1. The very first edition of his Prose and Poems in 1953 containing Nick Joaquin's short stories and poems were among his best works. The soft cover issue is on its third or fourth re-edition already. (Baby Orosa was then the assistant of Chronicle editor Indalecio Soliongco when he asked me to review Joaquin’s book. The review appeared forthwith under Soliongco’s byline. RLO)
2. Nick’s latent generosity surfaced when he was bumped by a jeepney one night as he was crossing the street. Nick suffered minor bruises and contusions because of that accident and so was brought to the hospital by the people. When the police officer assigned to the case asked Nick whether he was filing charges against the jeepney driver, Nick said no and instead asked to see the driver and when Nick saw the hapless driver, he even offered him some money to take home to his family. The driver was speechless but very grateful for the gesture.
3. When Jose Rizal’s classic Ulitmo Adios was translated into English verse, Nick’s translation was acclaimed to be the best compared to others like that of Sen. Claro Recto who himself thought so.
4. A rare display of defiance and considered a heroic act was Nick’s “negotiating” with the late President Ferdinand Marcos that Nick could agree to being considered Philippine National Artist for Literature only if he released Nick’s buddy Pete Lacaba who was detained at the time. Nick got his wish and the rest is history.
5. Nick was said to be the ONLY writer who ”dared” to look into the lives of so-called Filipino heroes and won accolades for his having written the book A Question of Heroes.
6. Nick’s now classic stage play Portrait of the Artist as Filipino is now translated into two languages (Tagalog, Spanish) and presented as a play and as a movie.
7. Lamberto “Bert” Avellana stated that Nick’s short stories, if one were to read them, looked like professionally written screenplays that a movie director could easily shoot the plays outright just reading the book.
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