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Short Story The Tomato Game By Nvm Gonzales

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Short Story The Tomato Game By Nvm Gonzales
Short Story The Tomato Game By Nvm Gonzales

The Tomato Game. By N.V.M Gonzalez (Reprinted with permission from the N.V.M. Gonzalez Estate) Dear Greg, You must believe me when I say that I've tried again and again to write this story. The man remains vivid in my memory, alone in his clapboard shack in the middle of a Sacramento Valley tomato field. The Tomato Game by Nvm Gonzales; Short Stories by Nvm Gonzales. HORIZONS LEAST (1967) – a collection of works by the professors of UE, mostly in English (short stories, essays, research papers, poem and drama) by Artemio Patacsil. WHO SPOKE OF COURAGE IN HIS SLEEP –. TITLE: THE TOMATO GAME by N.V.M. Gonzales PLOT The short story The Tomato Game is about how NVM Gonzales reminisce his experiences in Sacramento Valley talking to the old man and Sopi. He then also puts an emphasis on how the use of machinery in harvesting tomatoes differ from harvesting with the use of manual labor.

It was his assigned duty to be up early in the morning and be on his way to the baker's to buy rolls and pan de sal for the breakfast table. He was fourteen and he has already got used to his task. On his way he thought of the bread of salt – pan de sal – and wondered how it was made, what gives its flavor and shape. He looked around the landscape at daybreak and once again remembered how much he adored Aida, the niece of the old Spaniard whom he thought he was destined to serve, just like his late Grandfather. At times he thought it was his duty to stay in the house in the service of the young maiden. He even dreamed that she likewise keeps an intense emotion for him, which she will only dare manifest in the right time.


He was a diligent student and violinist. It didn't take long before he was transferred from second to first violin and before long, he was invited to join Pete Saez' band and perform in one engagement after another. He was happy to earn money through his own skill, although it was with utter bitterness that he had to endure rehearsals despite the outward disapproval of his aunt against his chosen field. She thought musicians are no better than dogs scurrying to get their mouths on food scraps in trash bins. But he didn't mind, thinking that the money he'll earn from playing the violin will allow him the capacity to buy a brooch and beautiful stationery for his ardent love letters to Aida.

Then he was invited, together with Saez' band, to the asalto for Don Esteban's daughters who were arriving from Manila. He was honored to be in a sophisticated gathering and get a magnified look at Aida's stunning beauty. He was beside himself with immeasurable joy and pride but will later on be displaced by an equally immeasurable embarrassment at the buffet table after Aida caught him sneaking some sweets into the packet under his shirt. She nonetheless offered him a big package of food after the party but due to his intense shame, he lost the composure to react, along with the entire ardor he used to shower the maiden with. After the party they led the guests home with their music. Then with Paez, he went to the bakery to buy pan de sal with his own money. But the bread wasn't ready yet so they waited.

Born1915 September 8
Romblon, Romblon
Died1999 November 28
OccupationTeacher, author, journalist, essayist
LanguageEnglish
NationalityFilipino
Notable award(s)Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship, Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, City of Manila Medal of Honor, Philippine National Arist

Néstor Vicente Madali González (September 8, 1915-November 28, 1999) was a Filipino writer.

The tomato game by nvm gonzales
  • 2Works

Biography

He was born on 8 September 1915 in Romblon, Philippines. 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.

Short Story The Tomato Game By Nvm Gonzales La

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...'

Nvm

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.

Works

The works of Gonzalez have been published in Filipino, English, Chinese, German, Russian and Indonesian language.

Novels

  • The Winds of April (1941)
  • A Season of Grace (1956)
  • The Bamboo Dancers (1988)

Short fiction

  • A Grammar of Dreams and Other Stories. University of the Philippines Press, 1997
  • The Bread of Salt and Other Stories. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1993; University of the Philippines Press, 1993
  • Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty-one Stories. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1981; New Day, 1989
  • Selected Stories. Denver, Colorado: Alan Swallow, 1964
  • Look, Stranger, on this Island Now. Manila: Benipayo, 1963
  • Children of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other Stories. Manila: Benipayo, 1954; Bookmark Filipino Literary Classic, 1992
  • Seven Hills Away. Denver, Colorado: Alan Swallow, 1947

Essays

  • A Novel of Justice: Selected Essays 1968-1994. Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Anvil (popular edition), 1996
  • Work on the Mountain (Includes The Father and the Maid, Essays on Filipino Life and Letters and Kalutang: A Filipino in the World), University of the Philippines Press, 1996

