Philippine literary giant F. Sionil Jose dies aged 97

MANILA (AFP): Philippine novelist Francisco Sionil Jose (pic), whose widely translated works delved into the South-East Asian country's painful colonial past and social injustices, died Thursday (Jan 6), according to a literary guild he had founded. He was 97.

In a prolific writing career spanning seven decades, Jose penned more than a dozen novels, several short story collections, essays and a regular newspaper column. He also owned a bookshop.