Coming from our Naratibo workshop in Antipolo I passed by Robinsons-Metro East before I went home yesterday. I decided I had to buy a new electric fan if I wanted some good night sleep. I naturally visited the Booksale at the basement along the way and ended up buying two hardcovers: Penelope Lively's Making It Up and Yann Martel's The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios.

I was surprised to find when I arrived home that Martel's supposed signature on the inside cover page of the book might be authentic.

National Bookstore is having its annual sale beginning last Thursday until sometime in September. I happen to have P2,000-worth of gift checks courtesy of Bookwatch, and so I visited the super branch in Cubao yesterday, hoping to have some good finds. I ended up using only half of the gift checks I had, and bought Italo Calvino's Our Ancestors 30% less than the tag price (P675.00). Filipiniana titles are sadly not part of the sale, but I had to get these two books for my continuing comprehensive exams review: Vicente L. Rafael's The Promise of the Foreign and Ramon Guillermo's newly-released Pook at Paninindigan.


When I went to the Booksale in Farmers, Sir Marx Lopez was already there, and so I had to settle for his leftovers. I've been seeing this collection of letters by Robertson Davies, whose The Deptford Trilogy I read early this year, in Booksales for some time now, but it's now being sold for only P45 and so I just had to buy it. Besides, his letters detailed his novel-writing process, and so I might get some inspiration from him.

1. That Mojares attempts at a more encompassing history of the Filipino novel, which considers those written in English, Tagalog, Cebuano, and a few other vernaculars, is very inspiring. The amount of his bibliographic citations alone attests to the breadth and earnestness in his study.

2. The return to the folk narratives, especially the epic, as forms that preempted the novel almost inevitably made them the logical source from which novelistic impulses would generate inspiration and possibilities. The singular most effecting change in Philippine history is of course colonialism, which set the stage for the rise of literacy that coincides with the arrival of the printing press. With the cultural and economic powers that the missionaries held in our islands, the epics were conveniently replaced by the pasyon narratives. Mojares took the case of Biag ti Lam-ang to illustrate the problematics in this transition and translation of forms (oral to written, precolonial to colonial, "epos to fiction").

3. Mojares: "The rise of the novel is tied to the development of prose as a medium, for prose encourages or makes possible the cultivation of the values formative or constitutive of the novel." With this, Antonio de Borja's Barlaan at Josaphat (1712), a prose work in translation, proved Tagalog's tenacity to sustain an extended written prose. It is also contiguous with the "rise of the author"--a movement away from the imagination of the collective folk.

4. The popularity of metrical corrido and awit in the 19th century strengthened the romantic tradition, making it easier for the novel to succumb to romance despite its realist intents and projections.

5. The four anatomies of conduct Mojares considered as proto-novels, where "non-narrative purpose dominates": Urbana at Felisa (1867; epistolario) by Fr. Modesto de Castro; Ang Bagong Robinson (1879; ejemplo) by Joaquin Tuason; La Teresa (1852; dialogo) by Fr. Antonio Ubeda; and Si Tandang Basio Macunat (1885; tratado) by Fr. Miguel Lucio y Bustamante. This determination, however, Mojares acknowledged as biased: their "imperfections" are considered only in light of the development of the novel; seeing them from a different textual tradition can definitely deliver a different understanding (e.g., the Urbana as not essentially a "narrative text" but a manual de urbanidad).

6. The Propaganda Movement's "creation of national consciousness" ushered the early phases of writings in the realist mode: Isabelo de los Reyes' historia and Pedro Paterno's cuadro de costumbres, especially in the latter's Ninay (1885), considered as the "first Filipino novel."

7. Mojares acknowledged in Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere (1887) and El Filibusterismo (1891) the rise of the Filipino novel, and Rizal as the "first great realist."

8. Gabriel Beato Francisco is recognized as the first novelist in the vernacular with the serialization of his Cababalaghan ni P. Bravo in Ang Kapatid ng Bayan in 1899. The arrival of the 20th century with Americanization and secularization of the printing press made the increase in number of newspapers and publications possible, which in turn made the link between journalism and the novel seemed almost natural. Notables are Lope K. Santos (Banaag at Sikat, 1905) and Valeriano Hernandez Peña (Nena at Neneng, 1903), although both are seen by Mojares as limited in talent.

