Damiana Eugenio

Damiana L. Eugenio
Born	Philippines
Education	University of the Philippines, Mount Holyoke College, University of California, Nueva Ecija High School
Occupation	Professor, author

Damiana L. Eugenio is a Filipino female author and professor who is known as the Mother of Philippine Folklore, a title she received in 1986. Apart from teaching at the University of the Philippines, she has several publications in the field of Philippine folklore, among them is a series of seven books which she compiled and edited.^[1][2]

Biography

Education

Eugenio was a BSE degree holder and a cum laude graduate from the University of the Philippines. She obtained her M.A. degree in English Literature from Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, and her Ph.D. degree from the University of California in Los Angeles, where she made studies regarding folklore. She is a professor at the Department of English and Comparative Literature for the College of Arts and Letters at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. She also held the office of vice president for the External Affairs of the Philippine Folklore Society, was previously a chairman of the Division of Humanities, and corporate secretary of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NCRP).^[2]

Authorship

Description

Eugenio’s works were described as volumes that are thorough and professional in presentation and as being valuable resources for scholars studying the Philippines and comparative folklore. Written in the English-language, her Philippine Folk Literature: The Myths (1993) served as a compendium that promotes "national and international access to Filipino folklore," were gathered from written sources rather than collected oral variants, and was intended to foster interest in the subject matter. In this work, Eugenio also presented the collected narratives in a proper scholarly context that also justified the inclusion of the legends of saints, as opposed to being a pure collection of myths. This particular volume was also described as a recommended work for "any individual interested in issues of Filipino worldviews and value systems, to any scholar investigating myths across cultures, and to anyone who enjoys the insights that a culture's narratives provide."^[1]

Awards and recognitions

Eugenio was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PPBY Awards) for her significant contributions to the growth of literacy for children in 1991.^[2][3] Apart from being designated as the Mother of Philippine Folklore (Ina ng Folklor ng Pilipinas) by the U.P. Folklorists, Inc. and the U.P. Folklore Studies Program in 1986, she also garnered the following recognitions: Most Outstanding Novo Ecijano in the Field of Arts for Literature (Nueva Ecija High School Alumni Association, 1983), Professional Achievement Award in the Humanities for folklore studies (U.P. Alumni Association, 1987), Catholic Mass Media Award: Best Book in English (a finalist, 1987), National Book Award for Literary History (Manila Critic Circle, 1987), Achievement Award in the Humanities (Philippine National Science Society/NCRP, 1989), Cultural Center of the Philippines Award for the Arts for cultural research (Gawad CCP para sa Sining, 1992), Golden Jubilarian Achievement Award (U.P. Education Alumni Association, 1992), National Follower of Balagtas Award (Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas or the Philippine Writers Union, UMPIL, 1993), Manila Critics Circle Citation (1995), Centennial Award for Cultural Research (Parangal Sentenyal sa Sining at Kultura (Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1999), Most Distinguished Alumna of the Nueva Ecija High School (1999), and the Silver Torch Award (U.P. Educational Alumni Association, 2000).^[2]

Works

• Philippine Proverb Lore (1975)
• Awit and Korido: A Study of Fifty Philippine Metrical Romances in Relation to Their Sources and Analogues (1965)
• Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology (1981)
• Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology (1982)
• Philippine Folk literature: The Legends (Philippine Folk Literature Series, 1987)
• Awit and Corrido (July 1988)
• Awit and Corrido: Philippine Metrical Romances (August 1988)
• Philippine Folk Literature: The Myths (Philippine Folk Literature Series, Volume 2, January 1994)
• Philippine Folk Literature: The Riddles (Philippine Folk Literature Series, Volume. 5, September 1995)
• Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology (Philippine Folk Literature, May 31, 2008)

See also

• Philippine mythology
• Philippine folk literature
• Philippine proverbs

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Retheword, Robert, “Damiana L. Eugenio,” Philippines, Book Reviews (PDF version) (HTML version), EF International, Oakland
2. ^ ^{a b c d} "Damiana L. Eugenio." About the Author, Philippine Folk Literature Series: Vol. III, The Legends, Philippine Folk Literature, University of the Philippines Press. ISBN 9715423574
3. ^ “Damiana L. Eugenio”, Alba, Reinero A. Philippine Board on Books for Young People Awards (PPBY Awards), Nurthuring Children’s Literature in the Philippines, InFocus, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, July 28, 2003, NCCA.gov.ph, retrieved on October 8, 2008

Persondata
Name	Eugenio, Damiana L.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth	Philippines
Date of death
Place of death