Biographies galore in my Reading List for December 2011 - February 2012:
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Bookworm of Gensan reads: Reading List for December 2011 - February 2012
Biographies galore in my Reading List for December 2011 - February 2012:
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Bookworm of Gensan goes sleuthing: Is Trese 4: Last Seen at Midnight featuring a chapter on a Pacquiao look-a-like boxer set in Gensan?!?
Yesterday (October 5) while browsing at National Book Store, Robinsons Place Gensan branch, I was alerted by a saleslady that copies of Trese 4: Last Seen at Midnight (written by Budjette Tan and art by Kajo Baldisimo) have arrived. She showed me a copy of it fresh from the unpacked carton. However she told me that it will be sold nationwide simultaneously starting October 8 yet. So I asked to have a snapshot of it after reserving a copy. (Trese is a graphic novel - on its fourth volume - about the exploits of Alexandra Trese who takes on cases that take a turn for the weird and supernatural).
Upon coming home, I immediately uploaded the photo on Facebook and posted a message in Budjette Tan's wall:
Budjette reposted my message on his FB wall:
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| Locator map for Case 17: The Fight of the Year (photo courtesy of Budjette Tan) |
Case 15 - A Private Collection (Manila)
Case 16 - Wanted: Bedspacer (Katipunan Avenue)
Case 17 - The Fight of the Year (General Santos City)
Cases 1-16 are all set in Metro Manila while the last case is set in Gensan! Is this an indication that Budjette and Kajo are finally going against the "restrictions" of Metro Manila and will feature more locales in Visayas and Mindanao (or even abroad where OFWs abound) in Trese's further adventures?
At any rate, this is a welcome deviation and with a nationwide simultaneous release of Trese 4 in National Book Store branches on October 8, Alexandra Trese will finally have a national following of graphic novel readers from Aparri to Jolo!
As I said in Facebook, I'll be first in line to buy a copy of Trese 4 on October 8. Congratulations to Budjette and Kajo for keeping Pinoy graphic novels in our collective consciousness!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
‘The Lady or the Tiger?’: Facing Life’s Choices (My Favorite Book Winner June 5, 2005 Philippine Star)
The Lady or The Tiger and Other Stories
by Frank Stockton
December 1999. With the Y2K scare and end-of-the-millennium jitters hovering in the air, I found myself in a bookstore for some last-minute Christmas shopping. I was looking for the abridged versions of the classics Heidi and The Secret Garden to give to my nieces when I saw a vaguely-familiar title on the shelves: The Lady or The Tiger and Other Stories. As I traced the embossed title with my right index finger, a particular memory flooded my consciousness.
1970. Our sophomore English class of 40 boys was quiet as our teacher, Mr. Roger Rebucan, read aloud Frank Stockton’s short story The Lady or The Tiger? in a voice with a slight tinge of Hiligaynon accent. Our yet-to-be-raging hormones and our boyishness were piqued by the intriguing title which promised romance and adventure. We were not disappointed by the tale that unraveled before us – a love affair between a young man and his sweetheart whose father, the semi-barbaric king, wants to end. The king sentences the guy to choose between two doors. One leads to a beautiful woman; the other, to a hungry tiger. With bated breath, we struggled with the protagonist as he wracked his brain as to which door to open. If he opened the door to the beautiful woman, he would be forced to marry her. Opening the other door would mean his instant death. We heaved a collective sigh when Mr. Rebucan read the part where the princess signaled to the guy by moving her hand to the right but were abruptly shocked to hear the story’s final sentence: And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door – the lady or the tiger?
Just as it did in 1882 when it was first published, the story spawned a cacophony of arguments among us which, for one whole week, spilled over to recess times, lunch breaks and lulls in between basketball games played after school. If ever there was one single story that the boys of Notre Dame of Dadiangas Boys’ Department (NDDBD) Batch ‘73 remembered having read, I am sure their aging selves now would shout in unison: The Lady or The Tiger?
It was one powerful tale that made such an impact on my life. It made me realize then, as a 13-year-old boy, real life’s lesson No. 1: life is full of choices. Later, I would find some choices easy to make, some so difficult that it dredged up every metaphor I’ve come across: to be between the devil and the deep blue sea, a rock and a hard place, Scylla and Charybdis.
