15/06/2026
Rofel G. Brion was a poet, essayist, and educator. He was born on 15 October 1953 in San Pablo, Laguna, and after completing his undergraduate studies in economics at the Ateneo de Manila University, he pursued his MA in Literature, also at the Ateneo, motivated by a growing commitment to Filipino as a literary language. He later earned his PhD in Philippine Literature from the University of the Philippines. Brion served as professor of interdisciplinary studies, literature, creative writing, and popular culture at Ateneo de Manila University. A respected mentor and literary coach, he also helped shape the university’s creative writing program and became known for nurturing young Filipino writers in both English and Filipino. His body of work spans poetry, prose, and essays, often marked by meditative lyricism and quiet attentiveness to memory, time, and ordinary experience. His books include the poetry collections Baka Sakali [1989], Story [1997], Sandali: Mga Pili at Bagong Tula [2006], Kapag Natagpuan Kita/Once I Find You [2011], and May Nagsabi sa Akin [2012], and the essay collection Saglit: Alaala’t Muni [2022]. Among his many honors, Brion won the Gawad Galian sa Tula Poetry Prize in 1982, while Baka Sakali received a National Book Award in 1990. He served as an editor, translator and author of many publications. He received three foreign scholarships from the British Council, two Fulbright grants, and was twice Resident Fellow at Hawthornden Castle in Scotland. He was a fellow at the University of the Philippines National Writers Workshop in 1984, and at the Silliman University National Writers Workshop in 1990, where he also served as panelist in 2008. He died on 8 June 2026.
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