Amado Angelo "Sarge" Rodriguez Lacuesta [1](born April 11, 1970) is a renowned Filipino writer celebrated for his short stories, novels, and screenplays. He has won many awards for his writing, among them National Book Awards, the NVM Gonzalez Award, numerous Palanca Memorial Awards[2] and Philippine Graphic Awards, and the inaugural Madrigal Gonzalez Best First Book Award.[3]
 | |
| Full Name | Amado Angelo Rodriguez Lacuesta |
|---|---|
| Born | April 11, 1970 (age 54) Philippines |
| Education | Ateneo de Manila University University of the Philippines Diliman |
| Occupation | Writer, screenwriter, filmmaker |
| Spouse | Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta |
| Parents | Amado Lacuesta Lolita Rodriguez-Lacuesta |
| Website | https://arlacuesta.ph/ |
He is currently the president of PEN (Poets, Essayists, Novelists) Philippines[4] and serves as editor-at-large for Esquire Magazine (Philippines).[3] He is also the nonfiction editor of Panorama: The Journal of Intelligent Travel.[5]
Lacuesta has represented the Philippines in international literary fellowships, residencies, and conferences.[6] Alongside his literary career, he leads Good Intentions Books, an independent publishing company.
Early life and education
editLacuesta was born in 1970 in Cebu City, Philippines.[1] He is the son of the late banker and screenwriter Amado Lacuesta, known for his work on Working Girls, and essayist Lolita Rodriguez-Lacuesta.[7]
He attended Ateneo de Manila University for his primary and secondary education before earning a degree in Biology from the University of the Philippines (UP).[1] Although initially accepted into the Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine (INTARMED) Program at UP, a fast-track path to medical school, he chose to pursue his undergraduate degree first. Eventually, he decided to leave medical school to focus on writing.[7]
Career
editLacuesta began writing at a young age, publishing his first poem in The Manila Times at age 15 and his first short story in Philippine Graphic in 1995. Shortly after leaving medical school, he transitioned to a career in advertising, working at Basic Advertising in 1993 and later at J. Walter Thompson in 1995.[1]
As a literary figure, Lacuesta has published several critically acclaimed books. His first short story collection, Life Before X and Other Stories (2000), won both the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award and the National Book Award. His subsequent collection, White Elephants: Stories (2005) also received the National Book Award.[1]
From 2006 to 2009, he was the literary editor for The Philippines Free Press.[1]
In 2018, Lacuesta and his wife, poet Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, founded Good Intentions Books, an independent publishing house aimed at supporting Filipino talent across all aspects of publishing, from writing to design and printing, while promoting a sustainable model for both commercial and literary works. [8]
In 2024, Lacuesta wrote and produced An Errand, which premiered at the 2024 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. It was his second film as a screenwriter, following Song of the Fireflies, which was filmed earlier and is awaiting release.[9]
Selected recent work
editCoral Cove and Other Stories
editPublished in 2017 by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, Coral Cove and Other Stories is a collection of short stories that explores complex themes of identity, time, and memory.[10]
The eleven stories are set against the backdrop of the Philippines’ rich history.[11] Its title story is a speculative fiction piece that explores love, technology, and a dystopian future. Other stories in the collection examine the blurring lines between fact and fiction, original and imitation, and the interplay of past, present, and future.[12]
Reviewer Natalia Delazari noted that Lacuesta’s work is “worth every effort the reader makes.”[11] She writes:
Each story in Coral Cove makes sense as an individual piece, but the whole collection, viewed from above, demonstrates certain patterns tying the stories together. A short phrase early in the collection unexpectedly resurfaces, verbatim, on its last pages, or two different characters separated by several stories are “baptised” with the same surname. Seemingly random, these details nevertheless trigger a round of re-reading in search for some stability among the anticlimactic plots and blurred timelines, under the country’s omnipresent heat.