The impact was even greater with the influence Mr. Rebucan had on my intellectual life. As our English teacher, he taught us a language that resonates with dynamism when used as a tool for self-expression. He was as sports-minded as he was an avid reader. Being not much of the sporty type due to my myopic eyes, I would read library books while keeping watch over the school bags and uniforms of those classmates who played in the field. I would often see Mr. Rebucan reading in between ballgames he was officiating, in the canteen while taking his snacks, in the faculty room when he had finished checking our papers, and in the parade grounds while waiting for the civic-military parade to start. I was drawn to him because we shared something in common – reading. Pretty soon, I approached him for titles to look for in the library. With him as a mentor, my love for words and reading became boundless. He did not stay long in the teaching profession as he later worked for a government agency and a soft-drink bottling company. Years later, he and I would often cross paths in search of reading materials in local bookstores and magazine stands. Cherished books were exchanged between us.
December 1999. It has been 29 years since I last heard/read Stockton’s 120-year-old story. My pulse raced as I discovered from the book’s back cover blurb that the story has a sequel: The Discourager of Hesitancy. That clinched it! This book would be the perfect gift for Mr. Rebucan. I was sure, he, too, would be as interested as I was to know how the story ended. I bought two copies and sent one to him with a short note that I hope one day we could meet and debate on the two short stories.
As I reread the story that night, I reflected on the motivations (mine and others) that led to choices impacting my life, career and relationships. I realized that at the high and low points in my life, some people acted as the semi-barbaric king who forced me to make hard decisions while others, like the princess, led me to "ladies" and "tigers" as consequences of my decisions after considering their advices and maneuverings. Whatever their motives, I thank them all because through them, I have learned to accept responsibility for my own decisions in life. As Frank Stockton aptly said in reply to the countless questions he got about the story’s ending: "If you decide which it was — the lady or the tiger — you find out what kind of person you are yourself."
[This essay was the winner for the week ending June 5, 2005 of the My Favorite Book contest jointly sponsored by the National Bookstore and Philippine Star. It was published in the Philippine Star June 5, 2005 issue.]
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Bookworm of Gensan collects: PacMan books and magazines
Manny Pacquiao (PacMan) books and magazines
Occupying a special corner of my library is my collection of books and magazines on boxer Manny Pacquiao. His life and achievements in the boxing ring are truly an inspiration to many.
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| The first book on PacMan to be published. Written by sports writer and columnist Recah Trinidad. Co-published by Anvil Publishing , Inc. and Philippine Daily Inquirer.Newsprint and bookpaper. 179 pages. Available at National Book Store and Powerbooks. |
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| PacMan's autobiography in English and Filipino editions. The English edition was written by Manny Pacquiao and Timothy James while the Filipino edition was translated by Teodoro Antonio, Roberto Anonuevo and Susie Borrero. Philippine edition published by Anvil Publishing, Inc. with permission from Dunham Books. 223 (English ed.) and 127 (Filipino ed.) pages. Newsprint. Available at National Book Store and Powerbooks. Also bundled with Trinidad's book. |
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| By Gary Andrew Poole. This came out almost at the same time as the autobiography. Trade paper back edition. Published by Da Capo Press. 251 pages. Available at National Book Store, Powerbooks, and Fully Booked. |
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| A bookazine filled with pictures and short articles. Published in Hong Kong by Global Integrated Media (HK) Ltd. 73 pages. Glossy pages. |
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| sample page from A Tribute to The Legend. |
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| The first graphic novel on PacMan by Jose Gamboa. Self-published. 90 pages. Black & white illustrations on book paper. |
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| sample page of the Pacquiao graphic novel |
Friday, September 9, 2011
Bookworm of Gensan bargain finds
I always make it a point to save up for the annual National Book Store's price-cut sale on books in August.
All books on the shelves are practically on sale at 5-10% off. But I go straight to the bargain book bins for books discounted up to 75%. For less than ₱100, one can buy children's books, cookbooks, fashion and craft books, and hardbound books. In the ₱200 range, one can have graphic novels, photography books, business books. As early as August, I have already bought several gift-books for friends and family to be given on their birthdays and for Christmas. It is also the chance to add to my collection of books by authors I love reading.
The best bargain finds for me this year are three coffee table books published by National Book Store previously sold at ₱1000++ and sold at ₱150 each:
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Bookworm of Gensan reads The Anvil Jose Rizal Reader
The Anvil Jose Rizal Reader
Ani Habulan - General Editor
Anvil Publishing Inc.
2011
Newsprint, 158 pages
₱250, available at National Book Store and Powerbooks
Quick browse: An interesting anthology about Rizal. Contains plays, short stories, essays, photos and drawings about our national hero.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Bookworm of Gensan laments The Nick Joaquin Book Festival
Nick Joaquin is a multi-awarded writer-journalist. So when Anvil Publishing, National Book Store and Powerbooks launched the Nick Joaquin Book Festival this July, I was excited about the chance to complete my collection of Nick Joaquin's books.
