Revisiting a literary legacy

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IT ALWAYS began with narratives scribbled down on folded sheets of 8-1/2 by 11 paper, then typed out on a battered old typewriter, said Melissa “Mimi” Nolledo, describing how her father, writer Wilfrido D. Nolledo, worked. Now, 16 of the many short stories he created have become accessible to a new generation of readers and writers.

Re-published in a collection called Canticles for Dark Lovers by local press Exploding Galaxies, these stories represent Mr. Nolledo’s body of work between 1955 and 1971. After reprinting many forgotten Filipino classics — the publishing house specializes in out-of-print works by Filipino authors — this collection holds special meaning for Exploding Galaxies. Mr. Nolledo’s 1970 novel But for the Lovers was Exploding Galaxies’ first project, released in 2023.

Publisher Mara Coson explained at the May 9 launch that their goal was to focus on the acclaimed author’s writing in the 15 years leading up to But for the Lovers.

“We went over a year, with ‘Moratorium est finie’ originally published in 1971, but we noted it as key because it’s such a departure. He did something that was sci-fi,” she said.

“In this short story collection, you’ll discover a lot of characters that will stay with you,” Ms. Coson continued. “These are characters, or lovers, actually, who lust, who long to find something, and who, I guess, in a way, get so caught up in the hope and heartbreak that these Nolledo stories provide.”

At the launch held at WHYNoT in Karrivin Plaza, Makati, Mr. Nolledo’s writings were displayed in installations that evoked how they once appeared in vintage magazines, while visual timelines and old photos of the writer and his family provided context for his colorful life.

Up front was a portrait of Mr. Nolledo painted by his dear friend, artist Danilo Dalena, who later recounted memories they shared in a recorded video message. Toward the back of the space was a projector screening excerpts of films which Mr. Nolledo contributed to as a screenwriter.

Actors Pablo Fabregas and Miren Alvarez-Fabregas delivered readings of three of the short stories in the collection — “Moratorium est finie,” “Kayumanggi, Mon Amour,” and the titular “Canticle for Dark Lovers.” Sound artist Mudskipper elevated the prose with ambient sonic tracks to accompany the readings.

NOLLEDO FAN CLUB
For Exploding Galaxies managing editor Sam Marcelo, publishing Canticles soon after But for the Lovers is their way to grow a fan club of sorts.

“Canticles for Dark Lovers continues our commitment to growing the Nolledo fan club. During the launch of the short story collection, Krip Yuson riffed on how intoxicating Nolledo’s writing is and how it made a huge impact on him when he first read Nolledo when he was young,” she told ����ý via e-mail. “We hope to provide that same experience to today’s readers.”

To be more precise, in Mr. Yuson’s impromptu message at the launch, he talked about the legacy of “language writing” that he was impressed by, but which may or may not resonate with today’s readers.

“I wonder if the new generations will also abide by it… So-called ‘language writers’ were really looked down upon. There was always a danger with language writing because if you go over the edge, it becomes ‘purple prose,’” he said. “We’ll see if the new generation will think that this is ‘purple prose.’ I don’t think so. I still remain impressed and intoxicated by the prose of Ding Nolledo.”

Those who already read But for the Lovers may also find something of interest in the new collection’s first story, “Of Things Guadalupe,” which is actually an early version of the novel.

“That might add an extra layer of interest for those who are curious about the writing process and about form,” Ms. Marcelo said.

‘SOMETHING ALIVE’
Mr. Nolledo, born in 1933, was a celebrated novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter, and journalist. For Mimi Nolledo, who could only hear bits of his writing process at home, it remained a mystery to her for much of her life.

“When I think of Papa writing, what I hear first is the typewriter. Growing up, we would all hear it throughout our house on Champagne Street in Marikina — that staccato rhythm, trippingly like music, then moments when you could hear him as he quietly read passages aloud to himself,” she recalled. “Like he was checking for the cadence, the poetry, the heft and feel of a certain word, a certain syllable,” she said.

“Growing up inside that sound, I didn’t always understand what he was building. I just knew something alive was happening in that room. That’s the way literature is, I think. It happens in rooms we don’t fully enter until later,” she continued. “And then one day, we walk right in and there it is — a story, just waiting there for us. Literature is a kind of coming home.”

Canticles for Dark Lovers is available in Fully Booked, National Bookstore, and select bookstores including Everything’s Fine in Makati and Mt. Cloud Bookshop in Baguio, as well as in online marketplaces Shopee and Lazada. — Brontë H. Lacsamana