Connecting Fiction and Reality: Some Influential Pieces of Philippine Literature
by Janine Liwanag
Are you looking for something to do over the reading break? In celebration of National Literature Month, six influential pieces of Philippine fiction were chosen for your perusal.
In 2015, April was designated as the National Literature Month as it commemorates Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar Day, the birth and death anniversaries of National Artists for Literature Edith Tiempo, Nick Joaquin, and Levi Celerio along with other literary icons, and other international literary events like World Book Day. This year, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts is heading the eighth celebration of National Literature Month with the theme: “Muling Pagtuklas sa Karunungang Bayan.”
This article features a short story, four novels, and a graphic novel series all written in the last two centuries that tackle social issues in creative ways, getting readers hooked and opening their eyes to how the different sectors of Philippine society have been oppressed over time.
1. Dead Stars by Paz Marquez-Benitez
“Mystery — “ she answered lightly, “that is so brief — “
“Not in some,” quickly. “Not in you.”
“You have known me a few weeks; so the mystery.”
“I could study you all my life and still not find it.”
“So long?”
“I should like to.”
Set during the Spanish occupation, bachelor Alfredo is already engaged to strong-willed Esperanza, but he becomes more interested in youthful Julia. After Julia moves away, Alfredo ends up marrying Esperanza. Years later, Alfredo goes on a business trip and visits Julia while he’s in the area. He realizes his love for Julia, like his love for Esperanza, is gone and compares it to dead stars. Considered to be the piece that gave birth to modern Philippine writing in English, aside from being a love story, Dead Stars is an allegory for American imperialism and independence, showing the spark and promise of a love which later fades away. Author Paz Marquez-Benitez was a graduate of UP Manila and a member of the first batch of students who were taught under the American education system.
2. Dekada ’70 by Lualhati Bautista
“Walang subersibo dito. Bakit magiging subersibo ang katotohanan?”
This novel written in Filipino follows Amanda Bartolome, a mother of a middle-class, male-dominated household during the 1970s. After President Marcos imposes martial law, her eldest son Jules soon joins the communist movement. Throughout the story, Amanda questions her role in the family and in society as a woman, wife, and mother, all the while growing aware of the injustices occurring in the Philippines at the time. In 2002, the story was adapted into a film starring Vilma Santos and Christopher De Leon which won Second Best Picture at the Metro Manila Film Festival that same year.
3. Smaller and Smaller Circles by FH Batacan
“We are powerless when we wait for other people to act on our behalf.”
After several children in the urban slums of Payatas are murdered and the cases do not get attention from the police, two priests decided to conduct an investigation. Following an unlikely pair of detectives who happen to be a forensic anthropologist and a psychologist, this crime mystery reflects the corrupt Philippine justice system which selects who to serve and ignores the underprivileged. This story won the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature Grand Prize for the English Novel in 1999, and has also been adapted into a film which is available to stream on YouTube.
4. Banana Heart Summer by Merlinda Bobis
“‘Parents must do this, because they want their children to be good.’
But I always want to be good. Do you?”
Twelve-year-old Nenita, the eldest of six children, drops out of school and takes up work as a maid to support her family after her mother gets pregnant again and her father loses his job. While narrating recipes of well-loved dishes like maja blanca, bibingka, and turon, Nenita weaves her way through life, her days revolving around Remedios Street in 1960s Bicol. In its vivid descriptions made with love, Merlinda Bobis’ debut novel Banana Heart Summer tells of heartbreak and the search for happiness in its depiction of poverty, child labor, and abuse. Those interested in learning more about Bobis’ work may check out her website or Poetry International page.
5. Si Amapola sa 65 na Kabanata by Ricky Lee
“Sa labas, habang ang mga kababayan ko ay hindi pa nakaka-recover sa sunod-sunod na bagyong pinasimulan ng Ondoy, ako, sa loob ng High Notes sa kanto ng Timog at Morato, ay naka-split sa stage, ini-impersonate si Beyoncé, kinakanta ang If I Were A Boy, theme song ng mga tomboy.”
Gay impersonator Amapola who works in Timog and Tomas Morato suddenly becomes a manananggal and receives a prophecy: he is the chosen one who must save the Philippines from the evil that will arrive in the upcoming May election. Especially relevant now, this LGBTQ+ story weaves social and political issues into humorous tellings of Philippine folklore, history, and pop culture. Author Ricky Lee is also known for his other works, Para kay B (o kung paano dinevastate ng pag-ibig ang 4 out of 5 sa atin) and Trip to Quiapo: Scriptwriting Manual.
