Best books of 2006

Here are more citations done by the Manila Critics Circle.

Here is the citation for Sy Yinchow: “Sy Yinchow, now 84 years old, is regarded as ‘the world’s longest-serving editor-in-chief of daily newspapers.’ It is not for his Guinness record as an editor, however, that the Manila Critics Circle has taken notice of Mr. Sy, but of his equally long years as translator, particularly of Philippine literary works into Chinese. He has written 20 books, many of which have won acclaim both in the Philippines and in China. For his indefatigable efforts to introduce Philippine literature to the huge Chinese readership in China and other countries, the Manila Critics Circle awards a Citation to Sy Yinchow.”

There were two winners of the National Book Award for Best Book in Cultural Studies.

The first winner, Kasaysayan at Pag-unlad ng Dulaang Pambata sa Pilipinas, by Arthur P. Casanova (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House), was cited this way (translated from Filipino): “It took the author eight years to write this book. That partly explains the breadth and depth of this history of children’s theater. In his treatment of the roots, forms, types, and number of children’s theater, the author shows how rich and meaningful is our theater that is for children, by children, or about children. The National Book Award is given to this book because of its meticulous research and clear writing.”

The second winner, Treading Through: 45 Years of Philippine Dance, by Basilio Esteban Villaruz (University of the Philippines Press and Philippine Folklife Museum Foundation), was cited this way: “Who can tell the dancer from the dance or the writer from the writing or the dancer who is a writer from the writer who is a dancer? The book captures 45 years of dancing, writing about dance, and most important, thinking about dance. Thinking from the inside rather than from the outside as an armchair critic or as an ordinary spectator, the author maintains a coherent and consistent viewpoint, whether he is writing for an academic audience, a professional conference, or a popular periodical. Never talking down nor talking above our heads, the writer-dancer-critic-reviewer dances to the tune of all good writing.”

The Best Book in Theology or Religion was God Was Not in the Wind: An Evolutionary Understanding of Popular Religion in the Philippines, by Jimmy A. Belita, C.M. (Adamson University Press): “The biological theory of evolution is rarely invoked to prove the existence of God. The author does not set out to prove anything, but really to provoke readers into thinking, if evolution is indeed indisputable, about what that means to their faith in a transcendent being. Along the way, while thinking of salvation history in the same breath as evolution, the author manages to clarify why we remain animistic, moralistic rather than moral, and yes, sinful. If the voice of the people is indeed the voice of God, then we have, in this book examining the kind of God most people believe in, a prophecy, as that word is defined in the Old Testament.”

The winner of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Prize of P10,000 for the Best Book in Business and Economics was Coconut: The Philippines’ Money Tree, by Renato M. Labadan (RM Labadan and Associates and University Research and Resource Development), cited this way: “Virgin coconut oil may have taken the national psyche by storm, but it is not the only nor is it even the most significant product that our country can get from coconut. There are, for example, coconut biodiesel and, at the other end of the spectrum, lambanog, about which no one can say too much, except perhaps to point out that, during the Pacific War, it was a weapon used by the guerrillas against the Japanese. The book blends hard scientific and historical data, beautiful photographs, advertising (yes, admittedly), and simple but not simplified language to come up with not just a book about coconut, but a book about the country’s economy.”

“WORDS OF THE DAY” (English/Filipino) for next week’s elementary school classes: Oct. 8 Monday: 1. ball/quart, 2. scad/quake, 3. ray/quail, 4. azucena/quack, 5. flathead/qiyas, 6. snapper/qabul; Oct. 9 Tuesday: 1. bell/queen, 2. bass/question, 3. goatfish/qualify, 4. mangrove/quadrille, 5. hairtail/quadratik, 6. grouper/qasida; Oct. 10 Wednesday: 1. bite/queer, 2. cod/quiz, 3. catfish/quintet, 4. camachile/quality, 5. firefish/reseta, 6. sandperch/retaso; Oct. 11 Thursday: 1. seat/ranggo, 2. scat/raya, 3. milkfish/ratiles, 4. willow/qualified, 5. bigeye/raket, 6. longfin/radikal; Oct. 12 Friday: 1. bath/radyo, 2. shark/rali, 3. tilefish/repolyo, 4. zinnia/resibo, 5. salmon/relasyon, 6. silverside/rekwerdo. The numbers after the dates indicate grade level. The dates refer to the official calendar for public elementary schools. For definitions of the words in Filipino, consult UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino.