Guillermo Gómez Windham : líneas bio-bibliograficas y unos poemas / Andrea Gallo

This paper details the result of my research on the Philippine author Guilermo Gomez Winham (1880-1957). Coming from a distinguished family from Iloilo, he was born and raised during Spanish era. He held a high position in the government office during the American period and carried out prestigious positions in the State administration after independence. However, Gomez Windham had a natural passion for the letters: he wrote original novels, stories, articles and essays, both on cultural topics as well as on political economy. He wrote predominantly in Spanish, although he published some works in English and had part of his work translated into English. In 1922, he was the first author to receive the Zobel Prize for his book La carrerra de Candida. Together with other intellectuals of the period – among them Jesus Balmoi, Manuel Bernabe and Claro M. Recto – he founded the Academia Filipins de la Lengua, for fifteen years of which he was director. Gomez Windham was a central figure in Philippine culture and literature during the first part of the 20th century, but his work has been unjustly forgotten and any form of information about him has been ignored. This essay presents a biographical sketch of numerous unheard of and unpublished data; it also reproduces thirteen poems – the only ones which up til now are known – which Gomez Windham published between 1947 and 1950 and which came out in press during his time. The essay also offers from the first time a detailed bibliography, possibly, by far, the most complete about his literary production and on the critical analysis of the author's works.

General Education.