9. In its incipience the novel somewhat salvaged the earlier oral and textual forms from possible oblivion by integrating them in its own novelization, as seen in Patricio Mariano's Ang Mga Anak Dalita (1911), which is part-corrido and part-tract; in Angel Magahum's Benjamin (1907), the "first Visayan novel," that combines the exemplum and the chronicle. This made the form largely unnamed in its early years, or was called by different names until as late as 1930. In Cebuano the preferred term now is sugilambong: "sugil" (sugilon: narrate) + "ambong" (kaamong, maambong: beauty) or "lambong" (elaborate, developed).

10. When Mojares discussed what he called as the impulses of fiction (didactic, empirical, aesthetic), he extensively looked on works by Roman Reyes (Pusong Walang Pag-ibig, 1910; Bulaklak ng Kalumpang, 1907), Rosauro Almario (Ang Mananayaw, 1910; Mga Anak-Bukid, 1911), Iñigo Ed. Regalado (Sampaguitang Walang Bango, 1918; Madaling Araw, 1909), Lope K. Santos (Banaag at Sikat, 1905; Kundangan, 1927), Francisco Laksamana (Anino ng Kahapon, 1907), Maximo B. Sevilla (Ulilang Kalapati, 1914), among others, but it was only Faustino Aguilar who merited Mojares' admiration. He called Aguilar's Pinaglahuan (1907) as "one of the best novels of its time," and Nangalunod sa Katihan (1911) as Aguilar's "best novel": "the coolness with which its characters confront their condition mirrors the deliberation with which the author develops his material."

11. The "decline" of the novel (meaning, its aesthetic impulse depreciation) is seen as a factor of its commercialization, wherein the novels are seen as "commodity"--as exemplified in the cases of Fausto J. Galauran (whose works, Mojares claimed, should be considered as "romances rather than novels") and the Cebuano Sulpicio Osorio. Meanwhile Flaviano P. Boquecosa and Lazaro Francisco are seen as cases of "passionate involvement in the problems of the nation," especially in Francisco, despite the commercialism that determined the large part of the literary production during his time.

12. Mojares closed his book with the Filipino novels in English, which recognizes Zoilo M. Galang's A Child of Sorrow (1921) as seminal. He focused, however, on what he considered as "landmarks in the history of the Filipino novel," both completed in 1940: Juan C. Laya's His Native Soil, the first-prize winner of the Commonwealth Literary Contest, and N.V.M. Gonzalez's The Winds of April; Mojares was particularly fond of what Gonzalez achieved in fiction. I understand for purposes of a sense of continuity, thus change, Mojares must have felt the need to end/close with novels in English alone. It would have been more representative however if he decided to juxtapose the two novels with other novels also written during the 1940 but in the Philippine vernaculars he covered (mostly Tagalog and Cebuano), even if only to avoid readings that might interpret his design as favorable to, and more hopeful of, writings in English.

Yesterday I attended the opening of the Pitik-Bulag Exhibit at the GSIS Museum of Art, where the coffeetable book containing the poems and artworks was also launched. Two of my poems are included in the said anthology, with English translations by Marne L. Kilates, and paintings by Leonardo Aguinaldo. I scanned the table of contents below; click on the pictures for larger resolutions.

Yesterday began with a sad news: writer for children Mae Astrid Tobias lost her battle to sickness, and left us at a very young age of 30. A simple Google search would reveal how much she had achieved: "She graduated with a degree in English (Creative Writing) from UP Diliman. She is also the manager of the Kabataan News Network (KNN) Manila Bureau. She was a fellow in the 1st Barlaya Writing for Children Workshop and the 43rd UP National Writers' Workshop. She has received recognition from the PBBY and Palanca for her works for children. Astrid was president of the Kuwentista ng mga Tsikiting (KUTING) from 2004-2006."

Among her published books are Bakawan, Bayong ng Kuting (also a winner of the Palanca), Ang Aking mga Kaibigan sa Gubat, and the retelling of the Hudhud, Pumbakhayon and Halikpon, which were finalists for the National Book Award in 2006. She also edited Literatura 4, which was devoted to children's writings in the Philippines. She also wrote articles for the newspaper, besides working for Creative Campaigns and Advocacies, Inc.

