SOLIDARIDAD Bookshop, a cultural and literary landmark founded by the late National Artist for Literature F. Sionil José, has been sold and is set to transition to new ownership following the signing of sale documents on Friday, Nov. 21.
Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste of Batangas, son of Sen. Loren Legarda who is a longtime family friend of the Josés, became the new owner of Solidaridad Bookshop after four months of negotiation.
Antonio “Tonet” José, eldest son of the late literary giant, said the transition would not alter the bookshop’s operations.
“The new owner will continue the bookshop. Everything that it was before. They’ll continue everything,” he told the Varsitarian.
Tonet said regular events, including book launches and the monthly Poets & Playwrights, Essayists, and Novelists (PEN) meeting, would continue under the new management.
Personal memorabilia, including photographs and notable sayings of the late national artist, will remain on display.
“And then they’ll continue ‘yong Filipiniana section namin. Everything will be the same,” Tonet said.
Founded in 1965, the Solidaridad Bookshop is regarded as “Asia’s biggest little bookshop,” as it holds the country’s most extensive Filipiniana collection curated by the late national artist himself.
Throughout its six-decade history, the bookshop served as a literary saloon where writers, academics, politicians and cultural figures gathered to discuss culture, politics, and social issues.
It also housed the Philippine Chapter of the International PEN, which José founded in 1957.
Leviste, founder of Solar Philippines and a lawmaker representing the first district of Batangas, vowed to preserve Solidaridad’s history and continue its literary mission.
“We hope they (Jose family) can remain involved and help ensure that the bookshop’s operations stay true to its history and the legacy of F. Sionil José,” Leviste said in a statement on Facebook.
According to Tonet, the final transfer of ownership will depend on the completion of business licensing, after which the shop will reopen to the public.
While Tonet said in June the sale would include the building, bookstore, and fixtures for P38 million, he did not disclose the final price.
The Varsitarian broke the news that Solidaridad was up for sale in June 2025.
José, who passed away in 2022 at age 97, was a native Rosales, Pangasinan. He is known for his “Rosales Saga,” a five-volume series of novels that covers a century of Philippine politics and society.
The literary titan served as editor in chief of the Varsitarian from 1948-1949. With reports from Frenchshield Shayne G. Delovieres and Ma. Irish F. Fery
