Frankie Sionil José

Book excerpt: Frankie Sionil José of the Philippines is among Asia's leading fictionist. In a career spanning more than half a century that included editing Solidarity, which promotes writing in and about Southeast Asia, he has produced a remarkable body of fiction. Apart from winning various prizes, he was a Ramon Magsaysay awardee (1980) and a National Artist for Literature (2001). This tribute, in commemoration of José's 80th birthday, brings together reminiscences, poems, a substantial number of essays, all published for the first time. The comprehensive bibliography is indispensable to all who wish to study his work. By leading scholars of Filipino literature, the essays examine such themes as nation, history and society in José's works, and his use of English, of myth, through an examination of single or groups of texts of which the quintet that form the Rosales Saga is the most notable. They provide a challenging explication and assessment that, together with the other contributions, make the volume an authoritative, stimulating introduction to José, and to Filipino and Asian literature in English(es). It should be in all major libraries.