Banaag at Sikat (Radiance and Sunrise)

'Remoto is one of Asia’s finest bilingual writers. In this book he renders Banaag at Sikat in a fluent and contemporary English that introduces this Tagalog classic to new generation of global readers.’-Dr Bienvenido Lumbera National Artist of the Philippines Winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature Asia’s Nobel Prize ‘Lush limpid and lean Danton Remoto is a stylist of the English language. Read him.’-Bernice Reubens winner of the Man Booker Prize for the novel The Elected Member  A TALE OF LOVE AND LOSS SET AGAINST THE RISING TIDE OF SOCIALISM IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF THE PHILIPPINES Lope K Santos’ novel Banaag at Sikat is a love story framed as a political tale. Published in 1906 it was later hailed as Asia’s first proletariat novel. It revolves around Delfin a poor man in love with Meni a capitalist’s daughter. Delfin is a socialist while Felipe his friend is an anarchist.  Delfin wants the citizens to have more rights in business and property relations. He believes that society could be changed through education.  On the other hand Felipe believes in tearing down society’s walls.  Factories should be owned by those who work there and land owned by those who till it. Banaag at Sikat mirrors the clash of forces during the American empire in the Philippines. Its burning passages on race class and colonialism still resonate today. Translated by ‘one of Asia’s best writers’ it is hoped that this modern rendering will inspire new readers to shape their lives so they ‘can help change the world’.