Filipino Writers: Supernatural Anthology

Nine Filipino writers, nine supernatural stories. Here's information about the supernatural anthology published by the University of the Philippines Press.

Editors April Timbol Yap and Lara Saguisag have come up with Nine Supernatural Stories (I found a P150.00 copy at the Filipiniana section of National Book Store in Robinsons Galleria) which are not typical of the ghost stories we tend to automatically associate with "supernatural fiction."

For example, in Abot-Talampakan ang mga Bituin sa Cagbalete by Vlad Gonzales, you may reach the end of the story thinking it was all just a dream. And then again, it might not just be a dream. It is written in Tagalog, and the title roughly translates to "you can reach the stars in Cagbalete with your feet."

Another story in Tagalog is Pantasmagorya by Roel Hoang Manipon.

The other seven stories in this anthology are in English:

Begger of Description by Adel Gabot
The Impossible Life and Loves of Doc Dwende by Angelo R. Lacuesta
Ghosts of Infinity by Emil M. Flores
Firefly by Anna Felicia C. Sanchez
Streetcorner by Carljoe Javier - A dead 14-year-old and her lover wait for the red taxi that killed her in a hit-and-run accident.
Sea Change by Virginia M. Villanueva
The Man Who Came Home by Robert JA Basilio, Jr.

An interesting and thought-provoking collection of ghost stories by nine talented Filipino writers. And sometimes, the stories might just be about... you.

[ First posted on 07/02/2006 by Manuel Viloria ]