Severino Reyes : Statement of Appreciation

Severino Reyes

So for our first article, we're going to talk about an author from our country, the Philippines. Nowadays, teens are fond on reading novels. That's good news, but what saddens us is that they often read novels from other nations than the stories written by our local authors. This problem motivated us to write an article pertaining about Severino Reyes and his works. We want you to know him and hopefully, see the beauty of his works. The reason behind choosing him is because we have read some of his stories when we're young. His stories were full of color, adventure, and moral lessons.

Severino Reyes is a writer, playwright, and acclaimed as one of the giants of Tagalog and Filipino Literature in the early 20th century. He was born on February 11, 1861 in Sta.Cruz, Manila. He married his childhood friend, Maria Paz Puato. They were blessed with 17 children.

During his career he wrote 26 zarzuelas and 22 dramas. He is also known as the "Father of Tagalog Plays" and as the "Father of the Tagalog Zarzuela".

Popular Works

Before he became an author, he was a playwright and a director. One of the most cited and famous plays that he created was the zarzuela "Walang Sugat" (No Wounds) which tackled the bravery and dedication of the Katipuneros or the local revolutionary army of the Philippines during the later years of the Spanish occupation.

For those of you who doesn't know Zarzuela, it is a play with music more or less a theater play. This long forgotten form of art was introduced in the Philippines in the 19th century, by a spanish director named Alejandro Castro. Later on it became known as Sarsuwela.

Lola Basyang

Severino Reyes is the founder and editor of the Tagalog magazine, Liwayway (1922). He is known for writing "Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang" (Tales of Lola Basyang), a series of fairy tale stories told by Lola Basyang, an old woman with loadful of ancient stories stuck in her ancient baul. So Lola Basyang in real life was a guy named Severino Reyes. But why among all pen name he chose this one? Lola Basyang is a character based on Gervacia de Guzman, Reyes' neighbor. It is also a brilliant idea because in Philippine society grandmothers love to tell their grandkids bed time stories. Plus, those stories always meant to teach moral values to the young ones.

Severino Reyes is one of the many authors in our country. Him alone, gave a huge contribution in the country's theatrical tradition and heritage. He is well-known for his literary talents for wide variety of works that he produce. One of his greatest achievement and creation is “Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang”. He wrote more than 400 Lola Basyang stories about kings and kingdoms, love and hate, and strange enchanted places. His story inspires the readers and viewers. Many children admire and adore his works and stories. His stories has many lessons and reflection in our daily life for children to talk about it.

        His stories have been adapted in TV shows, radio shows, plays, books, movies, and comics. Lola Basyang was aired every Sunday in GMA Network, it became a generic name in Philippine society portraying an old grandmother who loves telling stories to her grandchild. Reyes is not just an entertainer but also a father to all the children. He give hope and motivation to the Filipino children. He is giving us a point that we can change the world by changing our way of looking at it.