Coral Cove and Other Stories won the Best Book of Short Fiction at the 37th National Book Awards.[13]
A Waiting Room Companion
editA Waiting Room Companion is a 2017 non-fiction book published by Ateneo de Manila University Press.[14] The collection brings together essays, explorations, and profiles that span Lacuesta's career, including his tenure as editor-at-large at Esquire Philippines. The book was a finalist for the prestigious Philippine National Book Award.[15]
Lacuesta’s writing has been praised for its humor, depth, and clarity. A reviewer in Philippines Graphic compared his prose to that of Michael Chabon and Joseph Epstein, highlighting his skill in discussing diverse subjects such as family, travel, sex, and aging.[16] The reviewer writes:
Here, the author speaks as the swordsman on the hill, unguarded by the rules of fiction and the shackles of rhyme. Lacuesta has taken all that into his hands and soared with it, and added tiers of insight into what could otherwise had just been a petty, self-serving memoir.
Stay: 21 Stories
editStay: 21 Stories is a 2018 comics anthology that presents a collection of 21 original stories, exploring themes of “horror, violence, romance and sex.”[13] Launched at Komikon, the collection was created in collaboration with 17 artists, including photographer Shaira Luna and visual artist Igan D’Bayan.[17] Lacuesta noted that the process of working with artists added new dimensions to his stories.[13]
The anthology received critical acclaim, being named one of the Best Filipino Comics of 2018 by CNN Philippines and was a finalist for the Philippine National Book Award. One of the comic stories in the collection, “Bedweather” won first runner up in the Jeane Leiby Chapbook Contest at the Florida Review,[18] while another, “Triple Phantasy,” was a runner-up in the same contest. Stay was also featured in the official Philippine catalog for the several consecutive years at the Frankfurt Buchmesse.[19]
JOY: A Novel
editJOY: A Novel is Lacuesta's debut novel, published by Penguin Random House Southeast Asia in 2022. Spanning multiple decades, the novel reflects the fragmented yet interconnected lives of contemporary Filipinos.[20] In discussing the novel, Lacuesta emphasized the difference between writing short stories and novels. He told Lifestyle Inquirer[7]:
A book of 10 short stories, for example, is really 10 separate discrete worlds, each with its own tone, temperament and momentum. This is why it’s harder to complete a book of short stories than one thinks! But a novel—to me it’s a singularity, in all the senses of that word: completely distinct and peculiar; infinite and condensed; and capable of conflating leaps in language, form and content all at once.
An Errand
editOriginally published as a short story in Coral Cove and Other Stories, An Errand was adapted into a feature film in 2024 by director Dominic Bekaert. Premiering at the Cinemalaya Film Festival, An Errand merges drama, film noir, and psychological thriller, offering a nuanced exploration of power dynamics and existential crisis.
The film follows a driver named Moroy on an existential journey from Baguio to Manila to retrieve a trivial item—Viagra—for his boss.[21] As the errand progresses, Moroy reflects on memories and fantasies, blending reality with introspection.[22]
The film received critical acclaim for its slow-burn narrative and meticulous visual composition, with one reviewer even drawing comparisons to European arthouse cinema.[23] ClickTheCity noted the film’s existential undertones, likening it to works such as Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin (2013 film) and Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color (2013 film).[24] Meanwhile, PhilStar Life emphasized the psychological complexity of An Errand and its incisive commentary on class divides, drawing parallels to Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (2019 film).[25]
An Errand premiered on August 5, 2024, as part of the Full Length Main Competition category at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.[22]
Personal life
editLacuesta is married to the poet Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta.[3][7]
Selected bibliography
edit| Year | Book | Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Life Before X and Other Stories | University of the Philippines Press | Short stories |
| 2004 | White Elephants: Stories | Anvil Publishing | Short stories |
| 2009 | Flames and Other Stories | Anvil Publishing | Short stories |
| 2015 | Stigmata and other Stories | Et Al Books | Short stories |
| 2015 | Contra Mundum: On the Film Restoration of Nick Joaquin’s A Portrait of
the Artist as Filipino |
Miguel P. De Leon Publishing | Non-Fiction |
| 2017 | A Waiting Room Companion | Ateneo de Manila
University Press |
Essays |
| 2017 | Coral
Cove and Other Stories |
UST Publishing
House |
Short stories |
