Nick Joaquin is known today as the most distinguished Filipino writer in English. Throughout his prolific career, he has published short stories, novels, poetry, plays, articles, and non-fiction. A career highlight is earning the distinction of becoming a National Artist for Literature in 1976.
New readers can discover Joaquin’s works, as Anvil Publishing has reprinted three of his books with gorgeous covers.
These include The Woman Who Had Two Navels, Tropical Baroque: Four Manileño Theatricals, and Cave and Shadows. These editions were first released in 2017 and 2018 but were reprinted this year with a new size and a lower price.
The books are designed by R. Jordan P. Santos, with illustrations by Betina Continuado.
Get to know the three books below:
The Woman Who Had Two Navels
The Woman Who Had Two Navels is considered a classic in Philippine literature. This follows Connie Escobar, who always thought she had two navels. This does not sit right with her, so she asks Dr. Pepe Monson to remove one of them. Her life worsens when she discovers a most disturbing family secret. Betrayed, she flees to Hong Kong, where she faces even more unsettling truths. This edition features an introduction by journalist Ruel S. de Vera.
Tropical Baroque: Four Manileño Theatricals
Tropical Baroque: Four Manileño Theatricals celebrates the depth and the vibrancy of Joaquin’s dramatic output. It contains the plays “A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino,” “Tatarin,” “Fathers and Sons,” and “The Beatas.”
Set in old Manila, “A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino” revolves around two spinster sisters, Paula and Candida Marasigan, who fight for everything precious to their family. This was adapted into a stage play called Larawan, which was then turned into the acclaimed Metro Manila Film Fest entry Ang Larawan.
In “Tatarin,” Doña Lupe stands firm on her ideas on feminism. She joins the three-day fertility ritual where women wildly dance around the balete tree, allowing her to boldly demand respect and admiration from her husband, Don Paeng.
In “Fathers and Sons,” Bessie fights back against the shadows cast by her past as an abandoned child sold and bought into the life of prostitution.
“The Beatas” illustrates the modern views and actions of Antonia Ezguerra and Sebastiana de Santa Maria, along with their fellow beatas, as they stand their ground despite the challenge from the patriarchy of the Holy Church to shut down the first beaterio in Manila.
This edition features an introduction by the playwright Rody Vera.
Cave and Shadows
Cave and Shadows is set in the seedy Manila of the ’70s and explores the themes of identity, history, corruption, and colonialism. Nenita Coogan’s body is found naked and lifeless in a locked-down cave. Her stepfather, an American expatriate from Davao named Jack Henson, goes undercover to investigate the case and catch the killer. This edition features an introduction by the writer Vicente Garcia Groyon.
These editions of The Woman Who Had Two Navels, Tropical Baroque: Four Manileño Theatricals, and Cave and Shadows, featuring the illustrations of Betina Continuado, are available at National Book Store branches and on Anvil Publishing’s Lazada and Shopee stores beginning May 1, 2024.
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