The last time I saw Astrid was when she introduced me to Job Pagsibigan during the restaging of Job's adaptation of my Uuwi na ang Nanay Kong si Darna! at the Virgin Labfest last June 2009. I did not notice that she was suffering from any illness then. We worked together as co-writers in the 101 Filipino Icons and as co-panelists in the 6th Barlaya Writing for Young Adults Workshop in 2007. Sometimes she would text me that she saw me waiting for an FX ride home in Barangka. I often couldn't even find the time to reply.

Now I pray for her peace and happiness, in another life, where I believe she must have been welcomed by a multitude of children waiting for her stories.

Last Sunday, August 17, while the Ateneo Blue Eagles was giving the DLSU Green Archers a hard time inside the Big Dome, Naratibo tried to regroup at Butter Diner nearby. Sir Marx Lopez organized the meeting, and attendees were Det Neri, Allan Derain, Wena Festin, Joel Gaviola, Joseph Arevalo & I. Naratibo is a fiction writers group they established in 2006, but since its president-founder Nori De Dios left the country, the org had not been as active as before. I was actually a newcomer in the group, having attended only one official workshop session, where my short story "Ang mga Apo" was discussed, and another non-workshop activity when we were invited at Mr. & Mrs. Gil Mendoza's house in Bulacan to birdwatch and ride the boats sometime last year.

We were able to plan a few projects; an immediate one is an overnight workshop at Doc Joseph's house in Antipolo on August 29. I promised to submit one of my recent works for the said workshop. I am thinking of either giving "Sawa," or the first two chapters of my second novel-in-progress, Sa Kasunod ng 909.

The Kagawaran ng Filipino in Ateneo holds another Sagala ng mga Sikat today; the procession will begin at 5:00 PM at the College Covered Courts. This year's theme is Katoto--honoring the famous sidekicks of Philippine literature and pop culture. Among the characters that will be showcased are Mother Silveria of Petrang Kabayo, Abuhing Aso & Puting Tandang from Biag ti Lam-ang, Chitae from Starzan, Flerida from Florante at Laura, Pearly from Marina, Bakus from Dyosa, and Yaya from Bubble Gang.

The photos above are from last year's Sagala with the theme Tambalan, featuring Malakas at Maganda and Pugo at Togo. Expect a more exciting Sagala today. See you!

Excerpts from my novel, Eight Muses of the Fall, are now available online, along with most of the other longlisted works in the Man Asian Literary Prize 2009. Reading selections from the novels of my competition, I experience both pleasure and awe. Incidentally, Eric Gamalinda, whose novel The Descartes Highlands I was most curious to read, did not have any fragment of his posted (yet). Eight Muses of the Fall is Mikael de Lara Co and Sasha Martinez's translation of my Tagalog novel, Walong Diwata ng Pagkahulog (Anvil Publishing, 2009), which is now available in most bookstores nationwide.

I will try to read all the available excerpts in the next few days and act as if I was a judge, and choose my own shortlist, based only on the teaser-nature that I suppose excerpts usually assume.

Winton Lou G. Ynion was found dead in his apartment early Sunday morning. Updates from common friends said that he'd been dead by stab wounds as early as Wednesday. His latest Facebook status update was Tuesday last week: "Winton is counting his blessings." I never got the chance to really know him personally, except for one or two Ph.D. classes we shared as classmates, and for some short messages or wall posts we exchanged online. We had some things in common, though: we were born on the same day, February 18, 1981, and we both won first place in the Palanca in 2004. Three years later, we shared the same table when we both won in the Gawad Komisyon, along with other writers Reuel Aguila, Luis Gatmaitan and Eugene Evasco.

The single most lasting impression I had of Win was that he was very intense: back then he was taking four Ph.D. classes while teaching in FEU, he would foreground studies on writings from the regions, and he would not hesitate to voice out his opinions in class, no matter how controversial he might sound. I found out later that he finished his undergraduate at the West Visayas State University cum laude when he was only 19. He also directed the First Tamaraw National Writeshop for Children's Literature. He seemed to be always in a hurry, eager to finish something ahead of everyone else; now I understand why.

