Attending the 1st Filipino ReaderCon

(In which I abandoned my work for more fun.)

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It was a long walk to get to SMX Convention Center and we almost got lost in the midst of technicolor banners and busy people and tons of books and wide corridors and a nauseatingly long escalator before I decided to message Chachic and get to the right venue. I silently blamed myself for not checking event information beforehand. But we got there. And that’s what matters.

What followed after getting our seats in the front row of a crowded meeting room (which, of course, is a positive thing) is really an awesome experience. First we’ve got Mr. Carljoe Javier and his speech on book publishing and social media . . .

. . . followed by a trio of online/offline book club administrators who discussed how to manage and keep a book club . . .

, and then a panel composed of five bloggers who talked about their blogging experiences.

And as if that’s not enough, there was food . . .

. . . and a raffle draw as well. My boyfriend won a Twilight movie magazine and I got a bagful of books and a shirt from OMF Lit.

I like all of them, with the bubbly lectures and all. But I especially like Miss Tata of Ex Libris and Miss Gege of Flips Flipping Pages. Aside from their vibrant personalities, I admire their passion for running and keeping a books club which adhere to noble advocacies. It made me proud to have been there to listen to them.

But along with the pride comes the gratefulness to all those made the event possible. By going through the laborious process in pioneering a convention dedicated to Pinoy book lovers, they have made a mark. Congratulations to the organizers and thanks to all the sponsors! Let there be more events like this.

Philippine Literature in English Today and its Challenge to Contemporary Filipino Writers in English

(In which I share my serious thoughts.)

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The following is an essay I submitted in school in response to my professor's question as regards to the current status of Philippine literature in English and the challenges the present and future Filipino writers in English face.

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We live in an age where the kind of lifestyle predominant was unimaginable 100 years ago. Through the continuing development of science and technology, every aspect of human life is expected to improve. These advancements help shape the tremendous change in almost every field of study – communication, business, arts, etc. As technology elevates various fields of science and arts into a widely spread compilation of information accessible through the World Wide Web, it is no wonder that it has done equally so with Philippine literature. Therefore, the literary critic Isagani R. Cruz was correct when he said that “The Philippine literature is alive and well and living on the Web.” (Cruz, 2009)

He gave this statement in a lecture with the student group WIKA Kabataan in UP Diliman where he was asked to explain the current status of Philippine literature. In his article published in the Philippine Star entitled “Philippine Literature Today”, he managed to depict the condition of the country’s literature through a presentation of three types of writing – an excerpt from Virgilio Almario’s Hudhud trickily presented as prose, a long text from a blog presented as verse and a paragraph from Bob Ong’s blog. The reaction of the students in the conference confirmed his thesis for the lecture – that Bob Ong symbolizes Philippine literature today.

Considering the age of the Philippine population, it is rather expected that the youth will be the driving force of changes in the field of written arts. Their needs and predilection will be the prime mover of the future of our country’s literature. Therefore, Bob Ong’s popularity is an easy win, not to mention epic. The youth can easily relate themselves to his writing and the language in which his works is presented is the icing on the cake.

However, Bob Ong being known as a writer in Filipino raises questions concerning the other major aspect of our country’s literature: Who, or what, then, is the icon for contemporary Philippine literature in English?

Currently published works of fiction in the country written in English by Filipino writers are dominated by YA (Young Adult) and graphic novels. The subgenres vary from chick lit to fantasy. This trend, however, is expected, as in the case of Philippine literature in Filipino. Again, the current trend is dictated by the penchant of the younger generation; the popularization of which is made easier by online catalogs and digital downloads. It is also worth noting that these fictions are somehow patterned from the Western example, which where some of the problems start.

The revolution of the modern world around anything Western could be considered the epitome of the challenges that the present and future Filipino writers in English must face. The hype directing readers towards Western literature was one of the main causes for the insufficiency of the market for locally published works of literature. (Wikipilipinas) One sad facet of this is the readers’ creation of standards regarding the books that they choose to read. Not that setting a standard is bad. However, if the readers base their criteria on foreign books, i.e., writing styles and themes, the Filipino writer is expected to come to terms with it by giving in to what the prospective market expects, thus somehow losing some important aspects of cultural signatures in writing in favor of profit. Another challenge the Filipino writers need to triumph over deals with grammar, diction and meaning of words. (Santos, 2002) Although this might be a case of cultural preference or even tradition, some expressions, words and writing styles may appear unappealing to other readers.

