Literary

A MAN clad in black stepped up on the podium with his laptop in hand and began with a declaration that the other people who spoke before him couldn’t make.

“I am Al, and I am the son of Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta,” he said.

It was on a Tuesday morning when former students and colleagues, and friends, paid tribute to Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta, one of the most important women writers of the country, through words and songs

“I was never more proud to say this than today,” he added.

OPHELIA Alcantara-Dimalanta’s much celebrated reputation as a poet is summed up in the Ophelia A. Dimalanta Reader: Selected Poetry (UST Publishing House, 2004). But the critical consensus on her work as a poet is contained in the second volume of the reader, Selected Prose, published in 2006, which contains prose works by her and by her critics and supporters.

In the second volume, noted poet Cirilo Bautista describes her as “without exception, the best woman poet in the country.” The acclaim is well-earned, but comes despite the fact that her poems, according to Bautista, is “difficult to like at first reading.”

THE LOVE Woman of UST serenaded her readers with her captivating poetry, taught literary aspirants to go with the flow of imagery and emotions, and mothered a great number of famous literary artists in the country.

But the root of all her poetic prowess and the occasional flirting of deep emotions were once attributed to her stay in the Varsitarian.

Ophelia Alcantara-Dimalanta, who passed away last November 4, once wrote for and edited UST’s student paper.

During her first year at the old Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (now Arts and Letters), she joined the esteemed publication and first became a Literary section writer in the summer of 1951.

WORDS of adulation for Ophelia Dimalanta immediately flooded the cyber space as the news on the demise of UST’s greatest woman poet came out.

According to Al Dimalanta, son of the late poetess, the number of fans in the “We Love Ophelia Dimalanta” page surged from around 300 to over 800 overnight, just as the news of his mother’s death started spreading online. The fan page now has over 1, 300 “likes.”

The page looked like a “freedom wall”, where family, friends, former students, colleagues, and other Thomasians aired their admiration and gratitude for “Ophie”.

“Thank you, Dean Ophelia A. Dimalanta for teaching us form and substance,” wrote Christian Dimaandal. “You were a shining example of both.”

PHILIPPINE Literature has taken the first step in its campaign to encourage writing in the country and be recognized worldwide with its first international literary festival.

Local and international literary icons, as well as teachers, students, and book enthusiasts gathered in the country’s first Manila International Literary Festival held on November 18 to 20 at the Hotel Intercontinental Manila in Makati City. The three-day event, Lit Out Loud (LOL), was organized by the National Book Development Board (NBDB). It featured various seminars and workshops on creating a worthy literary work.

STORIES nowadays seem to possess the same ordinary elements that would make readers roll their eyes and say: “I’ve read that before.”

The panelists of the sixth Varsitarian Fiction Workshop held last September 12 and 19 called the attention of budding fictionists to write something the generation has not yet read, challenging them to do away with what readers are already accustomed to.

“Go against the grain of common thought,” said Rosario Lucero, acclaimed writer and a professor at the University of the Philippines (UP). “It’s like putting your feelings into imagination.”

THE ANNUAL Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) reminded one and all that books are still alive in the digital world.

The 31st MIBF, held on September 15 to 19 at the SMX Convention Center of the SM Mall of Asia, featured a wide variety of books by local and international publishing companies—catering to bibliophiles of all ages with some books sold cheaper than the usual bookstore fare.

Primetrade Asia, Inc., the organizer of the event, reported that an estimated 90,000 visitors went to the MIBF this year—almost double compared with the 50,000 visitors last year.

HINDI maipagkakait na mababa ang pagtingin ng ibang tao sa mga Tagalog romance pocketbooks maliban sa mga bumabasa nito. Masasabing “cheap” ang mga ito dahil nabibili ito sa mga tiangge at narerentahan.

Samantala, sa kabila ng lahat ng pagsisikap na matamo ang paghanga mula sa mambabasa ano man ang estado ng buhay, hindi maiiwasan ang mga kritiko sa paggamit ng wikang “Taglish” o “Engalog” at pagsulat ng nobela dagdag pa ang stigma sa lipunan na ang mga ito ay para sa mga nabibilang sa mababang uri ng lipunan.

Ani Roberto Ampil, isang guro ng Filipino sa Faculty of Arts and Letters, karamihan ng kabataang kaniyang nakasalamuha ay nahihiyang aminin na nagbabasa sila ng mga pocketbooks.

Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle once described a “true University” as a collection of books.

Holding true to this statement, the Miguel de Benavides Library (UST Central Library) makes a showcase of its rich collections through Lumina Pandit: an Exhibition of Historical Treasures, a multimillion international exhibit that is one of the highlights of UST’s Quadricentennial.

“Book lovers, antiquarians, academicians, historians, students, and all Filipinos who want to develop their sense of history can come to UST and be part of this spectacular exhibition.” Rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P., said in a speech during the formal opening last June 17.