We wanted to know—in the age of hashtags and instant everything—is there space for a great writer like Nick Joaquin? We asked ten people, all under the age of 26: “Do they know Nick Joaquin? What do they know about him?”

“Isn’t that the author? I remember we took up one of his works in Filipino or English. I’m not sure.”—Janna Lejano, 18

“I only know he’s a Filipino writer. Maybe Ralph knows more.”—Martin Tee Ten, 24

“I knew about Nick Joaquin only in college, sadly. I know that he loves to drink but, more than that, I know that he’s a talented writer who used magical realism even before the term was coined. Three stories I remember mostly from him are ‘May Day Eve’ (mainly because of that lengthy first paragraph/sentence and it was my first time reading anything with magical realism), ‘The House of Zapote Street’ (a story we discussed in CNF but what really struck us was how it never read or felt like CNF), and a section from ‘Manila, My Manila.’”—Ralph Tee Ten, 23

“I’ve read some of his short stories and novels. My favorite is ‘Summer Solstice.’”—Gene Paulo Bautista, 24

“I know that his full name is Nicomedes Joaquin and he goes by Quijano de Manila. He wrote ‘La Naval,’ ‘House on Zapote St.’ and ‘Woman Who Had Two Navels’ and ‘May Day Eve,’ the reading Sir Lito (Zulueta) discussed for two weeks. He was also a journalist, a Magsaysay awardee and a National Artist.”—Denison Dalupang, 23

“I only know he’s a National Artist for Literature. But I’m not too familiar with his works. Honestly I have not read one. Eeep.”—Kezia Chretien Romblon, 25

“I heard about him during college. He is a writer.”—Kimo Cea, 25

“He’s a historian!”—Carla Bianca Ravanes, 25

“I know him as one of the country’s most revered writers and as a National Artist for Literature. In his works, he explored the curves and contours of our nation. He did not take a lot of generations into account but he was still able to give the world an apt insight on what it’s like to be a Filipino.”—Jenny Ferrer, 20

“No, sorry.”—Noel Paolo Lacson, 18