But my enthusiasm was doused when I saw that the participating branches of National Book Store and Powerbooks were all in Metro Manila and Luzon ONLY.
WHY????
Doesn't a NATIONAL ARTIST of Nick Joaquin's stature deserve a NATIONWIDE book festival? I know this book fair was conducted to promote the biography of Nick Joaquin written by his nephew Tony Joaquin. But it appears to me as a hastily-conceived promo.
Why promote Nick Joaquin's books ONLY in Metro Manila and Luzon? Don't the readers of Visayas and Mindanao deserve the chance to discover/rediscover the literary genius of Joaquin?
The two branches of National Book Store here in Gensan carry only 3-4 of the nine books shown in the poster. I had to request some titles I needed from the customer service counter here.
This book festival is a missed opportunity for the publisher, book stores and readers alike and it needs a major rethinking.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Bookworm of Gensan explores A Token of Our Friendship by John L. Silva
A Token of Our Friendship
Philippine Photos of Male Affection - First Half of the 20th Century
by John L. Silva
John L. Silva and I became friends in Facebook because of the "Jan-jan incident" in the Willing Willie game show. John Silva was among the first to denounce on Facebook what was done to the boy who cried while performing a dance usually done by macho dancers in gaybars. And I would tag him whenever there were other online developments and opinions on the incident. He called for the advertisers to withdraw their ads in the show. For his crusading efforts, John was named in a libel case filed by Willie Revillame.
John Silva was Senior Consultant to the National Museum and was recently appointed by President Aquino as Commissioner to the Unesco. He writes and blogs about cultural matters, heritage and history. He also wrote an arts appreciation book for public school teachers.
The Intrigue of the Implied
Before John Silva announced the launch of his book, A Token of Our Friendship in July this year, I was able to browse through two large-format photo books by Evan Bachner in my fave used book store.
These books collects "images of comradeship, particularly of men being physically close, largely disappeared from the public record. But, as these stunning photographs attest, ordinary American men in the extraordinary circumstances of World War II were affectionate, winsome, and playful-disarmingly innocent in a time of cataclysmic peril." Unlike the usual photos we see of men in uniform in combat, the ones in these books show how these same men behave away from the battle zones.
Both Evan Bachner and John Silva are longtime collectors of photographs. And so I was quite intrigued by the book of John Silva, subtitled Philippine Photos of Male Affection - First Half of the 20th Century. I ordered a copy of it from John himself and he graciously sent it to me with an inscription.
The book is divided into three sections: Solo Images, Couples, and Group Poses.
I was drawn to the Solo Images section. The photos in it resonate with implied "aloneness" as in the picture below:
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| Page 30 of A Token of Our Friendship |
There is the implicit plea in these photos: don't ever forget me even if this is just a poor likeness of myself.
In the Couples section, the male affection is shown between the two men in the photos in terms of hand draped over the other's shoulder and/or arm wrapped around the waist of the other. There's the furtive holding of hands like in the photo below:
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| Page 95 of A Token of Our Friendship |
In this section, the most puzzling picture is the one with the inscription at the back that says: "Bebing, ... consider it great for there is a hidden symbol in it. You friend forever, Beny & Pit"
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| Page 78 of A Token of Our Friendship |
In my attempt to figure out the hidden symbol, I take my cue from "your friend forever, Beny & Pit". Bebing's friend (note the singular form in the complimentary close) is definitely Beny and not Pit. And that is just one of the tantalizing intrigues of the implied in this book.
In the Group Poses section, the photos of trios can be divided into two groups: the triumvirate (all three men are equals) and the couple + the odd-man-out (saling-pusa).
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| A sample of the triumvirate, page 147 of A Token of Our Friendship |
In the following samples of the Couple + odd-man-out (saling pusa) Group Pose, any student of human behavior can see in the body language of the couple how the odd-man-out is excluded in their affection for each other:
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| (Page 8) Note the possessive hands on the arms. |
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| (Page 118) Note the middle man's shoulder turned away from the one at left but turned toward the one at right |
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| (Page 132) Note the distance of the odd-man-out from the couple |
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| (Page 146) Looks like a rigodon de amor |
John Silva, in several interviews for the book launch, said: In the book, "one who could almost relive the scenes of the past: manners, dressing, movements, and forms of affection now unknown to us." Indeed, I spent several hours pouring over the photos examining the clothes, shoes (are those two-toned Ang Tibay shoes?), ties (owned and borrowed), the implied affection in the poses, the inscriptions (what do they really mean by "original" then?) and had sneak peeks of how these men lived in various decades of the first half of the 20th Century.
Thank you, John, for such an engrossing read!
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