Waywaya: Eleven Filipino Short Stories


F. Sionil José - 1980
    Sionil José's prodigious production in the last decade, are a moving commentary on the Filipinos. "Waywaya" recreates pre-Hispanic Philippine society and should also be read as allegory. In Sionil José's own language, Ilokano, "Waywaya" means freedom. The last story in the collection, "Progress", has been anthologized abroad and regarded as contemporary social document as well.

Twisted 8 ½


Jessica Zafra - 2010
    She lives in Manila with her three cats. Visit her site: www.JessicaRulesTheUniverse.com

A Blade of Fern: A Novel About the Philippines


Edith L. Tiempo - 1978
    Set in the exotic background of the little mining village of Nibucal in the southern Philippines, A Blade of Fern sketches a panoramic vista of rural life and problems of survival among miners prospecting for gold.The novel is in the tradition of the Romantic hero who runs away from a society he rejects to seek regeneration in a deeply natural environment.A Blade of Fern should be of interest to students of Philippine literature in English and the general reader.

You Lovely People (Filipino Literary Classics)


Bienvenido N. Santos - 1955
    Santos has presented what may well be the essence of those years - the loneliness and hunger of a people who were almost all of them hurt and broken to the bone. But for an ideal, which Santos so eloquently dramatizes in this book, they would have lost their very souls. In this sense YOU LOVELY PEOPLE is a document and at once a portrait of the Filipino heart.

Surgeons Do Not Cry


Ting Tiongco - 2008
    But as it is often said nothing ever really happened unless it is written down. There are so many stories to tell of the agonies and triumphs of both doctors and patients, who have peopled this venerable institution through the ages. I wrote the stories because I firmly believe that healing is a mutual process; that the healer is very often himself healed as he goes about caring for the ailing person. So the stories bite both ways.”

Sa Ilalim ng Dagat


Augie Rivera - 1997
    Because of this, the sea creatures go their separate ways. Under the leadership of Octopus, the sick are driven away and confined in a fenced area. Read in this story how the sea creatures' problem is solved and how peace and caring among them are restored under the sea.

Bulaklak ng Maynila


Domingo G. Landicho - 1995
    Written with extraordinary insight, honesty, and a master writer's creative sensibility.

Malolos: The Crisis of the Republic


Teodoro A. Agoncillo - 2006
    The present work is a painstaking and thorough-going analysis of the travails of the Aguinaldo government during the war with the United States. Agoncillo, in an impressive display of historical technique, gives the reader the struggles within the Philippine Revolutionary Government. He expands on the theme of his previous book, namely the conflict between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots', and brings into full play the economic as well as the social motivations of the parties concerned. Sparing no one, Agoncillo, with the historian's impartiality, unmasks the selfish ilustrado class in their attempts at compromise which ultimately weakened Aguinaldo's hand. After reading his chapters on the crucial period of the Malolos Republic, one gains a new attitude towards men like Paterno, Pardo de Tavera, Buencamino, Legarda, Araneta and others, whom history has hitherto presented as heroes. The well-documented account of the extended negotiations between the Americans and Aguinaldo is one of the high points of the book. The author brings into sharp relief certain American maneuvers which other historians have glossed over or chosen to overlook. In the author's skillful hands, historical events come to life. Without sacrificing impartiality, he is able to write with vigor and vividness. This is not an anemic account of the past. Events are not presented merely as so many beads strung together haphazardly on the thread of time. Agoncillo has sought to write a history which will answer more than just the who, what, when, and where of our past. He has studied the why behind major events and consequently has presented a meaningful account of one of the most important periods of Philippine history. This voluminous work is the result of months of serious study here and abroad. In writing "The Revolt of the Masses...," the author complained of lack of materials; for the present volume, he had to wade through a plethora of sources. It is an achievement of the author to have mastered so unwieldy a period with its abundance of documents and materials. Teodoro A. Agoncillo is professor of history in the state university. He is noted not only as a historian, but also as a writer in Tagalog. Before he joined the University of the Philippines in 1958, he occupied high positions in the Institute of National Language and in the Philippine Information Agency. His book, "The Revolt of the Masses" (1956) won the Republic Prize in 1948.

Reportage on Lovers: A Medley of Factual Romances, Happy or Tragical, Most of Which Made News


Quijano de Manila - 1977
    Plus the portrait of a hip chick from then Swinging London as she discourses indelicately on a most delicate topic: the Filipino as Lover.

Kung Bakit Umuulan


Rene O. Villanueva - 1991
    He made the sun, the stars, the moon, the planets. His wife, Alunsina, wants to be able to create too. But Tungkung Langit only answered, "I would rather see you smile, fix your hair and stay beautiful." Alunsina was not content with this answer and continued to plead with her husband to allow her to create. And each time, Tungkung Langit ignored her pleas. Finally, Alunsina leaves her husband. Tungkung Langit searched everywhere for his wife until one day, he found her on earth surrounded by trees, flowers, birds, and fish. "I am creating the world," she announces. "I too am a god." So why does it rain? Find out for yourself in this beautifully written and illustrated book.Cacho Publishing House, Inc. (Out of print)

Prose and Poems (Filipino Literary Classics)


Nick Joaquín - 1952
    A collection of the National Artist's short stories and poetry and includes the play "The Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino."

The Best of Youngblood


Jorge Aruta - 1998
    Amid all the expectations and anticipation, they live their lives and now, through the groundbreaking Philippine Daily Inquirer column, speak in resounding tones. Listen to their joys, pains and most of all, their dreams.

A Season of Grace (Filipino Literary Classics)


N.V.M. Gonzalez - 1954
    Presented with drama and poetry, Gonzalez' work counters the myth of of the Philippines' lost native past and cultural weakness in the face of foreign dominance

Mga Kuwento ng Pag-ibig


Liwayway A. Arceo - 1997
    Marks the seasons of the author's life, her early writing, her work as active media practitioner, and her religio-spiritual writing.

How to Traverse Terra Incognita


Dean Francis Alfar - 2012
    An advocate of the literature of the imagination, he is the publisher of the Philippine Speculative Fiction anthologies, an annual showcasing Filipino fictionists that he began in 2005.