Needless to say, nobody deserved to die the way he did. I tried to look for some of his works online and here's a few that I found:

1. "Basurahan." A poem published in Likhaan, most likely one of his works discussed when he was chosen as fellow to the UP National Writers Workshop for poetry in Filipino.
2. "Bagyo." A short poem posted by Ian Casocot in remembrance of Winton.
   
3. "Writing the Islands: The Visualizations of the Filipino in Tourism Articles of Philippine Broadsheets." A scholarly essay published in the Far Eastern University Communication Journal in 2008.
4. "Sinipad sa Balaan Bukid." His Palanca-winning short story in Hiligaynon.

I hope that he now finds justice and peace somehow, wherever he is.

[I grabbed the photo above from his Facebook account.]

Yesterday I bought three books, two from Booksale-Shopwise and one from Fully Booked-Gateway, only because I had two 300-peso gift cards courtesy of Heights.

I've been trying to look for this Donna Tartt debut novel ever since I read about it in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. It's her second, The Little Friend, that I would often see in Booksale branches, which I already had in hardcover. Luckily I spotted this in one of the lower bins.

I actually had no intention of reading any Coe in the near future, with all the books-to-read piling up, but the book's hardcover and only 35 pesos, so there.

I decided to pass by Fully Booked before going home in order to finally spend the Fully Booked gift cards that I got after a day-long Heights Pinoy staff mini-workshop last June 27. I was deliberating among several titles, including Italo Calvino's Our Ancestors, Natsuo Kirino's Out, ang Aleksandar Hemon's The Lazarus Project, before finally settling on this collection of works by Orhan Pamuk, which I thought I wouldn't be seeing in secondhand bookshops in the next five years, not like the other three.

I am very lucky to be part of this project, being the youngest poet in the group. It was back in January when our first meeting was held: "The idea is to partner a poet with a painter and have the painter do a painting of an existing poem by the poet; likewise, the poet will write a poem on an existing artwork by the painter." I was eventually paired with Baguio-based painter Leonardo Aguinaldo. I gave him "Walang Diwata ng Apoy," a poem that was part of my 2004 Palanca-winning collection, Tayong Lumalakad Nang Matulin, and then wrote a new poem I called "Habang Hibang," inspired by the painting that he sent me back in May. Marne L. Kilates translated both poems into English, and the original and the translations are included in this coffeetable book, designed by Fidel Rillo, that will be launched on August 25 at the GSIS Museum of Art:

I was asked to deliver a day-long lecture on "Modernism" to this year's LIRA workshop fellows last Sunday, August 9. From the almost fifty attendees I saw when the workshop season opened last June, Ynna told me that about less than ten get to regularly attend the weekend sessions now. Not really unusual. LIRA's workshop is one of the most extensive and demanding writing workshops in the country today. When I was a fellow in 2001, a year before I served as its president, only four of us were able to graduate and eventually be inducted as members: Jeffrey Espiritu, Sharon Bancoro, Jose Jason L. Chancoco & I.

One of the still-active fellows this year is Louie Jon Sanchez (far left in the photo above), who was declared as the "Makata ng Taon" in 2006 by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and will be coming out with his poetry collection anytime soon. Louie was also my co-fellow in two of the national writers workshops I attended: the 1st UST NWW in 2000 and the 1st Iyas-La Salle NWW in 2003.

In order to discuss modernism as a sensibility in poetry, I foregrounded five of the traditional projects that modernism rejects or abandons, for better or worse: passing down legacies, setting down rules, establishing order, exalting ideals, and strengthening the collective.

In the process we close-read a few proverbs and riddles and these ten Filipino poems, in this order (some a little closer than the others, naturally):

1. "Pilat sa Sagwan" by Tomas F. Agulto
2. "Pagsasalin" by Roberto T. Añonuevo
3. "Ako ang Daigdig" by Alejandro G. Abadilla
4. "Sa mga may Anak na Dalaga" by Modesto Santiago
5. "Three O'Clock in the Morning" by Cirio H. Panganiban
6. "Bago ang Babae" by Rebecca T. Añonuevo
7. "Kahit Saan" by Jose Corazon De Jesus
8. "Sa Tabi ng Dagat" by Ildefonso Santos
9. "Kung Tag-ani" (Hiligaynon folk poem)
10. "Pasyong Mahal ni San Jose" by Jose F. Lacaba

