Magical realism mystery tour

The Christmas break enabled me to catch up on my reading. From unfinished e-books to physical books, the much-needed pause has again rekindled the reading momentum after a stressful gift-giving and the dread of going outside as if there is no more pandemic.

This hiatus of two weeks from checking modules and calling parents and pupils checking on their condition and answering questions is a welcome distraction from the current blended learning set up.

First in line is finishing the “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness,” a book by Nobel Prize winner in economics Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein. Well, it did not make me any healthier, wealthier, nor happier. Rather outdated, but still a bit useful in reminding oneself about making wise choices in life. At least, I finished the book I began reading about two/three months ago.

Next is another book, “The Castle in the Forest” by Norman Mailer. His thesis of Hitler’s incestuous origin and naughty wit would catch one’s interest at first but later would end weakly as the book is simply about that—nothing more, nothing less.

Another unfinished physical book is “Under the Frog” by Tibor Fischer. It is about Hungary’s history until before the revolution of 1956. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1993, this tragi-comic narrative confronts their uncomfortable experience both with the Germans and the Russians.

Later, I would search my ebook collection of Mario Vargas Llosa as I began to whet my reading appetite. I was introduced to him through “Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter” a long time ago. It was a used book priced at P20 in the early 2000s. Later, reading “Para Kay B” by Ricky Lee reminded me of the same technique à la Honoré Balzac with the narrator entering the story line seamlessly and becoming one of the protagonists.

Why does Vargas Llosa have this special affinity to my personal life? In 2013, after I finished “In Praise of the Stepmother,” I had a vehicular accident, and in 2014, I got separated after reading “The Bad Girl.” This time while choosing what novel to read after the above titles, I came across his review of “Les Miserables” in “The Temptation of the Impossible.” Thus, would I read the Victor Hugo classic which as we all know is more famous as a Broadway musical. This time love blooms again and I hope will triumph like the tenacity of the human spirit in the novel.

It is however impossible not to ruminate on Vargas Llosa given the current political situation. As we know, he is a Filipino by affinity and even visited the Philippines with his wife Isabel Preysler a few years back. Which led me to James Harding’s “Alpha Dogs.” The book details how Sawyer Miller Group helped clients in the art of political spin.

Who can ever forget the homerun speech of Cory Aquino in the joint session of the US Congress (were the bases truly loaded?). It narrated how they transformed the dejado underdog campaign of the opposition in 1985-1986 into Marcos fleeing and democracy and freedom of expression restored, and later lobbying the US Congress for both military and economic aid. Those were the halcyon days of post Edsa ’86.

We created the template for peaceful transfer of power from tyranny to democracy. Poland and Solidarity of Lech Walesa, Romania (though they executed Ceausescu husband and wife), François Duvalier’s Haiti, Václav Havel’s Velvet Revolution of Czechoslovakia, Hungary in 1989, Tiananmen Square in Beijing to name a few. While these so called “bloodless revolts” did not immediately translate to economic prosperity for most, the return to freedom is a welcome breath of fresh air. We have shown the world that there is no need for violence to get rid of dictatorship.

Cory, Cardinal Sin, Jovy Salonga, Butz Aquino, Doy Laurel, Joker Arroyo, and Teodoro “Teddy Man” Benigno are long gone. Teddy Boy Locsin is currently foreign secretary. Rene Saguisag, while ailing, would still snipe at President Duterte from time to time in his The Manila Times column. Jojo Binay is making a Senate comeback after that disastrous presidential run in 2016. FVR is ill; JPE is still alive and kicking. Marcos Sr. is now interred in Libingan ng mga Bayani, and Imelda is a part of Uniteam and her scions are all making a political comeback. Well, this is not surprising given our predisposition to magical realism. And I haven’t mentioned how our lives parallel the characters of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende, Eduardo Galeano, Roberto Bolaño, Julio Cortázar, Julia Alvarez, Junot Díaz, Ninotchka Rosca etc., yet.

It also recounted the group’s first truly tragic loss in Vargas Llosa squandering a highly insurmountable 50-point lead to Alberto Fujimori in Peru’s elections circa 1989. Their post mortem analysis is now a classic of what not to do during election campaigns. This time, will history repeat itself?

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Danilo G. Benueza turned 61 last November. He served with the Department of Education for 19 years, and in between was an OFW and a writing consultant. He has returned to teaching.