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| Quotes about Oscar Peñaranda's works: |
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Congratulations. You have a masterpiece there. It derives from a provenance unknown in PI letters and perhaps, in the world's literature itself. His control of three cultures and their languages gives the story[ies] a depth and space heretofore unexplored. Its focus being on the central character rather than on historical material, supplies the depth; the revolution and the Philippine American War. Memory, though, is the subject here, let the reader not be misled. The central character's remembrance is an echo of that which the other characters might have had, had their history been less dislocated. This dislocation, in any case, is more typical of the society depicted than that of the characters. This is where the dimension of Oscar's art seem directed; at eliciting the reader's feeling than his own remembrance...His "[The] Courier" becomes thus, our awareness of history and its remnants, such as they are, scattered about the world, dazed and uncertain about the future, but essentially salvageable from whatever ill it might offer... N.V.M. Gonzalez' post to Russell Leong, UCLA's Amerasia Journal editor, 7/12/99 In the tradition of Carlos Bulosan and N.V.M. Gonzalez, this much anticipated collection of stories by the Bay Area writer and teacher Oscar Peñranda makes a valuable contribution to the rich, complex, growing body of Philippine American literature. Jessica Hagedorn author of Dogeaters, Dream Jungle This book of poetry by Oscar Peñaranda has long been awaited. It's a marvelous and touching collection of work by a poet who has been at the forefront of Filipino and Asian American writing, activism, and culture for decades. He has lived the life, and his words give us full proof of the struggles and yearnings of Filipinos in America. Jean Vengua, poet/writer Peñaranda's poems, like his stories, are lyrical testimonials of what is, what isn't, and an intense longing for what can never be. His voice is mature and sensitive, lamenting, yet sure. His experience of laboring in the fields of California and in the Alaskan canneries provide him deep respect for the first generations of Pinoys and Pinays who paved the path before him. folowing in the footsteps of Carlos Bulosan, Peñaranda gives witness to the struggle of daily life with dignity and compassion. Jeff Tagami, poet and author of October Light Writing for over thirty years, Peñaranda has already established his place as an important California writer. This collection of stories, many of them celebrating the Filipino's existence in America, has been a long time coming. His portraits of Filipino life are imbued with the harsh realities of the manongs' survival and are masterfully rendered. More important, his beautifully-told stories which take place in the islands, are legacies that provide a link for the descendants of the Filipino diaspora. Shirley Ancheta, writer and Instructor U.C. Santa Cruz Oscar Peñaranda is one of the original voices that defined and developed Pilipino, Philipine American, Asian American, and Third World literature. As a storyteller, poet, and educator, his presentations in English, Taglish, and Ameripino are well documented in publications and films. Not bad for a Waray speaker thousands of miles away from his birthplace of Barugo, Leyte. His travels and (mis) adventures all contribute to the richness, colors, and flavors of his storytelling and written works. Orvy Jundis, fountainhead, poet, community worker and martial artist Read Excerpts ^TOP^ |
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