What makes a bestseller? Of course, it helps if the author has built a name for himself, has a good-sized faithful following, a good story (but of course), excellent marketing, good reviews, and so on. How about if you throw in a cloak of mystery, not of the book now but of the author? Bob Ong is one such marketing marvel. Nobody, except for his agent, knows who he is. Hiding under the pseudonym, he has amassed an avid and fiercely loyal fan base in the literary world of Manila. His five books combined have sold almost a quarter of a million copies. The Sunday Inquirer Magazine has this to say of him:"CONSIDER him the mass-market mystery man, a publishing phenomenon whose blockbuster book sales are equaled only by the anonymity he maintains. He is Bob Ong—not his real name—the most unusual best-selling Filipino author you’ve never met."
Bob Ong writes in Filipino. He is irreverent.He is funny. He is Filipino. His defunct official website was named Bob Ong Pinoy, which marked him as a staunch lover of everything Pinoy. Here’s the rub: string the three words together and what have you got? Bobongpinoy, which translates to The Dumb Pinoy. Tongue in cheek sauciness, I love it.
The book chronicles his passage from childhood to adulthood, more specifically his experiences in different levels of schooling. Written entirely in conversant or street Filipino with the inevitable Taglish, this autobiography is an easy and comfortable read. Take the book’s title, for example. Any Filipino who grew up on the original 20 letters of the ABAKADA will be able to read it. “Aba, nakakabasa na pala ako” Ingenious, right? Here’s another one, try reading this on your own.
Wry humor is a trademark of Bob Ong. But that is not to say that the book is simply a collection of inane anecdotes. Sample excerpts:
May utak naman ako, pero pinili kong maging bobo.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kaya siguro namigay ng konsyensya ang Diyos, alam Niyang hindi sa lahat ng oras e gumagana ang utak ng tao.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Palagay ko, ang pagtuturo na ang pinakasagradong trabaho sa mundo. Ilang taon matapos matuto maglakad ang bata, ipinapasok na ito sa eskuwelahan at iniiwan sa pangangalaga ng teacher. Singkwentang bata ang ginagabayan ng teacher, singkwentang pag-asa ng bayan. May kinalaman ang teacher kung ilan sa singkwentang ito ang mamumuno sa bansa, papatay ng tao, magiging artista, makakadiskubre ng gamot sa AIDS, magiging illegal recruiter, magiging tycoon, o magiging isa na namang teacher.
My favorite passage is found in page 120. The allusion to life as a whole is very well made. I like the reference to erasures because it allowed that man will always make mistakes.
Nalaman kong hindi pala exam na may passing rate ang buhay. Hindi ito multiple choice, identification, true or false, enumeration, o fill-in-the-blanks na sinasagutan, kundi essay na isinusulat araw-araw. Huhusgahan ito hindi base sa kung tama o mali ang sagot, kundi base sa kung may kabuluhan ang mga naisulat o wala. Allowed ang erasures.
Nalaman kong marami palang libreng lecture sa mundo, ikaw ang gagawa ng syllabus. Maraming teacher sa labas ng eskwelahan, desisyon mo kung kanino ka magpapaturo. Lahat tayo enrolled ngayon sa isang university, maraming subject na mahirap, pero dahil libre, ikaw ang talo pag nag-drop ka. Isa-isa tayong ga-graduate, iba’t-ibang paraan. Tanging diploma ay ang alaala ng kung ano mang tulong o pagmamahal ang iniwan natin sa mundong pinangarap nating baguhin minsan.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is a Filipino, who lived in Manila in the 70’s (I get the impression that Bob Ong is in my generation), who had crossed the flooded streets of Manila, had tasted ice scramble and singkamas with bagoong, and had written F.L.A.M.E.S. at the back of his notebook. I enjoyed reading ABNKKBSNPLAKo because I laughed, lived, and cheered with Bob Ong’s personal journey.
Comments
Post a Comment