Photos / Exploding Galaxies, Anvil Publishing, Artbooks.ph
There is a wealth of Filipino literature, and many good local books can be found in the classics section of bookstores. If you’re on the hunt for classic Filipino novels, here are five to get you started:
Cave and Shadows by Nick Joaquin
Photo / Anvil Publishing
“A gripping novel from National Artist of Literature Nick Joaquin, Cave and Shadows follows a man named Jack Henson, an American expatriate from Davao. Of all things, Jack never imagined he would ever agree to do a favor for his ex-wife.
But when his stepdaughter, Nenita Coogan’s body is found naked and lifeless in a locked down cave, Jack goes undercover to investigate the case and catch the killer.
Set in seedy Manila in the 1970s, Cave and Shadows explores the themes of crime, crisis, and corruption.”
BUY CAVE AND SHADOWS HERE
But For the Lovers by Wilfrido D. Nolledo
Photo / Exploding Galaxies
“In But for the Lovers, Hidalgo de Anuncio, a jaded Spanish vaudevillian brings home to Ojos Verdes a girl lost in the streets of Japanese-occupied Manila. With his attendant Molave Amoran—wistful guitarist and thief—the payaso guides his lost crew through the startling grotesqueries and tragedies inside a devastated Manila.”
BUY BUT FOR THE LOVERS HERE
The Three-Cornered Sun by Linda Ty-Casper
Photo / Exploding Galaxies
“Linda Ty-Casper’s The Three-Cornered Sun tells the story of the Philippines on the brink of revolution against Spain in 1896. Filtered through the recollections of the author’s grandmother Gabriela Paez Viardo de Velasquez, The Three-Cornered Sun follows the lives of the members of the Viardo family as they go through the turbulent times of that tumultuous year—sometimes on opposing sides.”
BUY THE THREE-CORNERED SUN HERE
Luha ng Buwaya by Amado V. Hernandez
Photo / Artbooks.ph
“The novel is set in the town of Sampilong which is under the conjugal dictatorship of Donya Leona and Don Severo Grande. They control the wealth and power in the town and use the institutions of politics, Church, and law for their own ends. The townsfolk are composed of farmers and people living in depressed areas. Bandong, a teacher, serves as their leader and adviser. He educates the people and tries to bind them together to fight the wealthy and greedy couple.”
BUY LUHA NG BUWAYA HERE
Dekada ’70 by Lualhati Bautista
Photo / Anvil Publishing
“Amanda Bartolome is an ordinary woman – wife to Julian and mother to five sons. In their subdivision, her biggest problem is her neighbors who keep complaining about the Bartolome boys.
The period of martial law, however, is not ordinary. Led by her eldest son Jules and his involvement in the bloody revolution, the family will inevitably face the violence of martial law. While her children are shaped by the decade and find their own aspirations in the midst of chaos, Amanda also questions and discovers what exactly her role and essence as a mother, a woman, and a Filipino are.”
BUY DEKADA ’70 HERE
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