FAMOUS LITERARY PIECES IN PHILIPPINES AND SINGAPORE

FAMOUS LITERARY PIECES

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Noli Me Tángere

Among the great novels in Philippine literature, Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not) is the most controversial and widely-known – it’s included in the current education curriculum of Filipino high school students. Written by the country’s national hero, Dr. José Rizal, this novel sparked the social awakening of Filipinos during the Spanish colonial era. As Rizal cannot fathom the unfairness of the Spanish priests and the ruling government at the time, his purpose of writing the book was to expose the ills of Philippine society at the time. In this revolutionary book, you’ll learn about the story of Crisostomo Ibarra, how he dealt with Spanish authorities, and how he prepared for his revenge, as told in Rizal’s 2nd book, El Filibusterismo.

Dr. José Rizal

Florante at Laura

Another famous masterpiece in Philippine literature, Francisco Balagtas’ Florante at Laura is written in the form of ‘awit’ where there are four lines per stanza and 12 syllables per line. Set in the fictional kingdom of Albania, it tackles the story between Duke Florante and Princess Laura, who’s also being pursued by Florante’s enemy Count Adolfo. As a literary classic, this book has become a favorite play not only among Filipino high school students, but has been showcased in grand theaters such as Gantimpala Theater and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Francisco Balagtas

Mga Ibong Mandaragit

Mga Ibong Mandaragit (Birds of Prey) was written by Filipino writer and social activist, Amado V. Hernandez. Being a novel that tackles social-political issues, particularly Philippine revolution and neocolonialism, it has a connection to Rizal’s earlier novels – Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo. There was a passage in the novel where protagonist Mando Plaridel was tested by Tata Matyas on what he knows about Rizal’s controversial books. As he narrated the living conditions of Filipinos then, readers will note how Hernandez had high hopes for significant changes that would uplift the Philippine society.

Banaag at Sikat

Banaag at Sikat (From Early Dawn to Full Light) has been dubbed the ‘bible of the Filipino working class.’ Being among the earliest novels written by Lope K. Santos, it’s considered by Filipino critic Teodoro Agoncillo as one of the most important books in Philippine literature in 1949. That’s because according to Agoncillo, it paved the way for the development of a system on how Tagalog novels were written. The novel narrates the story between Delfin and Felipe who have contrasting views. Delfin is a socialist whereas Felipe, despite being the son of a rich landowner, leans towards anarchism. Throughout the narrative, themes of love, livelihood, and societal status are embedded.

PHILIPPINEs AND singapore

Bury What We Cannot Take

Set against the backdrop of 1950s China, Bury What We Cannot Take tells the story of a family forced to flee their home after a nine-year-old boy reports his grandmother vandalizing a framed portrait of Chairman Mao.Bury What We Cannot Take has been named one of 2018’s most anticipated reads by Electric Literature, The Millions, The Rumpus, Harper’s Bazaar, and InStyle. Celeste Ng calls it “an engrossing historical drama and a nuanced exploration of how far the bonds of familial love can stretch.”

Rainbirds

Set in an imagined town outside Tokyo, Clarissa Goenawan’s dark, spellbinding literary debut follows a young man’s path to self-discovery in the wake of his sister’s murder. Named one of 2018’s most anticipated reads by The Huffington Post and Bustle, Rainbirds “evokes the simple joys of early Haruki Murakami” (amNewYork) and is “a soulful whodunit full of deadpan humor and whimsical narrative unpredictability”

Clarissa Goenawan

JY Yang, The Descent of Monsters

The third novella in Yang’s silkpunk fantasy world of The Tensorate Series, The Descent of Monsters follows an investigation into atrocities committed at a classified research facility that threaten to expose secrets that the Protectorate will do anything to keep hidden. Lauded as “joyously wild stuff” by The New York Times, the Tensorate Series has been described as “full of love and loss, confrontation and discovery” (Ken Liu) and “wonderfully imaginative and original” (Aliette de Bodard). One of the earlier novellas in the series, The Black Tides of Heaven, has been nominated for a 2018 Nebula Award.

Ponti

Set in Singapore, Ponti is the story of three women: 16-year-old Szu; her mother Amisa, a once beautiful actress; and Circe, Szu’s unlikely friend and confidant. Spanning five decades of their interconnected lives, Ponti is about a book about friendship, memory, and how we change. The winner of the inaugural Deborah Rogers Writers Award in 2016, Ponti has been called “remarkable” by awarding judge Ian McEwan and compared to novels of Zadie Smith and Elena Ferrante. Tash Aw raves: “Sharlene Teo has produced not just a singular debut, but a milestone in South East Asian literature.”

Sharlene Teo

BEST BOOK IN PHILIPPINE AND SINGAPORE LITERATURE.

Noli Me Tángere

Florante at Laura

Mga Ibong Mandaragit

Banaag at Sikat

Bury What We Cannot Take

RAINBIRDS

JY Yang, The Descent of Monsters

Ponti

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