Giants in History: Genoveva Matute

Through her iconic stories featuring fictional scenes from the history of the Philippines, language teacher and academic Genoveva Matute (3 January 1915 – 21 March 2009) helped strengthen the Filipino identity. Her most popular story, “Ang Kuwento ni Mabuti” (“The Story of Mabuti”), is still read by Filipino school children, and several of Matute’s historically based stories are included in textbooks for elementary and high school students. From 1951 to 1961, Matute received four Don Carlos Palanca awards for her work. Commonly referred to as “the Pulitzer Prize of the Philippines,” it is the country’s highest literary honour. In 1992, Matute also received the Gawad Para Sa Sining, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ most prestigious award.