MANILA, Philippines - Si Tatang at mga Himala ng Ating Panahon, Ricky Lee’s groundbreaking collection of reportage, short fiction and screenplay, will be reissued as a special collector’s edition in a book launch on May 31, 3 p.m. at Powerbooks-Megamall.
First released in 1988, Si Tatang is the classic anthology that combined Lee’s feature articles, interviews and short stories, including Servando Magdamag and Kabilang sa mga Nawawala. It also features the full-screenplay of the Nora Aunor’s Himala, which recently won CNN Viewer’s Choice as Best Asia Pacific Film of All Time, besting Akira Kurosawa and Wong Kar Wai films.
With Si Tatang, Lee, more popularly known as a multi-awarded scriptwriter, and, of late, a bestselling novelist, shows us how to improve an already excellent book. The third edition features a rocking cover design, improved lay-out, 28 additional pages of new illustrations, photographs, a reprinted feature about direk Lino Brocka written after his death in 1992 and a newly-written article with never-before-revealed behind the scene takes and insightful anecdotes about the making of Himala, a must-read for film scholars and enthusiasts.
Si Tatang showcases Lee’s versatility, which, according to critic Isagani Cruz, is “a talent exploited not for itself but always in the service of a larger artistic purpose.” He also cited Lee’s artistic anchors in this collection; its theme of violence, be it inflicted on a society or an individual, on the body or spirit; his characters who are so memorable in their ordinariness, and; his readers with whom he consciously tries to communicate and for whom he transcend(s) the pettiness of grammar in order to reach the heights of inspiration.
Lee is also the author of Trip to Quiapo, considered the Filipino scriptwriting Bible.
Si Tatang at mga Himala ng Ating Panahon will be available on May 31 at National Bookstore outlets and selected bookshops. Pre-orders will get a P70 discount through Jerry at 0921-7849363 or 0917-5331948 or through e-mail writers.studio12@-email.com. A gift will be given to those who can bring old copies of the book at the launch.