header image

HOME

This is the blog of Ian Rosales Casocot. Filipino writer. Sometime academic. Former backpacker. Twink bait. Hamster lover.

Interested in What I Create?



Bibliography

Friday, September 26, 2025

entry arrow8:08 PM | A Memory of a Literary Giant: Gregorio C. Brillantes, 1932-2025



I think I’ve met the Gregorio Brillantes only once, when I won the inaugural Fully Booked Speculative Fiction Prize, underwritten by [ehem] Neil Gaiman in 2006. The fiction category of the award was named after him [and he judged]. I know I must have fangirled so hard, considering that he was quite an influence in my formative years as a fictionist. We were having a post-awards dinner near the venue. [I think it was BGC.] He was very quiet but also encouraging, but I was just glad, to be honest, to share the same space with him in that moment. There must have been a photo of us somewhere in my archive, but alas, I think this small memory of him will have to suffice. Some time later, I was recruited to contribute to a planned anthology of several writers remaking his iconic short stories, and I was assigned to do “The Apollo Centennial.” I don’t know whatever happened to that anthology, but it still sounds like a great idea. His passing is such a great loss to Philippine literature.

I've written about the influence of his work previously, in 2005, here.

Labels: ,


[0] This is Where You Bite the Sandwich



GO TO OLDER POSTS GO TO NEWER POSTS