Albert Casuga
Albert B. Casuga, is a Filipino-born Canadian writer. He lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, where he continues to write poetry, fiction, and criticism after his retirement from teaching. He served as an elected member of his region's school board.
He has won awards for his works in Canada, the U.S.A., and the Philippines. His latest work, A Theory of Echoes and Other Poems was published February 2009 by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House. He has authored books of poetry, short stories, literary theory and criticism.
Biography
Casuga was born in Baguio City, the Mountain Province during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, and grew up in San Fernando, La Union, in the northern Philippines. He finished his elementary education in San Fernando Elementary School, his secondary education at the La Union National High School. In high school, he served as editor-in-chief of the La Union TAB, the pioneer high school newspaper in the Philippines. He married his university classmate, Lourdes Veronica Casuga, with whom he had five children, and at this writing, a grandfather of nine.A graduate of the Royal and Pontifical University of St. Thomas, he taught English and Literature at the Philippines' De La Salle University and San Beda College. He was editor of the Journal of Arts and Sciences in UST, Graduate School Journal of UST, Literary Editor of the San Beda College Journal, and Assistant Literary Editor of the UST's Varsitarian. He worked as a journalist with the United Press International, and arts writer at the defunct Philippines Herald in the 70s. As a senior writer of the Philippine literary diaspora in Canada, he worked as writer and editor at the Metroland Publishing Company, publishers of Harlequin books and the country's largest daily The Toronto Star. He taught communications courses at the International School of Business of which he was concurrent Communications director at its Mississauga campus.
Writing
Casuga was a 1972 Fellow at the Silliman Writer's Workshop in Silliman University, Dumaguete City, Philippines. He was the first winner of the Philippine Parnaso Poetry Contest in 1970. He won First Prizes in the Mississauga, Canada Library Systems Literary Contests in 1990, 1996, and 1998. He was nominated to the Mississauga Arts Council Literary Awards in 2007.His works were published in the Philippines Free Press, Graphic Weekly Magazine, NOW Philippines, The Sunday Times Magazine, Asia-Philippines Leader, Poetry Magazine, Amihan, De La Salle Philosophy Journal, San Beda College Journal., Philippine Writing, and poetry anthologies. His literary criticism was cited by Dr. Isagani R. Cruz in his Beyond Futility as one of the more significant literary criticism of Philippine Literature in English.
Books
Casuga's books include:Summer Suns, UST Press, 1962, ManilaNarra Poems and Others San Beda college Publications, 1968, Manila Still Points Flores & Associates, 1970, Manila In A Sparrow's Time Infocom, 1990, CanadaSongs for My Children Infocom, 1996, CanadaThe Aesthetics of Literature, Asia Foundation & De La Salle University, 1972, Manila Man in Search of Meaning: Literature, Asia Foundation and De La Salle University, ManilaMan and His Literary Past: The Classical Tradition, Asia Foundation and De La Salle University, ManilaA Theory of Echoes and Other PoemsIn addition, his poems have been included in A Habit of Shores: Philippine English Poetry 1960s Introduction to Literature Revised Edition by Edilberto K. Tiempo, Miguel A. Bernad, Edith L. Tiempo