It seems that God was not a structuralist – Terry Eagleton

Finally reunited with Terry Eagleton. Only read his introduction to Literary Theory back in college and I’ve been salivating to get hold of more of his books. Lucky found one that is a ‘sequel’ to Lit Theory. Remains sharp, witty, grounded, and accessible.

Getting Lucky and Finding Great Books From Thrift Stores

I’m new to Canada.

I love books.

I figured the best way to familiarize myself to the territory is to check out the used bookstores nearby (in some cases not so nearby). So far I’m very impressed. I got books I never dreamed of getting hold of in used bookstores in the Philippines.

When my aunt noticed that I’ve been to all the used bookstores in the city (around 4 in Hamilton), she suggested I go to Value Village. I went there and my jaws dropped. Now familiar how thrift stores work, I also dropped by Salvation Army on the way home. Again. Bookworm jaws dropped.

The selections are not as ‘specialized’ in used bookstore but one could get lucky.

Sometimes, really lucky.

I bought books I’ve been looking for in other used bookstores; Lu Xun, Eduardo Galeano, etc. Bought books available in used bookstores, but are relatively more expensive; Ian McEwan, Vladimir Nabokov, etc. Even got a Terry Eagleton! (and other academic books that would cost more in used bookstores.

Not saying thrift stores are better than used bookstores. More sources, the better!

Hingil sa Signos (Aloy Adlawan, 2007)

• Daddy issues, tungalian ng sentro at laylayan, sa madaling salita, “barrio horror”

• Barrio horror – isang horror trope kung saan ang/mga bida ay madalas mga taga-labas o dayo sa isang liblib na bayan na walang kuryente o maayos na kalye pero sagana sa kababalaghan at katatakutan.

• Isa’t kalahating oras ka munang tatakutin ng pelikulang ito gamit ang putik, dugo, mga bangungot, at sunod-sunod na kamatayan, bago ipaliwanag ang lahat.

• Pag-abot mo sa ending saka lang nito ilalahad na ito ay isang meditasyon at kritika sa horror genre maliban sa pagiging parte nito.

• Simple lang naman ang premise, may landslide, natabunan ang buong barrio.

• Hindi ito based o inspired on actual events ha. Ito ay base sa mga kwento ng mga nakaligtas sa isang aktwal na landslide. Naging ecological horror na.

• At ang kinalabasan ng kwento ay kung ano talaga ang naratibo ng trahedya mula sa perspektibo ng isang biktima/nagkaligtas: magulo, ilohikal, puno ng pangitain, mga signos, ika nga, na hindi pinansin.

• Dahil na rin siguro sa trauma, naging nostalgic nalang si Luis,ang bidang taga-labas na nakaligtas, sa kinalakihan bayan.

• Taon-taon, libo-libo ang namamatay sa bansa dahil sa samu’t saring trahedya. Ito ay signos na ang talaga namang biktima ng mga kalamidad, gawa man ng tao o kalikasan, ay ang abang uri!

Used Bookstore Find

Bought myself a copy of Foucault’s Madness and Civilization at R & R Books (Oakville, Ontario), and found this clipping inside the book.

Temptation of St. Anthony — Max Ernst

Biblioklept

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Clean

Malilinis na banyo. May bayad nga lang. Ewan ko lang kung public owned pa rin mga banyo na to. Sa laki ng income ng buong Baguio City, hindi man lang maka-provide ng malilinis na banyo na libreng magagamit ng lahat.

Rizal, The Thinker

Naalala ko ang statue na The Thinker sa rebultong ito ni Rizal, medyo effeminate ang isang to

Hingil sa Spirit of the Glass (2004, Jose Javier Reyes)

• Mga teenagers at yuppies ang nagbakasyon sa isang lumang mansyon sa probinsya para sa holy week. Ginawang creepy music score ang pabasa.