Here are two more photos courtesy of LIRA president Phillip Y. Kimpo, Jr.:

Two weekends ago, I sat in the panel of the 15th Ateneo Heights Writers Workshop held at Jamesville Resort in Antipolo City, together with Carlomar Daoana, Allan Derain, Adam David, Daryll Delgado, Benilda Santos, Alvin Yapan and Larry Ypil. (We were actually having our sessions on Day 2 when we began receiving texts that Cory Aquino already passed away. A day later, we discussed the last workshop piece, a story called "The Yellow Kite," written by Michelle Tan, who was earlier praised for her apocalyptic domestic drama, "Marital Affairs.")

There were ten fellows in poetry and fiction, including Petra Magno, who was last year's workshop director, and Walther Hontiveros, this year's Heights editor in chief. Their inclusion is a bit unusual, something that I don't think had any precedent in the fifteen years of the workshop. Not surprisingly, their works proved to be more mature and refined; I was particularly moved by Petra's "It was the thirteenth night and" that my body was literally shaking while I was giving my comments, um, no, appreciation, deep appreciation of the poem.

I was especially delighted that three of the fellows were my former students: Rachel Marra, Mike Orlino and Keith Buenaventura. Rachel was the sole fellow for fiction in Filipino, while Mike & Keith shared Filipino poetry fellowships with Walther and Jose Fernando Go-Oco. The other fellows were Ysobel Andrada, Alyza Taguilaso and Miguel Llona.

I envied the ambition that these young writers had in their choice of topics as revealed in their works. I told Allan and Larry off-session that the best I could come up with when I was the fellow ten years ago (5th AHWW in 1999 at Sacred Heart Novitiate) were two poems on nature: an ode to the moon and a song to Mount Banahaw. Though both were eventually published in Heights, none of them made the cut when I was designing my first poetry collection, Pag-aabang sa Kundiman: Isang Tulambuhay (ADMU Office of Research and Publications, 2006). I believe that a number of these young writers would continue to write beyond college, and would be successful poets/fictionists if they did.

Though I missed most of the post-sessions inuman and kuwentuhan due to lack of sleep (I barely slept the night before the workshop because I was at Mikael's apartment helping out in the translation of my novel to catch the July 31 deadline of the completed manuscript for the Man Asian Literary Prize), I would always remember the bedroom laughters and talks on art and life that Vim, Allan & I shared intermittently with some very promising young writers: this year's fellows Petra, Rachel, and Miguel, and last year's workshop fellows EJ Bagacina and JC Casimiro.

Kudos to Wyatt Ong, who served as this year's workshop director, and to the members of her workshop staff, for another very successful Heights event! Here are a few more photos (actually, my photos) that I grabbed from Rachel's Multiply:

Today I received a package from a friend I met in Bangkok last July--Patchanok Kitikanan, who wants to be called Na. Over lunch during the first day of the International Conference on Asian Folklore, we talked about Englishes (she's teaching English in Naresuan University, and that made her the designated translator of her co-teachers in the table who could hardly speak the language), pop culture, and Thai novels. I told her that I was working on my dissertation and that I was particularly interested in Southeast Asian novels, especially those written originally in Asian languages and were then translated to English. Right there and then she promised to send me copies of Thai novels that she could find in their library.

These are the four Thai novels that arrived in my mail today (all in--true to thirdworld scholarship--ringbound photocopies): M.R. Kukrit Pramoj's Four Reigns (1953; English translation by Chancham Bunnag in 1981); Chart Korbjitti's Time (1993; English translation by Marcel Barang in 2000) and The Judgment (1981; English translation by Phongdeit Jiangphatthana-kit in 2001); and Jane Vejjajiva's The Happiness of Kati (2003; English translation by Prudence Borthwick in 2006).

Needless to say, I'm very excited to sit down and drown myself into these works, especially Korbjitti's, if only I don't have comprehensive examinations to prepare for. I also wanted to say that he was named a National Artist in Thailand in 2004, but realizing how the recognition had lost its prestige and honor here in the Philippines due to recent events, I'd just say that his novels looked very, very interesting.

