Emigdio Alvarez Enriquez

Emigdio Alvarez Enriquez was born in the year 1925. He is a Filipino by birth. He started writing at the age of 20. He is a novelist, story writer, and playing with. Among his famous literary works are Blood on the Moon, A tale of Two Houses, Cachil Kudarat (Sultan of Mindanao) or Cachil Corrala, and Labaw, Donggon. All of this short stories won palangca awards in the year.

Elementary and Secondary at Ateneo de Zamboanga. Gained his A.B. at Arellano University. Went on to study and gain a "Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing" at the state University of lawa though an International Scholarship and a Fulbright Grant. Earned a Guggenheim Fellowship which he used to travel around Europe. He then studied in the Universidad Central de Madrid on a Zobel de Ayala Grant. His short stories began to appear in countless publication as early as 1939.


Fellowships in Yaddo foundation, N.Y.; EdwardMacDowell Colony, N.H,; Huntington Hartford Foundation, CA. When he came back to the Philippines, he taught and directed at the University of the East for some years, then went on to teach at De La Salle University. 

The white horse of alih is a story that examines a discrimination based on race and religion. It started when the two brothers tried to kill the people celebrating the friendship day. It confuses Alih whether he will do it or not. They want to kill those people because they want to wash away their shame and gain respect. Then, Alih saw Fermina standing on a float while he waits for his brother. Eventually, his brother Omar came and he is drunken. His brother came to Fermina but Alih blocked his way and killed his brother. He protected Fermina. It came to his mind that his white horse doesn't matter. What matters most to him is the girl he loved.

Another is The Devil Flower. According to the readers, "This is impressive first novel. The Devil Flower has much of the brooding tragedy of a folk tale, frankly explicite sexual scenes and considerable humor and quit with. Mr. Enriquez' tecnique" 

" A skillful and absorbing first novel. Mr. Enriquez writes colorfully, sometimes, perhaps, too lushly, yet clearly brings to life the island ways"

"THE DEVIL FLOWER emerges with poignant clarity. Ordained by her contemporary villagers as a paragon of purity, the sexual flowering of the attractive Ercelia is met with  self-flagellation"

"Her simultaneous death and consummation are filled with dark and passionate overtones of medieval Catholicism and Eastern eroticism." 

For me The writing is simple yet magically presents real people in a real place. If I had to rate it from 1-5 I would rate it as a 4. 

references:

https://whitehorseofalih.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/white-horse-of-alih/

http://www.slideshare.net/alicevictor1/philippine-literature-16459890

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/879188.Mig_Alvarez_Enriquez

http://seniorhighschool-rsa.techno-zone.net/t7-the-white-horse-of-alih-analysis

http://www.kabayancentral.com/book/dlsu/mb5552927.html