Of That Other Country We Now Speak and Other Stories

by Charlson Ong

137 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Charlson L. Ong , resident fellow of the Institute of Creative Writing and fictionist/scriptwriter/singer extraordinaire, was born on July 6, 1960. He obtained an A.B. in Psychology from the University of the Philippines in 1977, and currently teaches literature and creative writing under UP's Department of English and Comparative Literature. He has joined several writers' workshops here and abroad, and has acquired numerous grants and awards for his fiction, including the Palanca, Free Press, Graphic, Asiaweek, National Book Award, and the Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award for Excellence. His novel, Embarrassment of Riches published by UP Press in 2002, won the Centennial Literary Prize. In addition to this, Ong has served as co-editor of the Likhaan Book of Poetry and Fiction
His short stories range from parodies of well-loved Filipino texts to insightful treatments of Chinese-Filipino culture. These have been collected into Men of the East and Other Stories (1990 and 1999), Woman of Am-Kaw and Other Stories (1993) and Conversion and Other Fictions (1996). His second novel is due for publication this year.

Reviews

[Tito Quiling, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

How often do side conversations and casual remarks plant the seed for a story? Perhaps, more frequently than we might think. Over time, one nurtures the seed as it grows into various incarnations and branches off into other territories. In the process, even fictional works can intertwine with the author’s experiences.

The stories in the collection do not follow a singular theme. In this line, not every story delves into the Tsinoy persona exclusively. However, in each of the narratives, there is at least one component that leads into related confessions. Stories take place in well-known areas: from getting a glimpse of the mixed-use houses in Binondo to reminiscing vanished images of the once genteel corner of Malate, all the way to a summer home in chilly Tagaytay—all of which express parallel memories carried by its denizens and visitors. In some instances, narratives flow into another through the occurrence of personal, metaphorical beams and actual sources of light. In a similar vein, the presence of water in the forms of an impending downpour and the sea, which projects an ominous atmosphere, subsequently become objects in focus.

[Glaiza Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book you should read when you're somewhere close to depression. This might trigger you, haha!
Most of the stories start of as an intro into an ordinary life... until it progresses into hopelessness, and well, if I might say, a struggle to survive.