Spot Shelf: Mark Angeles' Ang Huling Emotero Is a Quick Read for Busy People
It has 144 stories, each with around 100 words.
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(SPOT.ph) As people increasingly adopt a fast-paced lifestyle, even their reading habits have evolved. They seek shorter reads to accommodate their busy lives. In addition, instant gratification has become the norm, bringing with it the popularity of reading short fiction due to its brevity and focus on concise storytelling.
Mark Angeles' Ang Huling Emotero offers precisely that—concise storytelling, creative expression, and a quick source of literature for individuals on the go. The book comprises a collection of 144 drabbles or flash fiction in Filipino, also known as dagli, each containing a 100-word story.
In addition to this collection, the book provides an insightful historical study and exploration of dagli in the Philippines. It delves into topics such as its nomenclature, origins, who initiated it, how it was used in the past and present, and how it contributes to enriching Philippine literature today.
Angeles’ dagli collection was hailed as one of the finalists during the 40th National Book Awards held on April 8, 2023.
The History of Short, Short in Ang Huling Emotero
What sets this collection apart from the rest is its extensive and meticulously researched introduction, which delves into the historical evolution of dagli as a literary form. Serving as a continuation of how dagli should be approached in writing, it thoroughly examines its contemporary significance in modern literature.
In the book, Angeles mentioned how, depending on time, dagli goes by many names, including flash/rapid/swift fiction, drabble, dadaanin, prose poem, short short story, palm-sized fiction, literature in a hurry, smoke-long fiction, among others. It is recognized as a contemporary genre alongside other popular reading materials and literary forms with the term dagli.
Angeles pointed out that in dagli, a traditional plot is not a prerequisite. Instead, it can take the form of prose imbued with the lyrical quality of poetry.
The emergence of the first dagli dates back to the 21st century. Thematically, like any short fiction, it can be likened to a literary sketch, a slice-of-life vignette, episodic storytelling, or an anecdotal narrative.
Viewed as a contemporary genre, Angeles sees dagli as a solution catering to the reading habits and comprehension preferences of young Filipino students who seek instant gratification and enjoy the quick consummation of a story.
The 144-Collection of Shorties
Although dagli takes pride in its brevity, Angeles emphasized the importance of conveying a message and insight, whether fiction or non-fiction. He demonstrated this in his collection by skillfully maneuvering the stories to their intended destinations while strictly adhering to a 100-word limit.
Readers might perceive the word limit as constraining the writer's expression, but it can also serve as a challenge to explore the depth of each narrative and the literary devices employed to craft them.
Some portions of the collection were previously included in Emotero, published in 2011.
One distinctive feature of this collection is the diversity of its topics, encompassing folk literature, family stories and their members, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the LGBT community, activists, and victims of "tokhang" during the Duterte regime.
The selection is concise yet impactful at both ends, prompting readers to contemplate deeply. While recalling all 144 stories may pose a challenge, readers can happily choose one and delve into how Angeles managed to construct an entire narrative with just 100 words. The book also provides readers with a glimpse into Philippine society through various perspectives, all presented in a concise and stylized writing format.
Ang Huling Emotero (University of the Philippines Press, 2021) by Mark Angeles is available on Shopee for P470.
Rita T. dela Cruz is a science writer and editor at a government research institute. She finished BS Development Communication from UPLB and MA Filipino (Malikhaing Pagsulat) from UP Diliman. Her first book, Solo Flight: Mga Kuwento (Balangay Books, 2021), is available on Lazada for P617.
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