[Short Stories] Creative Writing, Guava, Hat Trick---three short stories by Etgar Keret

I was searching for free short stories at The New Yorker when I chanced upon Israeli writer Etgar Keret’s “Creative Writing”, a really short story about the writing endeavors of a wife and eventually, of her husband.

Written the point of view of the husband, the narrator listens to the experiences of his wife who signs for a creative writing class. Two months before the enrolment, the couple experiences a miscarriage. Naturally, they grieve over the loss of a child, but the wife keeps all her feelings to herself. After a series of writing exercises, the wife is able to express her grief (well, that’s what it means to me) through a humorous story, which overwhelms the husband. He then signs himself up for a creative writing class and writes a story “without thinking”. Oh, there are a lot of metaphors in the story. Reading it is like looking at a piece of an art and letting its meanings wash over you. My favorite quote is towards the end: 

[In My Mailbox] My five weeks or so worth of hoarded book treasures

I have to recheck with the Story Siren on the rules of In My Mailbox she hosted because it has been several weeks since I posted an IMM. Since that time, I have accumulated quite a number of books for my every ever shrinking shelf. I think this is five weeks or so worth of books bought, received, and/or won. If you have come across a book you have read, I welcome your thoughts.

A few weeks ago, I visited Logos Hope, which is considered the largest floating book fair. It came to Cebu and stayed for a month, displaying its more than 5,000 books. Apart from the books, it also featured a mini museum, entertained the guests with stage plays, and provided refreshments through its cafe. On the way out, a free book per person was given. Between Justin Beiber and teaching strategies, I chose the book about the latter. Unfortunately, I haven’t uploaded yet the photos taken while there to back up my experiences. Since it’s a book fair and I’m a book hoarder and reader, I went home happy with five books.

[Book Review] The Priest and the Peaches by Larry Peterson

The book, The Priest and the Peaches (285 pages), by Larry Peterson, reminds me of something I learned from working in a non-government organization: that all children are entitled to proper care, nutrition, encouragement, education, and opportunity. When I say children, from the moment they are born, they should receive all the benefits needed for their holistic development.

Sadly, many of us adults tend to forget that. There is a recent news report about a town in the city recording the highest number of malnourished children. There is another year-old news about kids dropping out of high school faster than an operated gumball machine primarily because their parents could not provide for them. Then, there are a couple of news reports about teenagers learning the ways of bad trade--sticking out a gun for a couple of bucks.

The development of a child is influenced not just by the child’s individuality but also his/her living conditions, family care, and health and education systems. Research has shown that children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical processes are strongly linked to the care by the families, communities, and the country required to support their development.

[Filipino Short Stories # 3] “The Wedding Dance” and “The Woman who Looked out of the Window”, and some poems by Amador T. Daguio

This is it! I’ve been wanting to talk about Amador Daguio (1906-1983) since I started this blog several months ago but never got around to write about him until now. See, there’s a time for everything.

Starting January 2012, every third Sunday of the month, Mel U of The Reading Life (whose blog has been an inspiration in my book blogging experience) and I engage in a joint venture that involves featuring Filipino writers and their works. We welcome anyone who is interested to join us in this venture. We hope you could participate in this endeavor.

So far, we have featured the following writers and their works:

1. Dead Stars and A Night in the Hills by Paz Marquez Benitez
2. Servant Girl and Magnificence by Estrella Alfon

Today, we talk about Amador Daguio and his short stories. I was supposed to write only about his “The Woman who Look out of the Window”, which I will, but I will also talk about his “The Wedding Dance” and a couple of his memorable poems, simply because I utterly admire the author. If I’m asked for my top five favorite Filipino short story writers, Daguio will most likely rank my first.

Thank you, Megan, for the tag!

Okay, I’ve been tagged. That’s a great thing, right? I mean, it tells me someone actually likes my blog and extends her efforts to show it by tagging me in her post. I want to return the favor by answering her questions. However, I could not continue on to tagging other blogs because the blogs I would have wanted to tag are already tagged, such as Toni's 1chocolatebox.

