Readers and authors in Southeast Asia (SEA) are stoked that Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade book publisher, is unearthing and sharing engaging voices in the region through its Penguin Random House SEA imprint established in 2018.
Headquartered in Singapore, PRH-SEA publishes English-language adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction for Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, and Myanmar.
It shines a light on authors from the region while simultaneously opening the SEA market to international titles. Through translation, it is making local and regional works available to a much wider audience.
Now in its fifth year, Penguin Random House SEA proudly showcases many Filipino authors in its 2023 catalog.
Among those available now are works by acclaimed writers Danton Remoto and Maryanne Moll. (I picked up copies of these at the recent National Book Development Board’s 1st Philippine Book Festival last June 2.)
Remoto’s Riverrun is a memoir-style novel about the coming of age of a young gay man who grows up in a provincial barrio and goes to university in cosmopolitan London. Each chapter, written as flash fiction, unravels scenes from the protagonist’s life, using devices such as recipes, poems, and songs to nudge the reader’s senses alive.
The Heart of Summer: Stories and Tales, also by Remoto, is a collection of short fiction written in the realist and fantastic modes, meant to entertain, instruct, and provide resonant insight about how the past merges into the present.
Readers eager to read Filipino classics will welcome Remoto’s translation into English of Lope K. Santos’ Banaag at Sikat (Radiance and Sunrise). Remoto makes accessible to the world “the most important Tagalog novel of the early 20th century,” as historian Teodoro Agoncillo described it.
Novelist Maryanne Moll returns with The Maps of Camarines, a sweeping, generational narrative about three wealthy haciendero families and how their destinies – good and bad – are intertwined with those of the people around them.
I’ll be writing more detailed reviews of these books, but for now, let me tell you that they are unputdownable, totally engrossing, and engaging. Kudos to the authors and Penguin Random House SEA for giving their voices a platform to tell their stories to the world.
Here are more books to be released in the Philippines between now and December this year from the same publisher:
Remoto returns soon with Crocodile’s Tears (Luha ng Buwaya), his translation from the Filipino of Amado V. Hernandez’s acclaimed classic. This novel illustrates how the interconnected networks of a corrupt political system can be challenged by people who are unafraid to open their eyes to reality.
Ferdinand Pisigan Jarin’s iconic bestseller Anim na Sabado ng Beyblade at Iba Pang Sanaysay has been translated into English by John Leihmar Toledo. Six Saturdays of Beyblade and Other Essays “is an ageless and timeless collection of essays that will give courage, hope, and faith,” according to the publisher. The book was launched last Friday (July 14) at the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House’s “Sinag Festival 2023” held at De La Salle University.
Healers, the debut work of fiction by award-nominated poet Jonel Abellanosa, “is an adventure story of fantastical people with mysterious powers” that reveals deep insights about truth and love. It is the first book in a trilogy that follows the lives of three immortal children skilled in the healing arts – but who, after centuries, grow weary of eternal life and eternal childhood and make decisions to change their fates.
Fans of Catherine Dellosa’s fantasy tales will be glad to learn that Of Life and Lies,
book two of her Of Myths and Men trilogy, is coming soon. In this volume, her heroine, an “ordinary girl,” teams up with mythical creatures to save the world while dealing with the lies that humans tell each other each day just to survive.
Written by National Book Award finalist Jov Ortua Almero, A Surplus of Sadness: But Wait, There’s More is a collection of 19 short stories that explore the human condition while unraveling emotions that run the gamut from sorrow to joy. These stories tip a knowing wink at heavy topics such as global warming, impending fascism, and the rise of disinformation, and invite readers to laugh – and prevail — in the face of challenges and adversity.
Marga Ortigas, whose first novel The House on Calle Sombra was also published by PRH SEA, returns soon with There Are No Falling Stars in China and Other Life Lessons from A Recovering Journalist. Her latest book is filled with insights and inspiration from her experiences and travels as a seasoned local journalist and international correspondent covering humanitarian crises, conflict, and political unrest.
“Southeast Asia continues to bedazzle us with its wondrous trove of creativity and genius in literature,” said Penguin Random House SEA publisher Nora Nazarene Abu Bakar.
“Each new year we can further our vision to discover and publish diverse voices because of the brilliant work being created. From modern times to ancient history, from romance to dystopia, from classics to originals, this region is never short of artistry and novelty. Just this talent inspires us to show the world the vibrant and exceptional literature of Southeast Asia.”
Dr. Ortuoste is a board member of PEN Philippines, a member of the Manila Critics Circle, and a judge of the National Book Awards. You may reach her on Facebook and Twitter: @DrJennyO