The latest issue of Heights (Volume LVI Number 4) is now out. Its contents include Maki Lim's "Nawawala: Kabanata ng Isang Alamat," the first drafts of which I had the privilege to read in one of our Tapat sessions, and again when I sat in the panel of his thesis defense last March; and works by some of the recipients of the Loyola Schools Awards for the Arts 2009, of which I was part of the selection committee, such as Brandon Dollente, Kristian Mamforte, Panch Alvarez, Nikay Paredes, Eliana Javier and Sasha Martinez.

Heights is the official literary and artistic organization and publication of the Ateneo de Manila University.

[1]

Mahirap mabuhay bilang manunulat sa Pilipinas. Itanong mo man kina Rizal, Tolentino, Lacaba. O kahit itanong mo pa sa daan-daang dumalo, o naghangad makadalo, sa iba't ibang pambansang palihan sa pagsusulat samantalang may ibang trabaho o kumukuha ng kursong walang-walang kinalaman sa pagsusulat, o sa mga minsang nangarap makapagpalathala ng sariling aklat, subalit ngayon nga'y alaala na lamang ng isang panahon ng kabaliwan ang mga kuwento at tula nilang laking pasasalamat nila't noon pa pinagpasyahang iwan.

[2]

Mainam ang mga rekomendasyon ni Ricky de Ungria sa mga pinuno ng NCCA at CCP sa liham na ito, para mas maisaayos ang ilang isyung kaugnay sa pagpili ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining, lalo na ang ikaapat niyang tala:

... shouldn’t there be a provision to the effect that works of National Artists be immediately factored into the curricula of primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of education—within a year, at least, of their appointments? This should assure correct, proper, and widest dissemination of exemplars of excellence in the artistic fields, and encourage interest, familiarity, and debate among students especially at the university level, which should all lead to an informed and intelligent community of appreciators, consumers, and benefactors of the arts. If this were so, then there should be established immediately a mechanism within DepEd and CHED by which the works of the National Artists could be included as additional instructional materials in the schools.

Pambansang sagisag ang isang pambansang alagad ng sining. Maliban sa labindalawang nasa panitikan at anim sa pelikula (hindi kasama si Caparas), hindi ko masasabing kilala ko nang lubos ang mga likha ng nasa iba pang sining. Sang-ayon ako na nasa sistemikong pagpapalaganap ng kanilang mga likha ang totoong pagkilala sa kanilang ambag at husay sa sining.

Wala ako sa Pagluluksa Para sa Kamatayan ng Gawad Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa CCP kanina, na pinangunahan ng mismong mga pambansang alagad ng sining, tulad nina Almario, Jose, Bernal at Lumbera. Subalit kaisa akong nakikiramay. Sa isang banda, mabuti pa nga sigurong mamatay ang gawad kung wala na itong dangal, samantala'y sisikapin kong makatulong upang lalong makilala at humaba pa ang buhay ng mga likha ng mga totoong alagad ng sining, at hindi ng mga oportunistang walang pakundangan sa pagkaladkad sa pangalan ng "masa" upang iwasan ang totoong isyu, gaya ng retorika ni Caparas sa mga panayam sa kanya sa diyaryo't telebisyon.

Bakit nga hindi magbukas, halimbawa, ng mga klaseng elective na nakatuon lamang sa nobela nina Hernandez, Tiempo, Joaquin, Gonzalez, Francisco at Jose? O hindi kaya'y banggitin ko man lang sa susunod kong nobela ang mga musika nina Celerio, Kasilag o San Pedro?

[3]

Matagal akong hindi nakapag-update dito, dahil sinisikap na maging buhay ang sariling interes sa panitikan. Nagbasa ako ng papel sa Bangkok noong Hulyo 3 sa International Conference on Asian Folklore 2009: "Novel & Nostalgia: The Imagination of Folklore in Post-2000 Filipino Novels." Nirerebisa ko pa rin ang papel hanggang ngayon, tungkol sa unang dalawang nobela ng dalawang latebloomer sa panitikang Filipino: sina Ellen Sicat (Paghuhunos at Unang Ulan ng Mayo) at Abdon M. Balde, Jr. (Sa Kagubatan ng Isang Lungsod at Hunyango sa Bato).

Noong nakaraang linggo lang, kasama akong umupo sa panel ng 15th Ateneo-Heights Writers Workshop na ginanap sa Antipolo. Samantalang namamangha ako sa ambisyon ng mga proyekto ng mga batang manunulat na naroon, hindi ko pa rin maiwasang isipin: Ilan sa kanila ang magpapatuloy?

