AWARD-WINNING fiction writer, author, essayist, and editor Greg Brillantes passed away at the age of 92 on Friday morning.
“My Tito Greg, Gregorio Concepción Brillantes, passed away at 7:24 in the morning today,” the late writer’s nephew Joey Brillantes said in a Facebook post on Sept. 26.
Born in Camiling, Tarlac, on Dec. 18, 1932, Mr. Brillantes studied literature at the Ateneo de Manila University. Over the course of his life, he published a number of short story collections, including Help, On a Clear Day in November, Shortly Before the Millennium, and Stories for a Quarter Century.
Mr. Brillantes’ most celebrated stories are “The Distance to Andromeda,” “The Apollo Centennial,” and “Faith, Love, Time, and Dr. Lazaro.” His work served as “a bridge between post-war literary modernism and the evolving concerns of late 20th century Philippine society,” according to his nephew.
“Unlike some writers who turned to long form or overt political tract, he remained largely within the short story form — and used that constraint to distill character, mood, and moral paradox,” he said in his Facebook tribute.
Multiple literary honors had been awarded to Mr. Brillantes in his lifetime, including many Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, which earned him a spot as a Palanca Awards Hall of Famer. His lifetime achievement awards include the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining from the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas from the Writers’ Union of the Philippines (UMPIL).
With a body of work that often tackled estrangement from family, society, and self, Mr. Brillantes was known for probing moral, existential, and spiritual questions using surreal and futuristic motifs.
He also made his mark outside of Philippine English fiction, as editor and mentor at publications like Sunburst, The Manila Review, Focus, Asia-Philippines Leader, and the Philippines Free Press.
Following a fall in 2015 and a hip injury in 2017, he remained an active writer. His last project was The Collected Stories of Gregorio C. Brillantes, published in 2023 by the Ateneo de Manila University Press, gathering his best pieces from the 1950s to the 2000s. The collection was recognized as the Best Book of Short Fiction in English by the 42nd National Book Awards.
In a Facebook tribute, the Ateneo de Manila University Press called him one of the greatest Filipino writers, the master of the Filipino short story, and the godfather of Philippine speculative fiction.
“He will be remembered by all whose lives were touched by his stories for his immense contributions to Philippine literature,” they said. “His legacy lives on.”
The Philippines Graphic also extended its condolences to the Brillantes family, for the loss of “a dear editor, fictionist, poet, and essayist.”
Many writers mourned his passing. Jose “Butch” Dalisay said in a Facebook post: “Another great Filipino writer passed away today, one who was special to me — as hero, mentor, and friend.”
Referencing one of Mr. Brillantes’ best-known short stories, he concluded, “Here’s to faith, love, time, and Greg Brillantes.” — BHL
