CHRISTINE S. BELLEN, Anvil Author for July 2007

In celebration of Philippine children's literature, especially commemorated this month via the National Children's Book Day, we are featuring CHRISTINE S. BELLEN, considered the contemporary authority on the well-loved children's stories of Lola Basyang. Christine studied the stories up close in university and continues to enjoy reading, researching on, and developing programs about them to this day. Besides writing and reading, she is also an avid swimmer and a fan of good food and great music. She was recently given the Gawad Plumang Asul by the Ateneo de Manila University and a Parish Youth Achievement Award by her parish in Malabon where she hails from.

Christine teaches Philippine Literature subjects and is the current OIC Chair of the Filipino Department at the Ateneo. She is the story consultant of the TV show Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang aired every Sunday on GMA-7. She is also very busy penning plays and books as well as writing conference papers to deliver here and abroad.

Anvil bugged her to answer several questions about Lola Basyang, her writing, and the lighter side of her hectic everyday.

ANVIL (A): Why did you choose Severino Reyes’s Lola Basyang as your thesis in college? Did your interest in Reyes’s stories start when you were still a child?
CHRISTINE S. BELLEN (CSB):
Interesado na ako sa mga kuwento ni Lola Basyang simula pa noong bata ako. Nung MA sa University of the Philippines (UP), gumawa ako ng paper on feminist reading sa mga babaeng tauhan ng mga kuwento. Sa MA thesis, dahil gusto kong mag-Panitikang Pambata, iminungkahi ni Prop. Luna Sicat-Cleto na ipagpatuloy ko ang paper ko sa klase ng tatay niyang si Rogelio Sicat dahil nagustuhan nito ang paper ko. Doon uli ako nagsimulang maging interesado para pag-aralan ang mga kuwento.

(I was always interested in the stories of Lola Basyang since I was a kid. When I was studying for my MA at the UP, I wrote a paper on feminist reading about the female characters in the stories. In my MA thesis, since I wanted to pursue Children’s Literature, Prof. Luna Sicat-Cleto advised me to expand my paper in one of the classes under her father, the late Rogelio Sicat, because he liked it. It was then that my interest for the stories was rekindled.)

A: Have you read all the 500-plus Lola Basyang stories?
CSB: Hindi ko pa natatapos basahin lahat. (No, I haven't read them all yet.)

A: How did you choose which stories to retell for the Ang Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang series?
CSB: Isang buong papel ito kaya iiklian ko na lang. Una, malay ako na ikukuwento ko ito para sa mga bata. Mula Grade 1-6 at picture-book format. Ikalawa, ipapakilala ko uli ang mga kuwento at mahalaga sila dahil klasiko kaya kailangan kong hindi maging masyadong radikal sa mga muling pagsasalaysay. Ibig sabihin, gusto ko pa ring ipakilala ang tono, hagod at paraan ng pagkukuwento ni Severino Reyes kaya naging maingat ako sa muling pagsasalaysay. Ikatlo, hindi nawala ang boses ng storyteller kaya makikita sa umpisa, gitna o minsan huli ng kuwento na may interbensyon pa rin ng tagapagkuwento. Sa orihinal kasi, nagsisimula lagi sa kuwento muna nina Lola Basyang at ng kanyang mga apo.

(I can write a full-length paper on this so I’ll make it short. First, I have always envisioned the stories as meant to be told to children. In my mind they are written for students in Grades 1–6, and in picture-book format. Second, I am to reintroduce the stories which are considered classics and make sure my retellings are not too radical. This means that I still want to show the original tone, rhythm, and style of storytelling by Severino Reyes, that’s why I was very careful in retelling the stories. Third, the storyteller’s voice was not lost that’s why a reader will still see the storyeteller’s intervention in the beginning, middle or end of every story. In the original, the main stories were always preceded by stories about Lola Basyang and her grandchildren.)

A: Which Lola Basyang character can you most identify with? Given a chance, is there any particular story from the collection you would wish to be in? CSB:
Nakaka-identify ako sa mga weird, malungkot, at ultra-romantic na mga tauhan pero dun sa mga tauhan na gusto kong maging, gusto ko pa rin ang happy ending.

(I can easily identify with weird, sad, and ultra-romantic characters, but of the characters I wish to be, I still want a happy ending for them.)

A: What kind and intensity of appeal do you think folk tales—like Lola Basyang’s—have to today’s generation of readers? Aren’t old stories too outdated for this age of high technology?
CSB: Kaya pa rin nitong taglayin ang mga usapin, siste at kuwento sa anumang panahon dahil karamihan nga rito ay pantasya kaya hindi problema na baka hindi na siya magugustuhang basahin sa kasalukuyan. May mga salita minsan na outdated at archaic pero hindi naman ito sagabal kung gusto mo talagang kilalanin ang mga kuwento. Maaari naman ding maiangkop na ito sa kasalukuyan sa pamamagitan ng muling pagsasalaysay.

(Folk tales can carry the issues, wit, and narratives prevalent in any period since most of them are in the fantasy mold. I see no problem with new generations not enjoying them. Of course there are outdated and archaic terms, but they are not major blocks, especially if a reader is committed in his/her reading of them. They can also be adapted to the present through retelling.)