Given these problems, the present and future Filipino writers in English are then expected to strive more in the attempts of encouraging more readers. It is quite ironic that in a population of more than 90 million, a literary work with a maximum publication of 1,000 copies is considered a bestseller if it sold that thousand copies in a year. (FilipinoWriter) Hopefully, in the future, more readers would be interested in patronizing works by local authors and eventually help in providing a more solid identity to our literature. It may sound Herculean, but not impossible.
References

Cruz, Isagani. (2009, August 20). Philippine Literature Today. The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=497452

Philippine Literature in English. (n.d.). In Wikipilipinas. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Philippine_Literature_in_English

Santos, H. O. (2002) Philippine Literature Today: A View from Afar. Philippine Best Short Stories. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.sushidog.com/bpss/essays/rplit_today.htm

Tantizm, (2009, September 8) "Read or Die" ni National Artist Virgilio S. Almario. Retrieved December 9, 2010, from http://www.filipinowriter.com/read-or-die-ni-national-artist- virgilio-s-almario

Lessons from BookSale

(In which my impulsiveness was once more elucidated.)

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I love BookSale’s bargain books. Aside from their wallet-friendly quality, (which comprises 50% of my penchant for them) they let the child in me come to life in every visit to this metropolitan paradise of secondhand books. What elation could be more childlike than the tickle a surprise gives? Imagine unearthing a work of a favorite author or a five-star book from a nook of a book-filled shelf? And priced more than 50% off the original? It’s like recovering a jade from the sand!

But of course, just like everything else, bargain books come with some catches. Generally, despite knowing that they’re not new, we somehow wish that they appear as something close to that. So what to do when they’ve got creases on the spine and/or dog-eared pages and/or a folded cover or a damaged jacket? Some will surely moan in pained disappointment upon encountering one and toss it back to the pile. But I won’t. I mean I won’t toss it back to the pile. For one thing I learned after years of surveying books at BookSale is to decide against procrastination or optimism that I might just be lucky to still find a really good book available on the next visit for it rarely happens. At least for me.

But this attitude also has its downs. Take for instance my visit to another BookSale branch where I found a totally beautiful-inside-and-out version of a book I already purchased. And then I couldn’t help imagining the one I bought – the ill-glued middle page, the folded cover and the frayed edges – while feeling the soft, almost new cover and looking at the intact leaves of the more carefully-kept copy. Now this time I have to (no, not toss) carefully put it back to the pile with a useless wish that I had found it earlier. And then I hope someone recover that jade-in-the-sand soon because it’s a truly awesome book.

But as what we already know, we are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, or by its price, or by the way the pages are pasted together. But what’s inside, printed on the however-looking leaf. For what will be ingrained in our memory is not how awfully secondhand or new the book was when we acquired it, but how the contents of that book changed our lives.

Now that’s another reason to love BookSale. Wow! I never knew a book store can be a good teacher too.

The Books of Rachel by Joel Gross

(In which we are all brothers.)

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I saw the book just before heading for the counter to pay for the books I have chosen. It was hardbound; protected by a jacket whose edges were already torn and frayed. If it’s the artistic vines and flowers on the jacket or the name in the title that got me interested, I don’t know. But I bought it for the promise of a good read that the blurb gave as well as its incredibly cheap cost.

And the promise was never broken. The book is excellent.

The Books of Rachel is a collection of stories from a Jewish clan that spanned 50 decades. Alongside the expansion of a family is the expansion of their wealth brought by the diamond industry they control as well as tthe passing of the legacy of a diamond – Rachel’s diamond.

The birth of a girl after the death of a Rachel means a new heiress of the diamond and the name. Each Rachel is a heroine – a strong and virtuous woman amidst the cruelty of the world to her people. The novel relates how each Rachel defended her philosophies, her love and dreams. It tells how she fought for her family and brothers and for her being a Jewess.

Chapter One: Rachel of Zaragoza

When Judah Cuheno saw the diamond in its dull covering, he already knew the beauty it possesses and decided to cut and polish it himself as a present for his sister Rachel. But before he even completed the task, Spain has already fallen to The Inquisition. And Rachel, in the attempts of saving the man who protected her was executed as well as the some other members of their wealthy clan.

Chapter Two: Rachel of Venice

With the kind of life that she experienced in the ghetto of Venice, Rachel Cuheno couldn’t imagine that she might have belonged to a rich family in Spain. His father loathed the story. They were never going to be a part of that clan. Or better yet, it is better to think that his possible connection with Judah Cuheno of Spain is nothing but a myth. Rachel’s family lived in so much poverty that her sister accepted the offer of being a courtesan in the palace and left her with her gambler of a father and her mad mother.

