Internet Warrior on: Angelo Lacuesta

What's happening, guys?

Today, the Internet Warrior is going to teach you something. And no, it's not math as that cockamamie title above wouldn't suggest. This time, we shall learn something. And this time around, we will look into the life and success of a decently good but slightly less popular of the Filipino authors, one whom you have to credit for once in a while as this post does. This is the “Internet Warrior on: Angelo Lacuesta”.

In the earliest known points in his life, Angelo Rodriguez Lacuesta was born somewhere in Cebu in the year 1970. He spent his high school life at the Ateneo de Manila High School where he was part of the school organization, Dulaang Sibol (Dawning Play). His interests in literature and theater play were also one of the factors which would lead him to fame in the later years of life. He had also written screenplays, specifically for independent films.

He attended college and graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Biology. He owned a small advertising agency and believed that writing is one of the most important parts in his life. He was also able to edit the book "Fourteen Love Stories" along with Jose Dalisay Jr. This book was also published in 2004 by the University of the Philippines Press.

His father was also a Palanca winning author, and wrote under the same pseudonym, “Ariston Letrero”, that Lacuesta later used.

His first short story was written in 1992. He started writing as leisure and as a past time. Before writing shorts stories, he first wrote poems. Not all of his poems were well known. Only a number of his poems were published in his school paper.

He soon took a professional writing career under the alias Sarge Lacuesta. Eventually, he won several awards for his series of short stories, including the Philippine Graphic Award, the Palanca Memorial Award and the NVM Gonzalez Awards. He worked in the Philippine Free Press as a literary and in the Philippines branch of Esquire magazine as an editor-at-large.

With Lacuesta's outstanding skills in literary writing, his first collection of short stories known as the “Life Before X and Other Stories” was published in 2000 by the University of the Philippines Press. Therefore, Lacuesta won the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award and the National Book Award from the Manila Critics Circle.

His second collection, “White Elephants: Stories”, was published in 2005 by Anvil Publishing Manila. He then won the National Book Award at the same year. The following short stories in the White Elephants compilation are as follows below:

1.) White Elephants
2.) Procession
3.) Thousand Year Eve
4.) Rest Stop
5.) Nilda
6.) Self with Dog, 1997
7.) Ghosts
8.) Leather
9.) Untitled

Cover of White Elephants: Stories

He has also generously donated his short story “Sparrows” to In The Empty Places. Afterwards, the third collection, “Flames and Other Stories”, was written by Lacuesta and released in 2009.

Cover of Flames and Other Stories

Maybe, I'm just nitpicking again about something, but Angelo R. Lacuesta is one of the writers who doesn't get a lot of appreciation he deserves for his mastery in his talent. Granted, he won several awards years back for his outstanding pieces of literature that he wrote and published to the society, but to be honest, up until now, I never knew a thing or two about Lacuesta at all. I just wished that I would find a lot more about him because this is all the information I could gather and find, but this was all I got. Alas, Lacuesta has a heart for writing. He writes down whatever he wants, based on the way he views the world, whether it be fantasizing or based from a real-life event. In the words of Jon Santos from my previous blog post, Lacuesta is one of those people that followed their passion with all their heart, mind and soul. I could be just as good as Angelo Lacuesta as a fanfiction writer if I wanted to. But then again, Lacuesta's tales of life and meaning give inspiration and purpose for people who read them.

Lacuesta is an interesting person, which is why today's question will be:

If you are a writer or want to be one, do you want to be as talented as Angelo Rodriguez Lacuesta? If so, why?

Leave your interesting and creative responses in the comment section below.

But thanks for reading and learning about today's blog! Again, I am the Internet Warrior, and I approve this message.

References:
1.) http://intheemptyplaces.com/authors/angelo-r-lacuesta/
2.) http://www.qlrs.com/contributor.asp?id=Angelo%20R.%20Lacuesta