Writer Nolledo, 71

Fictionist, playwright and screenwriter Wilfrido Nolledo died of pancreatic cancer Saturday in Los Angeles, California. He was 71.

Nolledo, known as Ding to friends and family, wrote for the pre-martial law Philippines Free Press, and was among the generation of writers who came of age in the 1960s, including Gregorio Brillantes and Gilda Cordero Fernando.

A graduate of journalism at the University of Sto. Tomas, Nolledo was best known for his novel, "But for the Lovers," published in the United States in 1970 and since reprinted, and the short story "Rice Wine," which is taken up in many college literature courses.

Nolledo attended the Iowa Writers Workshop, and was a fellow of the first National Writers Workshop at Silliman University, Dumaguete in 1962. He was a contributing editor for Focus Philippines magazine, and also wrote for the Observer.

Nolledo’s "But for the Lovers" has been described as a "neglected masterpiece," experimenting with magic realism long before the term was invented.

According to STAR columnist Alfred Yuson, Nolledo’s "influence on budding writers took the form of supreme intoxication with lyrical language."

Nolledo wrote at least two other novels, "Sangria Tomorrow" and "Vaya con Virgo," both of which won the Palanca grand prize in 1981 and 1984.

Nolledo and his family migrated to Panorama City, California later that decade. He is survived by his wife, the former Blanca Datuin, and their children.