But fate has other plans. A distant relative discovered Rachel and her sister and brought them to the place where they belong.

Chapter Three: Rachel of Berlin

If the other bearers of her name were proud of being Jewish, Frau Rachel Meier wasn’t. She wished she had descended from artists with a Christian name. She treated the thought of being brothers with filthy beggars and superstitious peasants with utmost repugnance. Not until she fell in love that she willed to face danger, even death. And she decided that whatever happens, she will never deny her true identity – she is Rachel and she is a Jew.

Chapter Four: Rachel of Jerusalem

What seemed as a religious pilgrimage turned to be an intense eye opener for Mademoiselle Rachel Cohn. She sees the poverty and desperation of Jews in the Holy Land, breathed the fetid air of the city and heard tales of fighting and death. She wouldn’t want to go back to her privileged life and leave her people to suffer. She intended to improve their lives and she is willing to do everything she can to help - even if it means fighting against death.

Chapter Five: Rachel of England

The seventeen-year-old Rachel Kane was an impulsive young girl who had people throwing their hands up in exhaustion from her inappropriate remarks and thoughtless speech. To them she was just another spoiled kid. Yet she knew more than wanting to be a painter and read. She fell in love with a man who lost his mother because of a war that is starting to take place. She married herself to him before he died. But he didn’t die in vain. With his death was the death of a Nazi economist. Rachel went to Vienna to help save the Jews but failed. On the way to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, she was shot dead.

***

When I found out that the author spent more than a year to research this novel, I felt a huge respect for him. And the respect is heightened after I finished the novel. The way he wrote the story made me feel like I belong to the era being presented. It blended history and fiction very well that I almost thought the entire novel really happened.

Another interesting factor is the force that love brings. The five Rachels in the novel were all young, thus incapable to fully comprehend what was happening, or why they were being persecuted. But after they experience love, not only in the romantic context but also humanistic, they understood that they have to make an action. They understood that not only the Jews need fair treatment and freedom – everyone does.

***

I have once read that reading history means understanding life using natural light; reading literature is understanding life with an artificial light. The difference is that you can direct an artificial light anywhere.

I don’t know how to describe reading historical fiction, though. Could it be maneuvering an artificial light in a garden one beautiful afternoon?



Currently reading:

Last Voyage of the Valentina by Santa Montefiore

Unfinished Reading II: Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

(In which another one joins the pile.)

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I saw the book I lent an office mate ages ago on the table the moment I opened my office door. It was the start of work after four idyllic summer days. Later on that day, she welcomed me by her usual opening of my door during the break time. She thanked me for the book and declared that she wasn’t able to finish it.

“I got bored,” she said as she rested her back against the door jamb. “It’s description-packed. I could hardly keep a book open if it’s too stingy with conversations.”

That’s when the rumination started.

I have imposed a rule on myself that a book should not be read for more than a month no matter how Herculean the combination of my tasks was. But it’s been almost a month since I marked this book as “currently reading” and I’m still not done. Of course I’m not blaming the book for my inability to abide by my self-imposed rule. The story was interesting although it deals with family drama, which I’m not really fond of. But the title was promising enough to fill me with hope for a treatment. And besides, I’ve read The Master Butcher Singing Club and liked it.

Love Medicine is about two Indian families – the Kashpaws and the Lamartines, whose lives were tangled with one another. The novel is divided into chapters featuring a character, utilizing the first person narration most of the time. It makes use of a multiple narrative which was a style similar to that of Trudy Krishner’s Uncommon Faith.

The grip of the story takes time to tighten. It is a slow progression from the description of a Kashpaw woman, June, and her homecoming-turned-exodus with a white man to her mysterious death. From then the setting shifts from the past to the current and back, introducing the people who mourned for her and the person who doesn’t know her real place in his life. And then the people around her family – their life, their secrets, their connections.

It is a creatively complicated ensemble of thoughts – the history of complex family relationships as well as a race and a nation unfolding slowly, secrets being revealed as the fullness of one character after another takes place. At one point it will make you cry and then it will shock you. It offers an emotional roller coaster that will both make you want to slap the book shut at times and never stop reading at others.

Perhaps that was it. I couldn’t take another depressing family story. And so with a heavy heart, ninety-four unread pages and a hope to revive my old reading self, I wrote the date and time I decided to stop flipping and moved on with an art fiction.

Currently reading:
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Photo Source:
Girl with a Pearl Earring