Awards and prizes

Short story the tomato game by nvm gonzales la

The Tomato Game. By N.V.M Gonzalez (Reprinted with permission from the N.V.M. Gonzalez Estate) Dear Greg, You must believe me when I say that I've tried again and again to write this story. The man remains vivid in my memory, alone in his clapboard shack in the middle of a Sacramento Valley tomato field. The Tomato Game by Nvm Gonzales; Short Stories by Nvm Gonzales. HORIZONS LEAST (1967) – a collection of works by the professors of UE, mostly in English (short stories, essays, research papers, poem and drama) by Artemio Patacsil. WHO SPOKE OF COURAGE IN HIS SLEEP –. TITLE: THE TOMATO GAME by N.V.M. Gonzales PLOT The short story The Tomato Game is about how NVM Gonzales reminisce his experiences in Sacramento Valley talking to the old man and Sopi. He then also puts an emphasis on how the use of machinery in harvesting tomatoes differ from harvesting with the use of manual labor.

It was his assigned duty to be up early in the morning and be on his way to the baker's to buy rolls and pan de sal for the breakfast table. He was fourteen and he has already got used to his task. On his way he thought of the bread of salt – pan de sal – and wondered how it was made, what gives its flavor and shape. He looked around the landscape at daybreak and once again remembered how much he adored Aida, the niece of the old Spaniard whom he thought he was destined to serve, just like his late Grandfather. At times he thought it was his duty to stay in the house in the service of the young maiden. He even dreamed that she likewise keeps an intense emotion for him, which she will only dare manifest in the right time.


He was a diligent student and violinist. It didn't take long before he was transferred from second to first violin and before long, he was invited to join Pete Saez' band and perform in one engagement after another. He was happy to earn money through his own skill, although it was with utter bitterness that he had to endure rehearsals despite the outward disapproval of his aunt against his chosen field. She thought musicians are no better than dogs scurrying to get their mouths on food scraps in trash bins. But he didn't mind, thinking that the money he'll earn from playing the violin will allow him the capacity to buy a brooch and beautiful stationery for his ardent love letters to Aida.

Then he was invited, together with Saez' band, to the asalto for Don Esteban's daughters who were arriving from Manila. He was honored to be in a sophisticated gathering and get a magnified look at Aida's stunning beauty. He was beside himself with immeasurable joy and pride but will later on be displaced by an equally immeasurable embarrassment at the buffet table after Aida caught him sneaking some sweets into the packet under his shirt. She nonetheless offered him a big package of food after the party but due to his intense shame, he lost the composure to react, along with the entire ardor he used to shower the maiden with. After the party they led the guests home with their music. Then with Paez, he went to the bakery to buy pan de sal with his own money. But the bread wasn't ready yet so they waited.

Born1915 September 8
Romblon, Romblon
Died1999 November 28
OccupationTeacher, author, journalist, essayist
LanguageEnglish
NationalityFilipino
Notable award(s)Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship, Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, City of Manila Medal of Honor, Philippine National Arist

Néstor Vicente Madali González (September 8, 1915-November 28, 1999) was a Filipino writer.

  • 2Works

Biography

He was born on 8 September 1915 in Romblon, Philippines. 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.

Short Story The Tomato Game By Nvm Gonzales La

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.

Works

The works of Gonzalez have been published in Filipino, English, Chinese, German, Russian and Indonesian language.

Novels

  • The Winds of April (1941)
  • A Season of Grace (1956)
  • The Bamboo Dancers (1988)

Short fiction

  • A Grammar of Dreams and Other Stories. University of the Philippines Press, 1997
  • The Bread of Salt and Other Stories. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1993; University of the Philippines Press, 1993
  • Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty-one Stories. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1981; New Day, 1989
  • Selected Stories. Denver, Colorado: Alan Swallow, 1964
  • Look, Stranger, on this Island Now. Manila: Benipayo, 1963
  • Children of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other Stories. Manila: Benipayo, 1954; Bookmark Filipino Literary Classic, 1992
  • Seven Hills Away. Denver, Colorado: Alan Swallow, 1947

Essays

  • A Novel of Justice: Selected Essays 1968-1994. Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Anvil (popular edition), 1996
  • Work on the Mountain (Includes The Father and the Maid, Essays on Filipino Life and Letters and Kalutang: A Filipino in the World), University of the Philippines Press, 1996

