EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC
OF THE PHILIPPINES


SEOUL REPUBLIC OF KOREA

news

AWARD-WINNING FILIPINO WRITER HOLDS READING AT SENTRO RIZAL SEOUL


Award-winning Filipino writer Jose "Butch" Dalisay, Jr. reads excerpts of his works at a well-attended public lecture held at Sentro Rizal Seoul in the Philippine Embassy Chancery on Sunday, 5 June 2016.

SEOUL, 5 June 2016 - Award-winning Filipino writer Jose "Butch" Dalisay, Jr. read excerpts of his works and took in questions at a well-attended public lecture held at Sentro Rizal Seoul in the Philippine Embassy Chancery on Sunday, 5 June 2016.

Prof. Dalisay, who was in the country partly to deliver a lecture before Korean literature professors at the state-run Seoul National University on Saturday, 4th of June, read to a mixed crowd of 40 mostly fellow Filipinos an excerpt from his 1992 novel, "Killing Time in a Warm Place," as well as three pieces from his regular Philippine Star column, "Penman".

In "Mausoleum in Romblon," he recounted a semi-autobiographical story about manananggal (disembodied vampires in Philippine folklore) he encountered on a visit to his grandfather's tomb. In "Goodwill to Filipinos," a column he wrote for Christmas in 1996, he told of a true-to-life story about Miss Maria Clara of Lower Manhattan and Filipinos' passion for beauty contests.

His last two readings involved sartorial mishaps. In "Zipless in Africa," he read his 2002 account of how he survived a missing zipper pull before touching down in Johannesburg for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. In "Bad-Hair Day," he told of his hair-raising experience visiting the Blue Room, the sanctum of Volkswagen executives in its HQ in Wolfsburg, as VP for Public Affairs of the University of the Philippines in Diliman in 2008.

During the open forum, Prof. Dalisay fielded questions on myriad topics, such as the Filipino identity, repatriates, children's books, creative non-fiction, and the country's social classes.

Asked about contemporary Filipino literature, the writer said, notwithstanding the relative increase in the number of Filipino authors in the international publishing scene, that Filipinos do not write enough novels. He also predicted that the Great Filipino Novel, if one were to achieve universal acclaim, would be one written in an indigenous Filipino language translated into English.

"It is a privilege to have Prof. Dalisay speak before our community on the second event organized by Sentro Rizal Seoul following its establishment in March this year," Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez said in remarks concluding the two-hour afternoon interaction, which closed with merienda (snacks).

Dr. Dalisay, a full-time professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines, has won various awards and prizes for his fiction, poetry, drama, nonfiction, and screenplays, including 16 Palanca Awards. The Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature are known as the "Pulitzer Prize of the Philippines" in terms of prestige.

He has authored more than 20 books mainly in the English language since 1984. His novel Soledad's Sister was shortlisted for the inaugural Man Asian Literary Prize in 2007.

Other News


July 15, 2025
THE NIGHTINGALES PERFORM AT PH INDEPENDENCE DAY RECEPTION AND CONDUCT VOCAL WORKSHOP IN SEOUL

Seoul, 07 July 2025 - The internationally acclaimed soprano duo The Nightingales captivated guests with a stellar performance during the National Day Reception in celebration of the 127th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and 76 Years of Philippines-Korea Relations at the Grand Ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul on 23 June 2025.

Read More
July 07, 2025
PHILIPPINES CALLS FOR STRONGER EAST ASIA-LATIN AMERICA BI-REGIONAL COOPERATION

SEOUL, 11-12 JUNE 2025 —The 15th FEALAC Cyber Secretariat Workshop and related Meetings, under the theme “FEALAC's Vision for Reinvigorating Cooperation between East Asia and Latin America,” was successfully held from 11-12 June 2025 in Seoul, Korea.

Read More
July 07, 2025
PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN SEOUL JOINS FINANCIAL LITERACY SESSION ON RETAIL TREASURY BONDS FOR OFWS

Seoul, 06 July 2025 – The Philippine Embassy in Seoul participated in the Online Financial Literacy Session on Retail Treasury Bonds (RTBs) organized by the Philippine Government through the Bureau of the Treasury. The event aimed to educate overseas Filipinos on the benefits of investing in government securities as a secure and impactful way to grow their savings. Along with Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Edwin Gil Mendoza, members of the Filipino Community in Korea joined the session. 

Read More