| 2018 | Stay: 21 Stories | Good Intentions Books, Inc. | Comic book |
| 2019 | City Stories | Ateneo de Manila University Press | Short stories |
| 2022 | JOY: a novel | Penguin Random House SEA | Novel |
Filmography
edit| Year | Book | Credit | Directed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | An Errand | Writer/Producer | Dominic Bekaert |
| 2024 | Song of the Fireflies | Writer/Producer | King Palisoc |
Selected awards
edit| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Philippine Graphic Literary Awards | Fiction | Second Prize |
| 1996 | Philippine Graphic Literary Awards | Fiction | First Prize |
| 1996 | Palanca Awards for Literature | Short Story for Children | Third Prize |
| 1998 | Philippine Graphic Literary Awards | Fiction | First Prize |
| 1999 | Palanca Awards for Literature | Short Story | First Prize |
| 2000 | National Book Award for Fiction | Fiction | Winner |
| 2001 | Madrigal-Gonzales Best First Book Award | Winner | |
| 2001 | Palanca Awards for Literature | Short Story | Second Prize |
| 2004 | NVM Gonzales Award for Fiction | Fiction | First Prize and Finalist (two separate stories) |
| 2004 | Philippines Free Press Award for Short Story | Short Story | First Prize |
| 2005 | National Book Award / Juan C. Laya Prize | Fiction | Winner |
| 2007 | Palanca Awards for Literature | Short Story | First Prize |
| 2013 | Philippines Graphic Nick Joaquin Literary Awards | Short Story | First Prize |
| 2016 | Philippines Graphic Nick Joaquin Literary Awards | Short Story | First Prize |
| 2017 | National Book Awards | Short Story Collection | Winner |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Angelo R. Lacuesta". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "The Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature | Winners 1999". 2009-10-22. Archived from the original on 2009-10-22. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ a b c "Biography - SargeLacuesta". arlacuesta.ph. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "SiteAdmin". PEN Philippines. 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "Panorama: The Journal of Travel, Place, and Nature". panoramajournal.org. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "Angelo R. Lacuesta". Penguin Random House SEA. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ a b c d "The 'Joy' of Angelo R. Lacuesta's fine first novel". Lifestyle.INQ. 2022-05-01. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "About Good Intentions". Good Intentions Books. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ TheaterFansManila.com (2020-01-30). "WATCH: "Song of the Fireflies" musical film releases trailer". TheaterFansManila.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ Medina, Marishelle (2019-04-14). "'Coral Cove': Beauty amid brutality". The Manila Times. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ a b Delazari, Natalia (2018-06-23). "[Review] A Literary Archipelago: Angelo R. Lacuesta's Coral Cove". Cha. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "Coral Cove and Other Stories by Angelo R. Lacuesta". Good Intentions Books. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ a b c Lavarias, Hailord (2018-11-24). "UST Publishing House author launches comic book in Komikon". The Varsitarian. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "A Waiting Room Companion". Ateneo de Manila University Press. 2017-11-05. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "A Waiting Room Companion - SargeLacuesta". arlacuesta.ph. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "Ode to the last Samurai". Philippines Graphic. 2018-01-12. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ Esquire Philippines (October 30, 2018). "Sarge Lacuesta's 'Stay: 21 Comic Stories' Reminds Us That Comics are Also Literature". Esquire Magazine Philippines. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ "cahcmsadmin, Author at The Florida Review - Page 3 of 5". The Florida Review. 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "Stay - SargeLacuesta". arlacuesta.ph. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "Joy". Penguin Random House SEA. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ Carpio, Audrey (2024-08-05). "Mona Lisa Overdrive: Sarge Lacuesta and Dominic Bekaert's An Errand premieres at Cinemalaya 2024". VOGUE. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ a b "AN ERRAND". Cinemalaya. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ Cruz, Jay (2024-08-17). "An Errand – Cinemalaya 2024 Film Review". SINEGANG.ph. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ Gallaga, Wanggo (2024-08-06). "MOVIE REVIEW: Cinemalaya XX: the mesmerizing 'An Errand' is a demanding arthouse cinema piece". ClickTheCity. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ Yuson, Alfred (2024-07-29). "Read the story, watch the film at Cinemalaya". Philstar Life. Retrieved 2024-09-26.