Two F. Sionil Jose books to be launched at Powerbooks

MANILA, Philippines - Dd The Feet of Juan Bacnang, a novel, and Gleanings from a Life in Literature, a collection of essays by F. Sionil Jose, will be presented at Powerbooks in Greenbelt 4, Makati at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. Socorro Ramos, National Bookstore founder, will be the guest of honor.

“Gleanings” are public lectures delivered by the author during the last decade. The book is published by the University of Santo Tomas Press. UST Press publisher Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo will make the presentation.

Juan Bacnang, the main character in the new novel, is born dirt poor in a village. Eventually, his birthright is recognized. He finishes studying law, becomes urbane, approachable, a lover of the good life and women. He also turns out to be an innovative entrepreneur and a canny politician. His meteoric rise is in itself a story familiar to many Filipinos.

Those who read the author’s earlier short story, Olvidon, and were puzzled by its unusual plot and ending will find that that story unravels even further in this novel. Its denouement is palpable for The Feet of Juan Bacnang also illustrates vividly how raw power operates in this country.

Already known internationally for his searing criticism of inequity and injustice, Sionil Jose’s 14th novel clarifies even more thoroughly the deep and murky whys and wherefores of the Filipino condition. Readers will easily recognize the “horrible truths” as the critic Ricaredo Demetillo described them in Sionil Jose’s new work.

Meanwhile, in Oslo, Hedge Jenchausen of the publishing house Solum Forlag announced the release of the Norwegian translation of Sionil Jose’s Sins, a novel about a Spanish mestizo’s rapacity.

For more information, call Solidaridad Bookstore at 254-1086 or 254-1068.