Nag-judge din ako sa Palanca para sa Kuwentong Pambata (maaari na sigurong sabihin ngayon dahil naglalabasan na rin naman ang mga balita ng mga nanalo) at kahapon lang namin na-finalize ang mga nanalo; bukas ay dadalo ako sa maghapong strategic planning para sa AILAP (Ateneo Institute for Literary Arts and Practices) lalo pa't nalalapit na ang national writers workshop at ang pagsisimula ng paghawak namin sa Ubod New Authors Series ng NCCA; sa linggo nama'y magbibigay ako ng panayam ukol sa "Modernismo sa Tulang Filipino" sa LIRA (Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo). Noong Hunyo, muling itinanghal sa CCP ang adaptasyon ni Job Pagsibigan ng kuwento kong Uuwi na ang Nanay Kong si Darna! at tinapos ko rin ang mga tula para sa proyektong Pitik-Bulag ng GSIS na ilulunsad sa Agosto 25.

Siyempre, ang pinakamalaking sorpresa ay ang pagkakasama sa longlist ng Man Asian Literary Prize 2009 ng nobela kong Walong Diwata ng Pagkahulog na isinalin nina Mikael Co at Sasha Martinez bilang Eight Muses of the Fall. Walang hanggang pasasalamat sa kanila at sa paniniwala ng maraming iba pa, lalo na ng mga karaniwang mambabasa na naantig at nayanig ng nobela sa iba't ibang paraan. Minsan, makakatanggap ako ng mga ganitong email o mensahe sa Facebook, madalas mula sa mga estudyanteng hindi ko kilala subalit siyang inisip ko noong sana'y makapagbasa sana ng nobelang ito: "Namatay po ba talaga si Daniel?" o "Saan po sa Marikina 'yung sinabi n'yong kainan sa may ilog?" o "Ser, normal bang naghoholding hands ang magkaibigang lalaki?" Bawi na ang halos apat na taong inilaan sa nobela. Bawi na, makabasa lang mga ganitong reaksiyon.

[4]

Sa nobela ko, periperal ang kasaysayan. Halos wala. Isa iyon sa proyekto ng nobela. Paano aalalahanin ang nakaraan nang wala ang pasanin ng Kasaysayan na capital K. Kaya naman, pahaging lamang din kahit ang EDSA 1986. May ibang mahalagang nangyayari sa mga pangunahing tauhan nang araw na iyon. Narito ang salin nina Kael & Sasha sa bahaging iyon, na siyempre'y inilalagay ko rito bilang pagpapahalaga na rin kay Cory:

Daniel was a brave child. He was five when he first saw a tiyanak. It wasn’t even a week after his birthday. Usually he went straight home after playing. Don’t stay out till dark, his Grandma Bining would always say. And so he would always be home before sunset. Usually his sweat would be the color of mud, drawn across his cheek, and he would have a layer of grime garlanding his neck.

That afternoon, Erik asked him out to play. Erik, his best friend since as early as he could remember. Sometimes Daniel would wonder if Erik could still remember what happened that day when they were five. All of the adults had something to celebrate back then. The nation. Freedom. Revolution. On TV, a rain of yellow confetti. The devil is about to leave. They didn’t yet understand what these meant.

And so Erik asked him out to play. They would go to Sapang Ligaw. Erik had something to show to him. “But it’s already dark out,” Daniel reasoned. The truth was that he was afraid. They had already heard the teenagers’ stories about what happened at Sapang Ligaw at night. But Erik was more persistent than his fear. Or perhaps adventure and risk-taking in the face of fear held a certain attraction.

Promosyon na rin. Available pa rin ang nobela sa Filipino sa mga bookstore.

[5]

Text ni Christine noong isang araw: "May gumagamit ng phrase na burat na burat sa papel- panunuri. Kumusta naman, di ba?" At naghihintay sa akin ngayon ang review ng mga estudyante sa pinanood nilang dula (Ang Henerala) at pelikula sa Cinemalaya. Ano kayang nakasulat sa mga iyon ang makapagtutulak sa akin para sabihin din, kumusta naman?