Zoilo M. Galang (1895–1959)

This is a difficult book to review because of its old-fashioned, flowery writing style. It's not a bad book, especially given its time, but it was hard for me to get into because it feels out of date. It was written in a time when Spanish and American colonization still had their claws in the Philippines. At times, there are some sentiments in the book that are cringe-worthy to modern readers, including the protagonist's love interest being considered the most beautiful woman in the village mainly because of her very light complexion.

That being said, the book gives beautiful descriptions of life in the Philippines about a hundred years ago, and the author's pride in his country is apparent throughout. I'm no literature expert, but I think Galang succeeded in writing a story on par with his English-language contemporaries in England and the US.… (mehr)

The first thing that most reviewers of Zoilo Galang’s 1921 novel A Child of Sorrow will note is that this is the first Filipino novel written in English. Galang notes in the preface that the novel is a “fragmentary page of real life” and his intention is to “form what is known as our National Literature.” Written during a period of transition that saw the Philippines go from being a Spanish colony to an American colony, Galang was influenced by English and American literatures.

One gets the sense that Galang was attempting to elevate Filipino literature by writing in a Romantic style, with situations and characters that would have been familiar to readers of 19th century Anglophone literature. A Child of Sorrow is a melodrama and written in a style that was already outdated in western literature by the 1920s. Unfortunately, this approach neither presents a “page of real life,” nor does it set the stage for the Filipino literature that would follow.

From its forced narration and dialogue to characters that are more types than real people to its moralizing, this novel can be difficult to read for a modern reader. The novel is, nevertheless, historically significant for what Galang was attempting to do. This centennial reissue provides one more addition into the rich and diverse literary tradition of the Philippines.… (mehr)

A Child of Sorrow was published just 100 years ago, the first Philippine novel written in English. Author Zoilo Galang notes in a preface that he has intentionally emphasized details of Filipino life, blending local and foreign elements to form “our National Literature.” The modern reader, however, needs to get past a stylistic hurdle to get anything from the simple story of star-crossed young lovers. Tagalog literature of the preceding years apparently leaned to very melodramatic re-tellings of folk tales, full of fair maidens and noble suitors. Galang carries this tradition across into his English, resulting in a purple prose that makes Bulwer-Lytton seem terse. A first kiss:

"He drew her close to his heart and were locked in a most passionate embrace, which seemed as though in all eternity they would never separate…

O for the first kiss of a woman!

O Love! O Venus!

It is the theme that poets love to sing and glorify in sublime and immortal poetry! It is the wine…”

and so forth for another three paragraphs. Throw in some lengthy passages of exposition on moral philosophy and the benefits of being colonized by America, and things seem to go pretty slowly. On the other hand, the book isn’t that thick and perseverance results in a window to a different time and culture.… (mehr)