Review
Reading
Ilustrado is like gazing through a kaleidoscope. The story zooms in on an unreliable narrator, Miguel Syjuco, shifts toward a mysterious figure who refers to him as "Our protagonist," then shifts again — all while being spliced with an ongoing, one-man investigation into the circumstances of Salvador's death, as well as scenes of unrest in the Philippines. The text is further enriched by snippets from blogs; interviews; excerpts from stories, novels, and a memoir by Crispin Salavador; portions of Miguel's biography-in-progress; a running joke about a Filipino student; recollections of Miguel's former romantic relationship; references to the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during the Second World War; and a glimpse at the literati, among other topics.
Such an ambitious whirlwind could dissuade some readers, but far more intriguing...
Beyond the Book
The Republic of the Philippines, a tropical archipelago in Southeast Asia, is comprised of more than 7,000 islands. The major island groups include Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, Negros, and Cebu. The country is believed to have been first settled by the Aetas (who the Spanish settlers named Negritos). Although the Aetas' short stature, dark skin and curly hair has caused them to be compared to African pygmies, scholars believe they migrated, not from Africa, but from the Asian mainland about 30,000 years ago (possibly across the land bridge that is thought to have existed at the time), and developed their phenotypic traits in situ. Later, around 4000 BCE, successive waves of people from South-East Asia and other Pacific Islands started to settle in the Philippines bringing with them the...