A: How did you find the experience of being a consultant for the Lola Basyang television show? How is being a TV show consultant different from writing your own retellings for a book project and from writing for a play?
CSB: Sa akin nagmumula ang mga kuwento na ipalalabas sa TV linggu-linggo. Para rin itong storyline na isinasubmit ko, pero hindi ako ang nagsusulat ng script. Ngunit ang iba sa mga kuwento ay kailangan ko nang muling isalaysay para umangkop sa TV. Sila na lamang ang nagpapalaman sa plot, ang mga visual effects at dialogue. Marami rin akong natututunan sa mga writers ng Basyang tungkol sa paano nila bubuhayin ang mga kuwento sa TV. Sa aklat at play, ako ang nagsulat. Sa play, sumulat ako ng mga lyrics para awitin ng mga tauhan ng kuwento, kakaiba ring karanasan.

(The [Lola Basyang] stories shown on TV all come from me. I write the storylines but someone else writes the script. The difference is that I need to write them within the parameters of television [production]. The rest of the elements—revision of plot, visual effects, dialogue—are taken care of by the program’s pool of writers. I have learned a lot from the TV writers on how to make the stories come alive on TV. In books and plays, I write the texts myself. I even wrote the lyrics of songs for the characters in the play. It’s a different, exciting experience.)

A: Who are your favorite authors? Who or what are your major writing influences and inspiration?
CSB: Jose Rizal, Rene Villanueva, Gilda Cordero-Fernando, Tony Perez, Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, Bien Noriega, Rogelio Sicat, Jun Cruz Reyes, Roland Tolentino, Luna Sicat-Cleto, Rogelio Sicat, Danton Remoto, Vince Groyon, Alvin Yapan, F. Sionil Jose, Becky Bravo, Roald Dahl, Astrid Lindgren, Philip Pullman, Ursula Le Guin, Edgar Allan Poe, Tolkien, J.K. Rowlings, Babette Cole, Kevin Henkes, Karen Hesse, Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Pablo Neruda, Rilke, Arundhati Roy, Bulbul Sharma, Yasunari Kawabata, Salman Rushdie, Paolo Coelho, Gavin Menzie, Sam McBratney, Robert Munsch, marami pang iba na hindi ko maalala (a lot more I can’t remember now)…

Major writing influences: Astrid Lindgren, Rene Villanueva, Roald Dahl

A: Any memorable encounter with fans?
CSB: May isang bata na paborito niya ang mga aklat ko. Hindi siya makapaniwala na nakita niya ako ng personal tapos sabi niya sa nanay niya: "I thought she's old and dead!"

(There was this kid who loved my [Lola Basyang] books. He couldn’t believe it when he saw me in person. He turned to her mom and said, “I thought she’s old and dead!”)

A: Are we going to see more Lola Basyang stories in print in the near future? CSB: May 5 bagong picture books ngayong 2007 at may isinulat akong classroom plays ng Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.

(There will be 5 new picture books that Anvil will release this year. I have also just finished classroom plays on the Lola Basyang stories.)

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FAST FACTS: CHRISTINE S. BELLEN

Full Name: Christine Siu Bellen
Literary name: Christine S. Bellen
Nickname: Chris, Tin, Chin
Birthday: December 24
Works published by Anvil: • Ang Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang ni Severino Reyes (illustrated retellings of the stories of Lola Basyang):

• Ang Alamat ng Lamok
• Ang Binibining Tumalo sa Mahal na Hari
• Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin
• Ang Parusa ng Duwende
• Ang Plautin ni Periking
• Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon
• Ang Prinsipeng Duwag
• Ang Prinsipeng Mahaba ang Ilong
• Rosamistica
• Si Pandakotyong

• Ang Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang ni Severino Reyes (anthology/ student's pocket edition)

Other Works:
Picture books:

• Og Uhog (Lampara Books)
• Filemon Mamon (Adarna Books)

Illustrated anthology:

• Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (Tahanan Books)

Children's Plays by PETA:

• Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang
• Batang Rizal

Awards: • Honorable Mention, 2000 and 2004 PBBY Salanga Writers Prize • Special Citation, National Book Awards, Manila Critics Circle • Nominations, 2002 and 2004 National Book Awards, Manila Critics Circle • Award, 2006 Gawad Plumang Asul, Ateneo • Parish Youth Leader Achievement Award, Malabon parish

Grants: • Asia Pacific Youth Forum (Japan Foundation) • Barlaya Writing for Children Workshop • Kritika (De La Salle University) • PANULAT

Web Page: www.moonfairy.tk

Favorite Lines from a Book:
(CSB: Sa concern ko ngayon, ito ang paborito ko [Considering my current concerns, this is my favorite].) "Waiting is the most difficult part because it is hard to stay attentive all the time. But we must be calm and never take our eyes off the horizon." – Rama in the Ramayana

(CSB: Pakiramdam ko, lumalakas ako sa linyang ito, lagi [I feel that I always gain strength and empowered because of this line].) "May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks." – Gandalf in The Hobbit by Tolkien

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5 Random Questions for Christine S. Bellen

What literary character did/do you have a crush on?
Wala akong maalala kasi si Josh Groban lang talaga ang ultimate crush ko haha.
(I can’t think of anyone because Josh Groban is my ultimate crush.)

Name at least 3 books from your current personal reading list. Tinatapos ko ang (I’m reading) 1421 by Gavin Menzies; babasahin ko pa lang ang (I am about to read) The Scarecrow and His Servant by Philip Pullman, Invisible Lives by Anjalee Banarjee, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, and Prince of Ayodhya by Banker

What’s your fantasy pen name? Secret.
(Hey, no fair!)

Do you watch the film version of a book? Yes.

Do you remove the price stickers on purchased books? Minsan oo, minsan hindi. Basta hindi ko binabasa ang mga books ko kapag walang plastic cover. (Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. But I don’t read my books unless they’re covered in plastic wrap.)

Christine's photo: © by IRWIN CRUZ