Multi-awarded writer and UST faculty member Asst. Prof. Eros S. Atalia of the Department of Filipino of the College of Education won the Grand Prize in the 67th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. The awarding ceremony that honored 51 writers, was held on September 1, 2017 at the Manila Peninsula Hotel, Makati City. From 1951 to the present, 2,303 writers have been awarded with 25 of them recognized as Palanca Hall of Fame awardees. A total of 2,385 works have been included in the roster of winning works.
“Ang Ikatlong Anti-Kristo” is about a well-loved priest, Padre Marcus, who has the ability to tell the future and heal the sick. This novel brought Atalia his second Grand Prize under the category Nobela. The first was awarded in 2013 for his novel “Tatlong Gabi, Tatlong Araw.” Visprint, the publisher of Atalia’s works, launched this 290-paged award-winning novel this September coinciding with the Manila International Book Fair held at SMX, Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
Aside from writing novels, Atalia, who is affiliated with the College of Education, also writes poetry and short stories. In 2006, his work, “Si Intoy Siokoy ng Kalye Marino” won him his first Palanca, a first prize, under the Short Story category.
A prolific writer of fiction, some of Atalia’s popular works are “Peksman (Mamatay ka Man) Nagsisinungaling Ako” which saw print in 2007, while “Ligo na U, Lapit na Me” which was adapted to film for the Cinemalaya Film Festival in 2011 was published in 2009. Another recognition was awarded to Atalia in 2016 when he was named resident of the prestigious International Writing Program of the University of Iowa, USA.
