MANILA, Philippines — It's easy to think of this society as one that does not understand the value of a book.

After all, this is the generation that goes to sleep not with bedtime stories but with primetime teleseryes. This is the generation that knows of the movie adaptation first before the book. This is the generation whose imagination was honed not by novels of fantasy and adventure, but by internet memes and funny cat videos on Youtube.

But if we look back at the pages of the previous year, it would seem that things aren't as dire as we think. The world of Philippine letters had a great year in 2011, one that saw the restoration of old classics, publishing firsts here and abroad, and even visits from literary luminaries around the world who are now discovering the vibrant Philippine literary scene.

In this year-end report, the Students and Campuses Bulletin lists the top 10 book strories of 2011.

Restoration and display of 'Noli' and 'Fili' original manuscripts

As part of the 150th birth celebrations of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) put on display the original manuscripts of the “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo”, alongside other Rizal paraphernalia like letters, journals, and photographs. The NLP says that more than a thousand people came to view the artifacts, with some of them coming form the provinces.

However, the road to the exhibition was anything but smooth. Because of the state of the manuscripts – the “Noli” had broken areas and missing parts on the cover and side, while the “Fili” had loose pages and tears in the binding – the artifacts had to undergo a restoration that would begin in 2008 and culminate with the visit of two German conservators early in 2011.

'Noli' goes bilingual

The “Noli Me Tangere” has been translated many times over since the 1900s.

It has taken on many forms since it was first published in 1887 – from the 1912 Charles Derbyshire English translation, to the works of local writers Maria Soledad Locsion and National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario, to the Harold Augenbraum translat ion published by the Penguin Classics line a few years ago.

However, the “Noli” has never been published in its original Spanish language here in the country. This situation was quickly amended with the release of the first bilingual edition of the “Noli Me Tangere”.

The work features the original Spanish text alongside the derbyshire translation.

The end product was the result of two years of hard work put in by Spanish philologist Isaac Donoso, who pored over the original manuscripts kept inside the National Library to reflect as closely as possible the will of Rizal. Donoso’s work on “El Filibusterismo” is tentatively set to be published on June of this year.

Goodbye to literary greats

The past year saw the passing of two literary giants and National Artists – former Education Secretary Alejandro Roces and respected literary critic Edith Tiempo.

Roces passed away last May 23 due to complications from pneumonia. Aside from being a former Department of Education Secretary, Roces was also instrumental in recovering the original manuscripts of Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere”, “El Filibusterismo”, and the “Mi Ultimo Adios” when the artifacts were stolen from the National Library in 1961.

Tiempo, regarded as one of the finest Filipino writers in English, succumbed to a heart attack on August 21.

Tiempo, alongside her late husband Edilberto K. Tiempo, founded and directed the Silliman National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City, and is lovingly referred to by some of the country’s best writers as “Mommy Edith”.

Victory for LIRA

Established in 1985 by National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario, the Linangan ng Retorika, Imahen, at Anyo (LIRA) became the first literary organization to win one of the spots during last year’s search for the country’s Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO).

The group was feted for its project called “The LIRA Literature and Language Education Program”, a volunteer program that aims to foster the growth of the country’s literature and culture, with an emphasis on the teaching of Philippine poetry.

Current LIRA president Philip Kimpo Jr., hopes that the group’s historic win also inspires other youth organizations: “I want other youth organizations, especially literary ones, to realize that art has many other purposes. There are a lot of things that they can do.”

The amazing journey of Samantha Sotto

It sounds just like the kind of story that would end with a “happily ever after” — a housewife, with nothing to do while waiting for her son to come out of school, is inspired to write a novel. Over the course of a year, on the same table and in the same coffeehouse, she works religiously on her novel until it’s done.

Once she’s finished, she takes a chance and sends it to literary agents, and within six months, not only does she get an agent, but also a publishing deal with Random House, one of the biggest publishing houses in the world.

What makes this story even more extraordinary is the fact that it happened to 38-year-old Filipino and first time author Samantha Sotto. Sotto is arguably the first Filipino to snag a publishing deal with a big American publisher without being a Filipino- American, an expatriate, or a literary award winner.

