Every now and then, I would bump into our friend Ricardo “Ricky” Soler and kid him about his paella, and how the world should know what a great cook he was. I had known both Ricky and his late wife Bunny (who was an interior designer) for quite some time, but I never realized that he was also a short story writer. And today, he is launching his book of short stories titled “For Starters,” and the event will be hosted by designer Jeannie Goulbourn.
I am told the book has received critical acclaim from some of the most discerning critics like Palanca awardee Krip Yuson, as well as F. Sionil Jose and Bienvenido Lumbera, both National Artists for Literature. F. Sionil Jose is perhaps the most widely-read Filipino writer in the English language whose works have been translated in several languages, while Lumbera has been a recipient of so many awards including the Ramon Magsaysay Awards for Journalism and Literature. For a book to be praised by such literary heavyweights is no mean feat – which just goes to show the depth of Ricky’s talent as a writer.
Ricky was also a good friend of our late publisher Max Soliven, and he was the one who encouraged Max to write again after the latter’s incarceration during Martial Law. Ricky asked Max to transform Manila Visitor – a minor tabloid – into the Manila Magazine, which became the first successful, locally published all-color glossy. Max used the magazine to give space for journalists who were otherwise not allowed to write in other publications.
Many of Manila Magazine’s former contributors became respected luminaries in the field of journalism or literature – Dick Pascual, Doreen Yu, Niñez Olivares, Ricky Lo, Jaime Licauco, Joe Guevarra, Alejandro Roces, Rosalinda Orosa, Nick Joaquin, F. Sionil Jose, Chit Pedrosa and many others.
Perhaps it’s just as well that the introduction of “For Starters” is culled from the prelude Max wrote for Ricky’s first book, which was a collection of essays on Philippine photography (“The Best of ’81”) - which we are quoting so that the world will know what Max thought about Ricky.
In his intro titled “The Loneliness of the 24-Hour Runner” - Max described the “real Ricardo Soler” as someone who “hides too often behind a façade of gentle cynicism; a true believer, half-ashamed of the fact, reaching for the stars.”
Max summed it by writing, “The term ‘Renaissance Man’ has been much invoked, in fact, over-used over recent years. But in sum it is only the term that can be mobilized to describe the author… a tilter with windmills, a picaresque adventurer in the field of business, a grown man with the questing heart of a child…”
At 72, it would seem that our friend Ricky is still reaching for the stars, doing so with renewed zeal in his writing. Those who have read his stories marvel at the power of his words and his ability to evoke empathy for his characters, portraying them with failings, weaknesses, bravery and courage which simply put - makes his characters all the more human.
But as he puts it, he is not interested in making money out of his own writing, but just feels that he has “something to say that people must hear.”
We congratulate Ricky for coming out with “For Starters,” now available at several book stores. We encourage everyone to get a copy of the book – “so the world will know” that Ricky Soler is not only a good cook, but also a good writer.
* * *
‘World’s most watched Pinay face’
Google users have been busy sending links about an article on Veronica Pedrosa who is probably the “world’s most watched Pinay face.” Veronica – daughter of fellow STAR columnist Chit Pedrosa – is the lead news anchor at the Al Jazeera English TV network’s Asia-Pacific News Center in Kuala Lumpur. Prior to Al Jazeera, she worked with BBC World and CNN, during which she was named Best News Anchor at the 9th Asian Television Awards in 2004.
Educated in London, Veronica easily caught the attention of viewers when she was a presenter at ABS-CBN because of her British twang. Her accent is probably something which made her stand out, aside from the fact that she had the “ability to shift between different cultures and perspectives,” as the article pointed out. In her 18 years as a journalist, she has given viewers all the major regional and global news events, interviewing so many world-famous political figures.
Just recently, she was in Auckland as speaker for the Media Women in Asia Seminar organized by the New Zealand Foundation, where she stressed the need for Asian women to be seen in public professional roles to break stereotypes people may have about Asian women.
Filipinos should be proud of Veronica and congratulate her for being one of the most well-renowned Filipinas in the field of broadcast journalism. I’m sure her mother Chit Pedrosa is very proud of her.
* * *
Email: babe_tcb@yahoo.com