Thank you, Megan, for tagging me. Megan is the pretty owner of My Storybook Love Affair. Why not head over to her blog to check her interesting posts on any still life material related to books or her detailed and honest book reviews? I specially enjoy her travel posts.

Here are my answers to Megan’s questions:

What is your favourite childhood book?

What are you currently reading?

[Filipino Folio # 3] The Activist by Antonio Enriquez

In my first Filipino Folio, I received a recommendation from an anonymous commenter, asking a work by Antonio Enriquez be featured in Filipino Folio. The commenter called me dude, and there are only two persons in the world who called me that. So to you, the commenter whom I know and admire for (its) artistic talents but wants a low-profile online life, thank you for your remarkable recommendation. So today, I feature a latest novel by Antonio Enriquez, entitled The Activist (Santo Tomas Press, 2011).

The Activist is considered a historical novel that tells the life, struggles, agony, and death of activist Lorenzo Diaz Jr. under the brutal dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos who was Philippine President from 1965 to 1986. Diaz’s character is said to be based on two persons--Zamboanga City Mayor Cesar Climaco who was killed 1984 and Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. from Cagayan de Oro--making him an idealist, an advocate for justice, and a freedom fighter.

[Book Barrage] The Unwilling Bride by Candy Ann Little

Publisher:  Kingdom Kastle Publishing, Inc.
Length:  107,000 Words
Sub-Genres:  Historical, Inspirational/Christian

BLURB

Set amid political unrest in 1789, Caitlin Gallagher finds herself in an arranged marriage. She hates the idea of marriage and loathes the man that is now her husband. With all the turmoil in her life, she starts to doubt her faith. Can Caitlin find faith in God and love in the arms of her enemy?

Dillon Cade’s quiet life is turned upside-down when he agrees to marry a young maiden to protect her. As he uses his newspaper to fight President Adams’ sedition acts and help Thomas Jefferson get elected, he must now also deal with an unwilling bride. Can Dillon tolerate her behavior long enough to win her trust?

EXCERPT

The clip clopping of horses’ hooves alerted Caitlin to someone coming up the drive. She dropped the leather bag over the balcony. It hit the ground with a dull thud. Hiking up her skirt to a length far too improper, she held it over one arm and straddled the railing. After both feet were firmly planted on the other side of the banister, she extended her arms trying to grasp the branch of the oak tree that tauntingly stretched before her.

[Venice in February Reading Challenge 2012] The Aspern Papers by Henry James

I fell in love with Venice after I saw a scenic painting of it in an art book when I took painting lessons at 13. Since then, each time I think of the historic Venice, images of graceful gondolas, shimmering river canals, romantic bridges, quaint stores, and gothic architecture come into mind. American-born Henry James captured these beautiful images well and more in his novella called The Aspern Papers (1888). Hence, I joined the Venice in February Reading Challenge 2012 hosted by Snow Feathers and Dolce Belleza, which asks participants to read books about or set in Venice.

In this novella, The Aspern Papers, James displayed his keen sense of observation, proving that he did not take lightly his travels from America to Europe and back again in a period of 20 years or so. He describes Venice so well (city of exhibition, he says!) that the characters almost seem useless without the setting. Here is an example:

“I don't know why it happened that on this occasion I was more than ever struck with that queer air of sociability, of cousinship and family life, which makes up half the expression of Venice. Without streets and vehicles, the uproar of wheels, the brutality of horses, and with its little winding ways where people crowd together, where voices sound as in the corridors of a house, where the human step circulates as if it skirted the angles of furniture and shoes never wear out, the place has the character of an immense collective apartment, in which Piazza San Marco is the most ornamented corner and palaces and churches, for the rest, play the part of great divans of repose, tables of entertainment, expanses of decoration. And somehow the splendid common domicile, familiar, domestic, and resonant, also resembles a theater, with actors clicking over bridges and, in straggling processions, tripping along fondamentas.”