Awards and prizes

The Tomato Game By Nvm Gonzales

  • Regents Professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, 1998-1999
  • Philippines Centennial Award for Literature, 1998
  • National Artist Award for Literature, 1997
  • Oriental Mindoro Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution 'extending due recognition to Nestor V. M. González... the commendation he well deserves...' 1996
  • City of Manila Diwa ng Lahi award 'for his service and contribution to Philippine national Literature,' 1996
  • City of Los Angeles resolution declaring October 11, 1996 'N.V.M. González Day, 1996
  • The Asian Catholic Publishers Award, 1993
  • The Filipino Community of California Proclamation 'honoring N.V.M. González for seventy-eight years of achievements,' 1993
  • Ninoy Aquino Movement for Social and Economic Reconstruction through Volunteer Service award, 1991
  • City and County of San Francisco proclamation of March 7, 1990 'Professor N.V.M. González Day in San Francisco,' 1990
  • Cultural Center of the Philippines award, Gawad Para sa Sining, 1990
  • Writers Union of the Philippines award, Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtás, 1989
  • University of the Philippines International Writer-in-Residence, 1988
  • Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) from the University of the Philippines, 1987
  • Djerassi Foundation Artist-in-Residence, 1986
  • Philippine Foreign Service Certificate of Appreciation for Work in the International Academic and Literary Community, at San Francisco, 1983
  • Emeritus Professor of English, California State University, 1982
  • Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (Short Story), First Prize for 'The Tomato Game,' 1971
  • City of Manila Medal of Honor, 1971.
  • Awarded Leverhulme Fellowship, University of Hong Kong, 1969.
  • Visiting Associate Professorship in English, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1968.
  • British Council award for Travel to England, 1965.
  • Intemaciones Award for Travel in the Federal German Republic, 1965.
  • Philippines Free Press First Prize Award winner for Serenade (short story), 1964.
  • Rockefeller Foundation Writing Grant and Travel in Europe, 1964
  • Jose Rizal Pro-Patria Award for The Bamboo Dancers, 1961
  • Republic Cultural Heritage Award for The Bamboo Dancers, 1960
  • Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (Short Story), Third Prize winner for On the Ferry, 1959
  • Philippine Free Press Third Prize winner for On the Ferry, 1959
  • Republic Award of Merit for 'the advancement of Filipino culture in the field of English Literature,' 1954.
  • Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (Short Story), Second Prize winner for Lupo and the River, 1953
  • Rockefeller Foundation Study and Travel fellowship to India and the Far East, 1952
  • Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (Short Story), Second Prize winner for Children of the Ash-covered Loam, 1952
  • Rockefeller Foundation Writing Fellowship to Stanford University, Kenyon College School of English, and Columbia University, 1949-1950
  • Liwayway Short Story Contest, Third Prize winner for Lunsod, Nayon at Dagat-dagatan, 1943
  • First Commonwealth Literary Contest honorable mention for The Winds of April, 1940

Short Story The Tomato Game By Nvm Gonzales Summary

External links

v· National Artists of the Philippines
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas

Architecture
1973 Juan Nakpil
1976 Pablo Antonio
1990 Leandro Locsin
2003 Ildefonso Santos, Jr.
2009 Francisco Mañosa

Cinema
1982 Gerardo de León
1991 Ishmael Bernal
1997 Lino Brocka
2003 Eddie Romero
2006 Fernando Poe, Jr.
2009 Carlo J. Caparas
2009 Manuel Conde

Dance
1973 Francisca R. Aquino
1976 Leonor Orosa
1988 Lucrecia Reyes
2006 Ramon Obusan

Historical
literature

1997 Carlos Quirino

Literature
1973 Jose Garcia Villa
1973 Amado V. Hernandez
1976 Nick Joaquin
1982 Carlos P. Romulo
1990 Francisco Arcellana
1990 N. V. M. Gonzalez
1992 Rolando Tinio
1999 Edith Tiempo
2001 F. Sionil José
2003 Virgilio S. Almario
2003 Alejandro Roces
2006 Bienvenido Lumbera
2009 Lazaro Francisco

Music
1973 Antonio Molina
1976 Jovita Fuentes
1987 Atang de la Rama
1988 Antonio Buenaventura
1988 Lucrecia Kasilag
1991 Lucio D. San Pedro
1997 Levi Celerio
1997 Felipe de Leon
1997 Jose Maceda
1999 Ernani Cuenco
1999 Andrea Veneracion

Theater and
films

1976 Lamberto V. Avellana
1997 Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
1997 Rolando Tinio
1999 Daisy Avellana
2001 Severino Montano
2003 Salvador Bernal
2009 Cecilla Alvarez
2009 Manuel Conde

Visual arts
1972 Fernando Amorsolo
1973 Botong Francisco
1973 Guillermo Tolentino
1976 Napoleon Abueva
1976 Victorio C. Edades
1990 Cesar Legaspi
1981 Vicente Manansala
1991 Hernando R. Ocampo
1997 Arturo R. Luz
1999 J. Elizalde Navarro
2001 Ang Kiukok
2003 José T. Joya
2006 BenCab Cabrera
2006 Abdulmari Asia Imao
2009 Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
2009 Carlo J. Caparas

National Commission for Culture and the Arts·Cultural Center of the Philippines






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