• Walang magawa. Nag-spirit of the glass. Kinausap ang multo ng isang lalaki doon sa bahay mismo pinatay.

• Mahirap ang lalaki, mayaman ang babae. Naging masalimuot ang wakas/di-wakas ng kanilang kwento. Antagonismo ng uri at kasarian.

• Bumalik sa Maynila, pero sinundan sila. Nagtulong-tulong para malaman kung ano ang ugat ng pagpapakita. Siempre, anu pa kundi “dark family secrets”.

• Humingi pa ng tulong mula sa isang medium para magka-closure ang multo.

• Pauwi na sana ang mga bata sa syudad, all is well. Tsaka naman nagpakita pa ang mas maraming multo sa bahay, inanyayahan silang maglaro ulit ng spirit of the glass.

• Ang kasaysayan ng isang pamilyang kabilang sa naghaharing uri ay kasaysayan ng karahasan (tago man o hayag) at kasama itong pinapamana sa susunod na henerasyon kalakip ng mga ari-arian.

• Hindi makabagdamdamin ang pelikula, hindi maganda pagkagawa sa konbensyonal na pamantayan ng horror genre.

• Namayani ang intensyon ng komentaryo kesa sa aliw. Sya naman talagang political unconscious ng horror.

Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich

First having read the book of myths,
and loaded the camera,
and checked the edge of the knife-blade,
I put on
the body-armor of black rubber
the absurd flippers
the grave and awkward mask.
I am having to do this
not like Cousteau with his
assiduous team
aboard the sun-flooded schooner
but here alone.

There is a ladder.
The ladder is always there
hanging innocently
close to the side of the schooner.
We know what it is for,
we who have used it.
Otherwise
it is a piece of maritime floss
some sundry equipment.

I go down.
Rung after rung and still
the oxygen immerses me
the blue light
the clear atoms
of our human air.
I go down.
My flippers cripple me,
I crawl like an insect down the ladder
and there is no one
to tell me when the ocean
will begin.

First the air is blue and then
it is bluer and then green and then
black I am blacking out and yet
my mask is powerful
it pumps my blood with power
the sea is another story
the sea is not a question of power
I have to learn alone
to turn my body without force
in the deep element.

And now: it is easy to forget
what I came for
among so many who have always
lived here
swaying their crenellated fans
between the reefs
and besides
you breathe differently down here.

I came to explore the wreck.
The words are purposes.
The words are maps.
I came to see the damage that was done
and the treasures that prevail.
I stroke the beam of my lamp
slowly along the flank
of something more permanent
than fish or weed

the thing I came for:
the wreck and not the story of the wreck
the thing itself and not the myth
the drowned face always staring
toward the sun
the evidence of damage
worn by salt and sway into this threadbare beauty
the ribs of the disaster
curving their assertion
among the tentative haunters.

This is the place.
And I am here, the mermaid whose dark hair
streams black, the merman in his armored body.
We circle silently
about the wreck
we dive into the hold.
I am she: I am he

whose drowned face sleeps with open eyes
whose breasts still bear the stress
whose silver, copper, vermeil cargo lies
obscurely inside barrels
half-wedged and left to rot
we are the half-destroyed instruments
that once held to a course
the water-eaten log
the fouled compass

We are, I am, you are
by cowardice or courage
the one who find our way
back to this scene
carrying a knife, a camera
a book of myths
in which
our names do not appear.

Stumbling on Nádas

I love secondhand bookstores because I can save a lot, not to mention finding rare, ‘nonprofitable’ titles. I stumbled upon Nádas, and bought it on impulse. Never read him before but came across claims of him being ‘Nobel-deserving’.

It is also my most expensive purchase from a secondhand bookstore, ever.

When I went home and looked for reviews and a lot of critics didn’t like the book.

Now, I have this massive book, with poor reviews, which I spent “a lot” of money on. I want to hear non-critic readers’ take on the book. Is it good? How so? Did I waste my money? How so?