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Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn

ジェシカ・タラハタ・ハゲドーン

Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1949-05-29 （Manila, Philippines）
Nationality
American, Filipino
Languages
English, Tagalog
Residence History
Manila (born) → San Francisco (moved 1963) → New York City (moved 1978; current)

Career

Occupations
playwright, writer, poet, multimedia performance artist
Active Years
1972-
Nominations
National Book Award (1990, nomination)

Education

American Conservatory Theater (training program)
Period: 参加期間不明
Country: United States
Studied in a training program for theater

Awards

National Book Award (nomination)
1990
Work: Dogeaters
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: ノミネート
American Book Award
1991
Work: Dogeaters
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: 受賞
MacDowell Colony Fellowship
1985
Category: フェローシップ
Organization: MacDowell
Result: 受給
MacDowell Colony Fellowship
1986
Category: フェローシップ
Organization: MacDowell
Result: 受給
MacDowell Colony Fellowship
1989
Category: フェローシップ
Organization: MacDowell
Result: 受給
MacDowell Colony Fellowship
1994
Category: フェローシップ
Organization: MacDowell
Result: 受給
Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund Writer's Award
1994
Category: Writer's Award
Organization: Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund
Result: 受賞
Lucille Lortel Foundation Fellowship
2006
Category: フェローシップ
Organization: Lucille Lortel Foundation
Result: 受給
Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation Idea Awards
2021
Category: The Tooth of Time Distinguished Career Award
Organization: Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Dogeaters

1990 Novel

A multi-voiced novel depicting aspects of Filipino experience and the influence of American popular culture (radio, television, film) on Philippine society.

diasporamedia influencecultural identityneocolonialism
Adaptations
  • [Stage] Dogeaters (stage adaptation) (1998)
  • [Stage (Off-Broadway)] Dogeaters (Off-Broadway) (2001)

Danger and Beauty

1993 Novel

Explores memory, culture, and power through multiple narrators.

memorypowercultural conflict

The Gangster of Love

1996 Novel

A novel set against urban culture and music that follows personal growth.

musicurban lifeself-formation

Dream Jungle

2003 Novel

Weaves historical background and fiction to portray transformations in Philippine society.

historytransformationculture

Toxicology

2011 Novel / Stories

A collection including short and long stories addressing contemporary social issues and personal trauma.

social issuestraumafamily

Mango Tango

1977 Play

An early play produced by Joseph Papp.

performanceurban life

Bibliography

  • Chiquita Banana. Third World Women (1972)
  • Pet Food & Tropical Apparitions (1975)
  • Dangerous Music (1975)
  • Mango Tango (1977, play)
  • Dogeaters (1990)
  • Danger and Beauty (1993)
  • Charlie Chan Is Dead (editor, 1993)
  • The Gangster of Love (1996)
  • Burning Heart: A Portrait of the Philippines (with Marissa Roth, 1999)
  • Dream Jungle (2003)
  • Toxicology (2011)

Adaptations

  • Dogeaters (stage adaptations; La Jolla Playhouse, Off-Broadway)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
mixed-media style (combines poetry, song, images, spoken dialogue)multi-voiced / ensemble narrative
Recurring Motifs
diasporaintersection of media and cultureimmigrant experienceidentity and memory

Legacy

Jessica Hagedorn is an influential Filipino American writer and playwright whose ensemble works addressing media and diaspora have had significant impact; her works have been staged and included in anthologies, contributing to both literature and theater.

Archives

  • The Bancroft Library (Guide to the Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn Papers)
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst Special Collections (related holdings)

Trivia

  • Joseph Papp produced her early play Mango Tango.
  • She led a poet's band—The West Coast Gangster Choir (later The Gangster Choir)—from 1975 to 1985.
  • Of mixed descent (Scots-Irish, French, Filipino, Spanish, Chinese).