Carlos Quirino

Carlos Felix Lozada Quirino (January 14, 1910 – May 20, 1999) was a Philippine biographer and historian. Not only known for his works on biographies and history but also on varied subjects such as the old maps of the Philippines and the culinary legacy of the country.

Life
Carlos Quirino was born on January 14, 1910, in Manila to Jose Felix Arcinas Quirino and Dolores de los Santos Lozada. He was a nephew of Philippine president Elpidio Quirino. Carlos Quirino received his journalism degree in 1931 from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Known for his early biography of Jose Rizal entitled "The Great Malayan" (1940), he also wrote several works on Philippine history, as well as biographies of President Manuel Quezon and the painter Damian Domingo.

Carlos Quirino joined the Philippine Army and became second lieutenant before the outbreak of World War II. During the Japanese occupation, he was forced to join the Bataan Death March but escaped and joined the underground resistance.

Under President Diosdado Macapagal, Carlos Quirino became director of the National Library. He also became the first director of the Ayala Museum in 1970.

In 1997 he was recognised as a National Artist of the Philippines for Historical Literature.

He died on May 20, 1999, at the age of 89.

Writing Style
Quirino's style of writing took a liberal approach of putting narrative and storytelling in his biographies. His biography of Rizal is a good example of his playful writing, as it is evident that he transformed the thoughts of Rizal and other relevant individuals, occasionally breaking them into direct conversations.