#STEEMGIGS: (TIL(Today I Learned)) — 4th of May is the day when Nicomedes Joaquín was Born

He was considered as one of the best writers on his generation Nicomedes Joaquín or also known as "Nick" Joaquin was born on 4th of May 1917.

Nick was the 5th child out of the ten children that Salome Marquez (mother) and Leocadio Joaquin (father) had. Family planning is not that encouraged by that time as people do believe that their children are their treasures and it is way better to have more children rather than having 2 or 3 to preserve the lineage of the family.

My father is the 4th out of 12 siblings and my mom is 6th out of 11. So it is somehow practiced in the old times that it is really good to have a lot of family members.

Their family started as a well-off one as Leocadio was a procurador (attorney) and Salome was one of the pioneer teachers trained by the American in English. Unfortunately due to a failed investment of oil exploration project in Visayas they lost the fortune that they had.

At a young age, he was encouraged by his parents to read books. Books are expensive that time and the only way for you to get one is to buy it at a high cost, due to limited publishing or go to the National Library and borrow books from them which his father did. He gave the young Nick a borrower's card for him to enjoy reading there he discovered one of the classic literary pieces like [Bambi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambi,_a_Life_in_the_Woods) and [Heidi.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidi).

By being a reader he developed a passion for writing stuff as he wrote multiple literary pieces afterward. He didn't start strong and famous he worked his way up to where he was as he continued polishing his craft. He started as a proofreader and then when the right time came in he was accepted to be a writer and even got a sponsorship to study further in the University of Santo Tomas because he won a nationwide essay competition back then.

Some folks may not be familiar with him already since it has been more than a hundred years when he was born. A good example of his work that will make you interested to know him is the literary play called ["A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Portrait_of_the_Artist_as_Filipino) or in the recent adaptation in the Metro Manila Film Festival it is entitled "Ang Larawan" which won multiple awards and nominations not only here in the country but also overseas. There was a big uproar before because it was not being watched by the majority of people in cinemas and was pulled out on the 3rd day of showing due to low ticket sales.

The National Artist for Literature award was given to him in 1976. It is said that this award is only given to the elite of all elite by giving significant contributions for the development of Philippine arts. The list is quite long but definitely, some of the folks who won and received an award are really famous in their craft.

What are the things that I learned from him in his biography:

I learned the importance of reading at an early age. It is something that should be practiced, especially now that the information is accessible. Not only reading the classics but read something that will bring joy and also enrich our lives.

Practice, practice and continue on practicing the craft and for sure you will be better on it. Join contest if there is a chance haha since Nick is a fan of joining some contest I will be joining too. Not for the money involved but I guess for improving myself.

Reference and Image Sources:

https://filipinoscribbles.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/biography-of-nick-joaquin-1917-2004/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1432394.APortraitof_the_Artist_as_Filipino

https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1111/today-in-philippine-history-may-4-1917-nicomedes-joaquin-was-born-in-paco-manila

http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/national-artists-of-the-philippines/nick-joaquin/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NationalArtistof_the_Philippines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ang_Larawan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Portrait_of_the_Artist_as_Filipino