In his delightfully whimsical and allegorical 1990 children’s book “Haroun and the Sea of Stories,” Salman Rushdie tells of how a precious young man named Haroun journeys to the unseen yet literal Sea of Stories that brought tales all over the world.
Imagine having a dream that has chased you since childhood: a four-color vision of panels and figures, of endless Fridays full of delight. Imagine wanting to do this more than anything.
Growing up surrounded by books, Andrea Pasion-Flores seemed destined to work with books. What was perhaps unexpected was just how deeply involved she was going to be in the field. The award-winning fictionist and currently the only Filipino literary agent has been making literature as well as representing it.
Like many word-loving members of my generation, I learned to love reading, thanks to Filbar’s. Back in grade school, a generous and enabling schoolmate would list the titles of the comic books we wanted and then, once a week, swing by the Filbar’s store on New York Street in Cubao to score them.
Every life establishes connections with others along the way-but then there is that singular life which touches and transforms every life it encounters.
Contrary to the popular misconception that they are read only by the household help, Filipino romances rank among the most diverse and vibrant products of the Philippine publishing industry. They don’t get a lot of love from the literati crowd, but are nonetheless the result of a dizzying creative process and have an extremely loyal following that continues to grow.
[tibak] Like the pages of an old diary, the years gone by since martial law come in different conditions. Some are dog-eared from constant scrutiny. Others are ripped from forceful amnesia, while others are brittle from having been dried after an encounter with water, most probably the business end of a water cannon. The handwriting can be smeared by tears and entire pages can be blank or gone missing.
“Golly jeepers” is Robert Magnuson’s favorite expression. It’s an endearingly anachronistic utterance straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. But though the award-winning writer/illustrator grew up with a steady dose of those cartoons, he is no two-dimensional figure.
Behold a glimpse of infinity. This is what you conjure up when opening a book to its first page. From...
It was a step towards greatness. On Aug. 10, 2013, the Philippines rejoined the ranks of the world’s basketball elite, an achievement that resonated in a nation addicted to basketball. To do so, the team, known as Gilas Pilipinas, had to overcome the team that had emerged as its nemesis in international play through the years: Korea. Bucking the odds and in front of a frenzied home crowd, Gilas did just that, winning 86-79, ensuring the team of at least a second place finish and one of three slots to the basketball World Cup in Spain in 2014.
