Ukay-Ukay

Foreword

ForewordWHENEVER I see a new story by Maria Carmen “Menchu” Aquino Sarmiento in the magazines, I always read it knowing that I will not be disappointed. She writes with such elegance, precision and wit—it is a pity that she has not yet channeled this felicitous talent into a project more demanding than short fiction—a novel. But I know I will not be disappointed because she is working on one right now. In the meantime, this precious collection of short fiction. In this work, she displays that brilliant reach which makes her such a pleasure to read. The first story is a take-off on that famous Ilokano from Binalonan, Pangasinan, Carlos or Allos Bulosan. It is a delicious morsel, with just about enough spicy humor and élan to make the reader want to read the real Bulosan.

Personally, I think Menchu has written a much better read than any of those stories in that Bulosan collection. “The Laughter of my Father.” It is, after all, his “America is in the Heart” which redeems him. Menchu has mastered the portrayal of character; she illustrates this enviable talent in the longer story, “Marita Pangan.” I am not going to reveal the plot in this blurb—I will leave that unalloyed joy of discovery to the reader. With such deft strokes, her characters are drawn so vividly, their lives imagined so well, it would seem they leap out of the page to confront us and convince us they are, indeed, real. And then, when we think we know how they will act out their fates, they do something unusual yet plausible, thus leaving us not so much in confusion but in wonder. Such is the skill of Menchu Sarmiento, the writer; she brings to our literature a vividness and freshness fructified from profound thinking then translated into bright and most readable prose.

F. Sionil Jose

National Artist for Literature