Winner of the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize and the Palanca Award, Ilustrado tells the story of Miguel, a close friend of the acclaimed and much-criticized writer Crispin Salvador, as he goes on a journey to write the story of his mentor amidst a troubled Philippines.
The world of Ilustrado is, chillingly, similar to ours and it makes one wonder if this is really fiction one is reading. At least, it made me feel that way. Miguel Syjuco weaves a masterful story that reveals so much about us - things that often go unnoticed. After I closed this book, I wondered for a very long time why we cannot reform this society we live in. We, obviously, have so much work to do.
But it is not only its social relevance that makes Ilustrado a good read. It is also, more importantly, a good read. Unlike boring political novels, this mixes politics with humor and other entertaining literary devices. Not one moment is boring and I'm sure everyone can (and will) enjoy this book.
Considering that this is one of the (unfortunately) few Filipino novels I've read, Ilustrado is so good I want more...
Guess I should try giving this book a try. The last good Filipino novel that I read was Kapitan Sino and Penguin's translation of Noli me Tangere.
ReplyDeleteYes, you should! It leaves a lot of questions. :P
ReplyDeleteKapitan Sino was awesome! I haven't read Noli in English, but I did in Kapampangan. :>