A prolific writer, he spearheaded the second successful modernist movement in Filipino poetry together with Mangahas and Antonio. His earliest pieces of literary criticism were collected in
Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina (1972), now considered the first book of literary criticism in Filipino. Later, in the years of martial law, he set aside modernism and formalism and took interest in nationalism, politics and activist movement. As a critic, his critical works deal with the issue of
national language. Almario campaigned against the usage and proliferation of
siyokoy words in the Filipino language, which according to him were improperly derived from English and Spanish. He also advocated the use of
Filipinas as the Philippines official name in both Filipino and English languages. Aside from being a critic, Almario engaged in translating and editing. He has translated the best contemporary poets of the world. He has also translated for theater production the plays of
Nick Joaquin,
Bertolt Brecht,
Euripides and
Maxim Gorki. Other important translations include the famous works of the
Philippines' national hero,
José Rizal, namely
Noli Me Tangere and
El filibusterismo. For these two, he was awarded the 1999 award for translation by the
Manila Critics Circle. Almario has been a recipient of numerous awards such as several
Palanca Awards, two grand prizes from the
Cultural Center of the Philippines, the
Makata ng Taon of the
Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, the TOYM for literature, and the
Southeast Asia Write Award of
Bangkok. He was an instructor at the Lagao Central Elementary School from 1969 to 1972. In 2003, he was appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Letters at the
University of the Philippines Diliman. On June 25 of the same year, he was proclaimed National Artist for Literature. Almario is also the founder and workshop director of the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo, an organization of poets who write in Filipino. Award-winning writers and poets such as Roberto and Rebecca Añonuevo, Romulo Baquiran Jr., Michael Coroza, Jerry Gracio, and Vim Nadera are some of the products of that organization's workshop. He was a founding member of the Gallan sa Arte at Tula, along with fellow poets
Teo Antonio and
Mike Bigornia. ==Works==