a season of grace

He was born on 8 September 1915 in Romblon, Philippines.[1] González, however, was raised in Mansalay, a southern town of the Philippine province of Oriental Mindoro. González was a son of a school supervisor and a teacher. As a teenager, he helped his father by delivering meat door-to-door across provincial villages and municipalities. González was also a musician. He played the violin and even made four guitars by hand. He earned his first peso by playing the violin during a Chinese funeral in Romblon. González attended Mindoro High School (now Jose J. Leido Jr. Memorial National High School) from 1927 to 1930. González attended college at National University (Manila) but he was unable to finish his undergraduate degree. While in Manila, González wrote for the Philippine Graphic and later edited for the Evening News Magazine and Manila Chronicle. His first published essay appeared in the Philippine Graphic and his first poem in Poetry in 1934. González made his mark in the Philippine writing community as a member of the Board of Advisers of Likhaan: the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center, founding editor of The Diliman Review and as the first president of the Philippine Writers' Association. González attended creative writing classes under Wallace Stegner and Katherine Anne Porter at Stanford University. In 1950, González returned to the Philippines and taught at the University of Santo Tomas, the Philippine Women's University and the University of the Philippines (U.P.). At U.P., González was only one of two faculty members accepted to teach in the university without holding a degree. On the basis of his literary publications and distinctions, González later taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, California State University, Hayward, the University of Washington, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Gonzalez is buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
On 14 April 1987, the University of the Philippines conferred on N.V.M. González the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, "For his creative genius in shaping the Philippine short story and novel, and making a new clearing within the English idiom and tradition on which he established an authentic vocabulary, ...For his insightful criticism by which he advanced the literary tradition of the Filipino and enriched the vocation for all writers of the present generation...For his visions and auguries by which he gave the Filipino sense and sensibility a profound and unmistakable script read and reread throughout the international community of letters..."
N.V.M. González was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines in 1997. He died on 28 November 1999 in Quezon City, Philippines at the age of 84. As a National Artist, Gonzalez was honored with a state funeral at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. N.V.M. Gonzales (sometimes Gonzalez) was a renowned Filipino poet, short story writer, essayist and professor. Born Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzales, the famed writer is a Philippine National Artist for Literature. Gonzales is best known for his creative and stirring compositions.
Some of his major works include The Wind of April, The Bamboo Dancers and A Season of Grace.
Gonzales was born on September 8, 1915 in Romblon, at the time when the Filipino-American war is at its peak. Nevertheless, the American occupation of the Philippines helped Gonzales in honing his English writing skills and total command of the language.
Gonzales attended Mindoro High School from 1927 up to 1930. Shortly, he moved to Manila for his college education at the National University. Unfortunately, due to financial difficulties, Gonzales was not able to finish his bachelor’s degree.
Gonzales, however, was employed by several magazines and newspapers. During the early stages of his career, Gonzales wrote literary and journalistic pieces exclusively for three reputed publications, Philippine Graphic, Evening News Magazine and the Manila Chronicle.
In 1941, Gonzales released The Winds of April, which is considered by many to be Gonzales’ best work ever. The Winds of April made Gonzales one of the top writers in Philippine literature.
In 1948, Gonzales received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. He was sent to the United States to study in the famed Stanford University.
Two years later, Gonzales returned to the Philippines and taught English and creative writing classes in several schools including the University of the Philippines (UP) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST.)
Gonzales also worked as a professor in several colleges in the US including University of Washington, California State University and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA.)
For his massive contributions in the world of literature, Gonzales was awarded with honorary degrees and literary awards, both local and International. Some of Gonzales’ awards and prizes including several Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Award, the Asian Catholic Publishers Award and the Jose Rizal Pro-Patria Award for the Bamboo Dancers in 1961.
Two years before his death, Gonzales was proclaimed Philippine National Artist for Literature.
Apart from his literary endeavors, Gonzales was also a musician. He was good at playing the violin and guitar. In fact, Gonzales even made four guitars by hand during his teenage years.
Gonzales died in 1999 at the ripe age of 84. He was given a state funeral and buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Hero’s cemetery).