About
Chuckberry J. Pascual
Chuckberry J. Pascual is a novelist, short story writer, and translator. He is the author of the novels Mars, May Zombie! (Adarna House, 2022) and Ang Nawawalang Barangay (Avenida Books, 2024) and the short story collections Kumpisal: mga kuwento (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2015), Hindi Ito Romansa (Sentro ng Wikang Filipino-UP Diliman, 2020), Bayan ng mga Bangkay (University of the Philippines Press, 2022), and Ang Nawawala (Visprint, 2017). Mars, May Zombie! won the 8th National Children’s Book Awards (NCBA) Kids’ Choice Award. Kumpisal: mga kuwento won the San Alberto Magno Best Book Award in the Dangal ng UST Awards in 2016. It was also a finalist in the 2016 National Book Awards, Gintong Aklat Awards, and the Madrigal-Gonzales Best First Book Award. Hindi Ito Romansa was released as a free download and part of the Aklatang Bayan-Online series of the Sentro ng Wikang Filipino. Bayan ng mga Bangkay was part of the 2022 Philippine Writers Series by the UP Institute of Creative Writing and UP Press. Ang Nawawala won Best Book of Short Fiction in Filipino at the National Book Awards 2018 and the San Alberto Magno Best Book at the Dangal ng UST Awards 2019. Its English translation by Ned Parfan, The Vanished (Avenida Books, 2023), received a translation grant from the National Book Development Board and was a finalist in the 42nd National Book Awards in the Best Translated Work in English category.
He has also authored books on ethnography, literary criticism, and literary history such as Pagpasok sa Eksena: Ang Sinehan sa Panitikan at Pag-aaral ng Piling Sinehan sa Recto (University of the Philippines Press, 2016) Ang Labis na Mahalaga (UNITAS, 2023) and Ang Tagalabas sa Panitikan (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2018). Pagpasok sa Eksena was part of The Media and Communication Series, a joint project of the Office of Research and Publications of the UP College of Mass Communication and UP Press. Ang Labis na Mahalaga was funded by a UST Research Center for Culture, Arts, and Humanities research grant. As an unpublished dissertation, Ang Tagalabas sa Panitikan won the Gawad Antonio Mercado Abad for Best Dissertation in 2015 at UP Diliman. As a published book, it won the San Alberto Magno Award for Best Published Research in Humanities and Cultural Studies in the Dangal ng UST Awards 2019. It was a finalist in the Creative Nonfiction category in the Gintong Aklat Awards.
He translated four short story collections by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo: Sa Bayan ng Nagngangalit na Buwan (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2021), Kundiman ng Panahong Naiwan (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2021), Mga Kuwentong Bayan para sa Gabing Maulan (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2023) and Catch a Falling Star (Lampara Publishing House, 2021). His translation of Catch a Falling Star won the 7th National Children’s Book Awards (NCBA) Kids’ Choice Award, Chapter Book category. It was a finalist in the 2022 Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards and the 40th National Book Awards in the Best Translation category. Mga Kuwentong Bayan… was a finalist in the Best Translated Work category in Filipino at the 42nd National Book Awards. His translation of Miguel Syjuco’s Ilustrado (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2022), the first and only Filipino novel to win the Man Asian Prize, received a translation grant from the National Book Development Board. It won Best Translated Work at the 41st National Book Awards.
He is a co-author with U Z. Eliserio and Maynard Manansala of Kolab: koleksiyon ng mga dula (University of the Philippines Press, 2018), a finalist in the 2019 National Book Awards. He co-edited two anthologies with Rolando Tolentino titled Plus/+, At Iba Plus, Maramihan: New Philippine Fiction and New Philippine Nonfiction on Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities (Ateneo University Press, 2023). The nonfiction anthology won Best Anthology in Filipino at the 41st National Book Awards.
Pascual holds a PhD in Malikhaing Pagsulat sa Filipino from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He teaches Literature and Creative Writing at the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters and the UST Graduate School. He also serves as a Resident Fellow of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies and as a Faculty Researcher of the UST Research Center for Culture, Arts and Humanities.