'Elmer,' the chicken, conquers the world

While casual comic book fans may be more familiar with Gerry Alanguilan’s work as an inker for such iconic Marvel Comics titles like the “X-Men”, “Wolverine”, and “Fantastic Four”, the veteran comic book writer and artist actually spent the past year being feted for his own original work.

The graphic novel “Elmer”, what Alanguilan refers to as his “ultimate chicken story”, was awarded as the Best Asian Comic published in France at the Prix Asie-ACBD 2011. Aside from that, the work was also nominated for an Eisner Award, the top accolade given to a comic book in the American publishing scene.

“Elmer”, first released locally in four volumes over the stretch of 2006 to 2008, and eventually anthologized, tells the story of a world where chickens have become sentient and are now fighting for equal rights with humans

Pulitzer Prize winners visit Phl

The past year has been a good one for fans of foreign literature as well, as more than half a dozen foreign authors came to visit the country. Two of those were Pulitzer Prize winners Junot Diaz and Edward P. Jones.

Both authors were in the country to participate in the 2nd Manila International Literary Festival, which was held at the Ayala Museum late last year. Diaz won the Pulitzer in 2007 for his novel, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”, while Jones was given the honor in 2003 for his novel, “The Known World”.

Diaz, who was visiting the country for the first time, noted the similarities the Philippines had with the Dominican Republic, his home country, and expressed a desire to return should the opportunity present itself once again: “I’ve been waiting to come to Manila since I moved to New Jersey. I grew up with Filipinos, f**king Pinoys are crazy! I’m going to come back I’ll tell you that. I want to f**king come back! It’s bananas!”

Bestselling authors Nicholas Sparks and Lauren Kate meet fans

Both Nicholas Sparks and Lauren Kate have seen their books chart on the New York Times Bestseller list, and Filipino fans got to shake hands and get their books signed by both authors last year.

Sparks, who was here in the country for the first time, was given a welcome worthy of a rock star, with thousands of adoring fans welcoming him at book signings held at the Podium and at the Powerbooks in Greenbelt.

The response was equally as warm for Kate, who was here in the country for a second time as part of the signing tour for “Passion”, the third book in her “Fallen” series. Kate reveals Filipinos left such a strong impression on her that she can pick them out from a crowd!

“When I was in Singapore, there was a long line of Singaporean fans, and there were these two people who came up and I could tell from the way they were walking and the way they were talking that they were Filipino!” she reveals with a laugh.

US authors make PHL part of their world

Ask any Filipino expatriate about the presence of the Philippines on the world’s bookshelves – whether through the works of our own authors or those of foreigners – and they’ll be sure to tell you that we’re not as visible as one would like. But authors like John Sayles and Alexander Yates are slowly tipping those scales.

Sayles was here in the country to promote “A Moment in the Sun”, a 955-page tome that covers five years of America’s history and delves into the shared history that the Philippines has with its former colonial master. Sayles even wrote and directed the film “Amigo”, which itself grew from one of the characters in “A Moment in the Sun”.

For Yates, being in Manila to promote his debut novel “Moondogs” was coming back to his “hometown”, as the first time novelist spent his teen years here. In “Moondogs”, superpowered policemen, bumbling tourists, and an evil rooster all move around a Manila that is immediately recognizable to anybody who has grown up in this fascinating and frustrating city.

Book fair, litfest reap success

If there’s any better proof that the Philippines is still a country of readers, one just needs to look at the two biggest book events of the year: the Manila International Book Fair and the Manila International Literary Festival.

Already on its 32nd year, the Manila International Book Fair showed no signs of slowing down last year, as it continued to draw big names and blockbuster crowds. Thousands of bibliophiles were able to rub shoulders with authors like Alexander Yates, Samantha Sotto.

Even British young adult author Rachel Ward dropped by via video chat, answering questions from Filipino fans.

Only on its second year but already able to draw names like those of Junot Diaz and Edward P. Jones, the Manila International Literary Festival continues to make itself an eagerly anticipated event among local book lovers. With talks from such respected Filipino authors such as Krip Yuson, Charlson Ong, and Butch Dalisay, it’s not hard to see why lovers of literature often pencil in this event on their calendars.