A. R. Enriquez

Born and raised in Zamboanga City, and educated at a local Jesuit school, Ateneo de Zamboanga--an all-boys institution then--A (Antonio) R (Reyes) Enriquez is the author of several books of short stories and novels. He has been published in his homeland, the Philippines, and abroad. His short stories have been translated to Korean, German, and French.

It was his fearful and unforgettable experience in Liguasan Marsh in Maguindanao that likely started his career as a novelist; Liguasan Marsh was the setting of his first novel, “Surveyors of the Liguasan Marsh.” However, his “happiest and most memorable times” in his grandfather’s land in a coastal village of Labuan, west of Zamboanga city, which encouraged him to write about farmers, fishermen, and the common folks. Labuan village is the setting of most of his stories; like in his short story collection, “Dance a White Horse to Sleep and Other Stories.” Both the aforementioned novel and the story collection were published by UQP Press, Queensland, Australia. He is a much awarded writer, among the notable awards: UMPHIL; U.P. National Fellow for Literature lifetime award; S.E.A. Write Award, Hawthornden International Retreat for Writers Fellowship; and Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award in Literature, for the short story and its grand prize for the novel categories, English division.

The University of the Philippines Press has just released his epic novel, “Zamboanga: the Cult of War,” January 2007. 

He and his wife Joy, with their five grandchildren, now live in Cagayan de Oro City.