Best books of 2006

Starting this week, as I do every year after the Manila International Book Fair, I shall share with STAR readers the citations done by the Manila Critics Circle (MCC) for winners of the National Book Awards.

Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney was cited for supporting Philippine books through publication of children’s literature. The Citation was: “Because there are many mainstream and independent publishers in the Philippines, we (MCC) do not normally give a citation for someone that has helped publish a book in the Philippines. In this particular case, however, we make an exception, because it is unusual for a distinguished senior diplomat from another nation to take personal interest in a Philippine story and to support its publication. We have known several ambassadors before from her country, but to our knowledge, this is the first time that an American ambassador has personally promoted a Philippine children’s book. The book itself (Inang Bayan’s New Clothes/Mga Bag-ong Sinina ni Inahang Nasod, by Tony Perez and Agnes S. Caballa) is a finalist for the National Book Award for Best Children’s Book, but it is for her effort, which we trust will be continuing, to help maintain the writing and publishing standards of children’s literature in our country that we are giving her a citation. The Manila Critics Circle awards a Citation to Her Excellency United States Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney.”

The Filipinas Institute of Translation received a citation for its annual series Sawikaan. Here is the citation: “Last year, Sawikaan 2004 won the National Book Award for Linguistics. Because the series is continuing and it looks like each volume in the series will be up for awards, we (MCC) decided to give the entire series a Citation. The Sawikaan series documents in book form the laudable efforts of scholars of Filipino to keep tabs on the rapid growth of our national language. Although marketed as a contest of identifying and justifying new words or old words used with new meanings, the series actually describes not just the language that we use but the culture that we are forming, reforming, reshaping, and rearticulating through our own language.”

The Ayala Foundation received this citation for a series of children’s books: “The books Juan Luna: Patriot and Painter, by Carla C. Pacis, The Boy Who Lost a Father and Found the Sun: The Life of Maestro Fernando Amorsolo, by Rene Villanueva, and Fernando Zobel: The Man Who Painted Ideas, by Maria Elena Paterno, are not just children’s books about art, but art objects themselves, featuring excellent writing, marvelous design, and sterling printing quality. The stories of three of our greatest painters are meant not just to entertain children, but to educate them. In fact, the educational motive is explicit in the Guide Questions that end each book. Because it has managed to blend art, education, and publishing in three extraordinary books, the Ayala Foundation receives a Citation from the Manila Critics Circle.” (to be continued)

LANGUAGE MATTERS: To show you how out of touch many of our English teachers are that still mark the word wrong in student essays, here is an entry from Merriam-Webster about the word alright:

“The one-word spelling alright appeared some 75 years after all right itself had reappeared from a 400-year-long absence. Since the early 20th century some critics have insisted alright is wrong, but it has its defenders and its users. It is less frequent than all right but remains in common use especially in journalistic and business publications. It is quite common in fictional dialogue, and is used occasionally in other writing. ‘The first two years of medical school were alright’ – Gertrude Stein.”

If it’s alright for Gertrude Stein, it’s alright for me!

“WORDS OF THE DAY” (English/Filipino) for next week’s elementary school classes: Oct. 1 Monday: 1. page/mumo (meal particles), 2. night/may, 3. such/malbas, 4. trousers/mam-in, 5. pleasure/mayana, 6. physical/minunga; Oct. 2 Tuesday: 1. give/Nene, 2. rule/nunal, 3. square/nana, 4. under/nila (indigo plant), 5. pocket/nito (vine), 6. suggestion/ningning; Oct. 3 Wednesday: 1. fish/ninong, 2. eel/nata (our), 3. rabbitfish/nisnis, 4. halibut/namnam, 5. seahorse/nais, 6. patriot/nami (vine); Oct. 4 Thursday: 1. girl/ngipin, 2. sole (fish)/ngalangala, 3. batfish/ngakngak, 4. moonfish/ngabngab, 5. goby/ngalngal, 6. nationalism/nguya; Oct. 5 Friday: 1. keep/oo, 2. short/paa, 3. soldierfish/pako (nail), 4. threadfin/padpad, 5. flounder/pagakpak, 6. emperor/pagal. The numbers after the dates indicate grade level. The dates refer to the official calendar for public elementary schools. For definitions of the words in Filipino, consult UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino.