Marra Lanot, award-winning Filipina author, dies

WRITER. Filipina author Marra Lanot.

Marra Lanot Facebook page

Marra Lanot, 82, was a trilingual poet, essayist, and freelance journalist who wrote in Filipino, English, and Spanish

AT A GLANCE

• Award-winning Filipina author Marra PL. Lanot passed away on August 16 at the age of 82 after a prolonged hospital stay.
• Lanot was a trilingual poet and essayist, recognized for her contributions to literature with multiple awards.
• She is remembered not only for her literary achievements but also for her kindness and devotion to her family.

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MANILA, Philippines – Award-winning Filipina author Marra PL. Lanot died on Sunday, August 16. She was 82.

No cause of death was disclosed, but Lanot’s family said her passing came after a “prolonged hospital stay.”

Lanot was a trilingual poet, essayist, and freelance journalist who wrote in Filipino, English, and Spanish. 

Her first collection of poetry, Sheaves of Things Burning, won second prize in poetry at the 1967 Palanca Awards. Thirteen years later in 1980, she won first prize in the essay category with Deja Vu In America: Or, One of the Songs.

She also received a Catholic Mass Media Award and, in 2020, the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for her contributions to English poetry and essay.

Lanot’s other published works included Riding the Full Moon and Other Poems in Filipino and Spanish (2008), Passion and Compassion: Mga Tula sa Ingles at Pilipino (1981), and Cadena de Amor: New and Selected Poems in English, Filipino, and Spanish (2017). 

A graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman, Lanot taught literature, creative writing, and film at her alma mater. She also held positions at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Movie and Television Rating and Classification Board.

Her literary expertise and decades of distinguished work earned her a place on the Palanca Awards’ panel of judges.

Beyond her literary career, Lanot is remembered as a devoted wife to award-winning screenwriter and journalist Jose “Pete” Lacaba and a loving mother and grandmother.

“She will always be remembered for her kindness, generosity, and sheer love for life. If she loved you, you would know it for sure — she wasn’t the type to hide it,” read a statement from Lanot’s family.  

“Please pray for the repose of her soul.” 

Lanot is survived by Lacaba, son Kris, her three grandchildren, and siblings Pfootsy and Xyrus. – Rappler.com