Para Kay B (by Ricky Lee)

My high school year book would attest to the fact that my friends (Cha, Tin) and I could rival National Bookstore when it comes to the sheer volume of books we have in our home libraries. Growing up, I prided myself in being a well-read person. It wasn’t until I took up CL310 at the College of Arts and Letters (in UP Diliman) that I realized…my extensive collection contained mostly Western titles. I only own two titles by Filipino authors: The Woman Who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin and an autographed copy of Si Tatang at mga Himala ng Ating Panahon by Ricky Lee, which, I am ashamed to admit, I haven’t even read. (I didn’t want to mar its beautiful exterior; it’s an autographed copy!) Of course, I know Ricky Lee, the scriptwriter. Who doesn’t? I did not know Ricky Lee, the novelist. One day, I found myself walking down Power Book’s aisle of Philippine Literature. I don’t know what came over me — perhaps the realization that I knew very little about Philippine Literature — but I bought Para Kay B: O Kung Paano Dinevastate ng Pag-Ibig ang 4 out of 5 sa Atin and Soledad Reyes’ From Darna to Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Desire and Fantasy. Essays on Literature and Popular Culture. I’m saving the latter for later — when I’m about to do my dissertation. The former, well, I read voraciously. Para Kay B is a compilation of five short stories. Love stories, specifically, and each is just as painful yet as riveting as the next. Ricky Lee tells the tale of five different girls with a wit so refreshing that it belies the tragedies in their respective relationships. Only one of these girls will achieve happiness. Wondering who it is almost guarantees to keep a reader in suspense. I have never read Taglish literature before, but Ricky Lee had intertwined English and Tagalog so expertly that a reader won’t be able to help getting sucked into his world. Everything is vivid. His characters are brave, unique, seriously flawed and lovable all at the same time. Truly an artist, his words transcend any medium — be they on film or in print.
[A]ng great love mo hindi mo makakatuluyan. Ang makakatuluyan mo ay ang correct love. (p. 103)

3 Comments

  1. Andy Uyboco

    August 17, 2010 at 1:59 am

    I used to detest Taglish with a snobbish “Arneo” (Ateneo) air. When I read Ricky Lee's Scriptwriting Manual – Trip to Quiapo a decade ago, I found that I totally enjoyed it – even if I found no practical use for it since I wasn't writing scripts for TV.

    But his Taglish is just SO GOOD and thanks to him, I've grown less judgmental and more appreciative of it.

    Since we're on the topic, pwede mag-plug? šŸ˜€

    In case you guys want to brush up on your English, click on my latest creation:

    http://talktellteach.com

  2. skysenshi

    August 17, 2010 at 5:23 am

    LOL! Ok lang mag-plug. I noticed that you have a new site nga. Hopefully you don't get burned out. I'm brewing another site, too. Haha! One that's totally concentrated on the arts lang talaga.

    Yeah! His Taglish is so goooooood! He has many winning lines!

  3. Dionisio Santos

    July 18, 2012 at 2:48 pm

    I Love that book, it was given to me as a gift šŸ™‚

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