Madrigal-Gonzalez book prize goes to 'Bugtong ng Buwan' 

A fascination with fairy tales, fantasy literature, and tarot imagery paid off for University of the Philippines Filipino professor Will F. Ortiz when she was named winner of the 12th Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award last Friday.

 

Ortiz accepted the award for her book “Bugtong ng Buwan” (UP Press), at a ceremony held at the Asian Center inside the UP campus in Diliman. 

 

The prize, conferred by the Likhaan: Institute of Creative Writing and the Madrigal-Gonzalez family, honors the first published book by an author in English or Filipino. 

 

This year, the prize was conferred for the best book in Filipino published in the years 2010-11. 

 

Ortiz told GMA News Online that “Bugtong ng Buwan,” aimed for children, was based on her fascination with both fairy tales and fantasy literature as a child, and also her current fascination with the imagery of the tarot. In particular, she remembered reading the work of the Scottish fairy tale and fantasy book author and theologian George MacDonald, whose work also inspired the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and Madeleine L'Engle. Presently she is working on a book of critical essays on children's literature in the Philippines. 

 

When asked whether there is still a gap in the literary understanding of children's literature, she answered, “Malaki, kasi sa ngayon marginalized ang children's literature.” 

 

She added that this treatment is not particular to the Philippines but is a much wider phenomenon. “Kaya kinakailangan ng mga sanaysay na kritikal ukol sa mga akdang pambata,” Ortiz said.

 

Other nominees included the book of poems “At Sa Tahanan ng Alabok” by Louie Jon Sanchez, the published play “Miss Dulce Extranjera o ang Paghahanap kay Ms. B” by Sir Anril Pineda Tiatco, and the poetry collections “Corpus” by Carlos Piocos, “Lagalag ng Paglaya” by Rommel Rodriguez, and “Dalawang Pulgada at Tubig” by Emmanuel Velasco. The conferral was preceded by a forum in which the authors discussed their work, their influences, and possible future projects.

 

The prize was given before the traditional UP Writer's Night, an annual gathering of writers that features music, food, and conversation. 

 

Winners of the prize receive P50,000, making it one of the most valuable awards in Philippine literature. 

 

Next year's awards will be for a book in English, organizers said. —KG, GMA News