6. Janus Sílang series by Edgar Calabia Samar
“Hindi naman eksklusibo ang kabutihan sa kahit na anong nilalang. Kung hindi tayo hinahamon na magpakabuti araw-araw, baka hindi natin maramdaman kung bakit natin kailangang magpakabuti nga.”
Players of the popular video game Terra Anima Legion of Anitos (TALA) Online all over the country are turning up dead — except for Janus Sílang. Starting with a novel that was developed into the recently concluded graphic novel series, Samar explores Philippine mythology while reflecting the issues of the national administration. The diversity of characters belonging to different races like humans, manananggal, nuno, mambabarang, and more also offers an interesting analysis of issues like discrimination, prejudice, and antagonism. Fans have likened Janus Sílang to internationally popular series like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.
Are you convinced to check out any of the stories mentioned above? Copies can be found in physical and online stores of Philippine bookstores, secondhand bookshops, or local libraries. Personally, I bought my preloved copy of Si Amapola sa 65 na Kabanata through Carousell right after it was recommended to me in an online writing workshop. I also like adding Filipino books to my wish list in case my friends and family are running out of gift ideas. Other lovely pieces of Philippine literature can be found in collections like Likhaan, a peer-reviewed literary journal produced annually by the University of the Philippines. Likhaan has featured works like Some Days You Can’t Save Them All, the Palanca Award-winning essay-turned-book of Dr. Ronnie Baticulon, a UPCM graduate and professor.
As Filipinos, it is our duty to preserve our culture and identity, and one way we can do that is by reading and writing Philippine literature. Through the creations of Filipino authors, we get to learn more about our national identity, folklore, and history. After all, literature does not exist in a vacuum. Philippine literature, in particular, mirrors Philippine society and our different experiences growing up.
In this day and age where misinformation is rampant and voices of Filipinos are constantly being repressed, it is important to discuss the works of Filipino writers and artists even outside of National Literature Month. Reading pieces of Philippine literature develops our critical thinking skills through literary analysis. The search for meaning in literature sharpens our ability to interpret how people in real life speak or act, whether they be our friends or political leaders. By actively consuming Philippine literature, we get to learn and form opinions about American imperialism, martial law, Philippine mythological creatures, and more which are not only found in fiction, but also in our daily lives. What we find in the Filipino books we read may also be found in the stories of our grandparents, neighbors, or mentors, so long as we pay attention.
This upcoming national election in May, we can analyze interviews with political candidates and speeches at campaign rallies the same way we study our readings in class or for leisure. While we correlate FH Batacan’s experience in the Philippine intelligence community with her crime fiction work, we can also link candidates’ previous or current occupations with their platforms. In fiction, we can connect Ricky Lee’s experience as an activist and detainee during Martial Law with how he writes about politicians and minorities in Si Amapola sa 65 na Kabanata, and in reality we can relate senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares’ similar experiences as a Martial Law detainee with his statements against the presidential bid of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Even if what we are reading is fiction, these stories mirror the realities of the Filipino people. If we begin with understanding the authors’ upbringing and context to their stories, we can later relate the experiences and ideologies of politicians with their policies, of journalists with their headlines, of laborers with their votes. As we count down the days left in the campaign period, let’s observe how candidates address us (or choose not to) and how other people respond to our ideas. This way, we can learn to acknowledge how our own experiences have shaped our beliefs, words, and actions. This way, we can become more responsible communicators.
If you’re interested in participating in National Literature Month in other ways such as contributing your own work to Philippine literature, there are many different ways to do so. This year, Likhaan: UP Institute of Creative Writing (ICW) is holding Life UPdates, a monthly literary contest open to students of all UP campuses. Submissions for this month’s installment will be accepted until April 15, 2022, and the contest will end in September 2022. If you wish to compete on a bigger scale (with bigger prizes), the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature have returned after three years and are accepting submissions until May 31, 2022. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to have your work critiqued, the 61st UP National Writers Workshop, which is also organized by the UP ICW, is still accepting applications until April 30, 2022.
This April and even afterwards, let’s support Philippine literature through critical analyses and fruitful discussions, uplifting Filipino voices and using our own.
