''Po-on A Novel'' is a novel written by

Francisco Sionil José Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco (name), Paco". Francis of Assisi, San Francisco de Asís was known as '' ...

, a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

English-language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to t ...

writer. This is the original title when it was first published in the Philippines in the English language. In the United States, it was published under the title ''Dusk: A Novel''. For this novel's translation into

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

, the title ''Po-on Isang Nobela'' – a direct translation of ''Po-on A Novel'' - was adopted.Jose, F. Sionil (Francisco Sionil) 1924-present, Spirit and Literature, Manoa - Volume 18, Number 1, 2006, pp. 51-57, University of Hawai'i Press, Project MUSE, Muse.jhu.edu (undated)
retrieved on April 17, 2008Editorial Reviews, Amazon.com
retrieved on: April 17, 2008Overview (Synopsis) and Editorial Review
, Barnes & Noble, Barnes&Noble.com, retrieved on: April 17, 2008"Dusk", About this Book
, Random House, Inc., RandomHouse.ca, retrieved on: April 17, 2008Publishers Weekly, Amazon.com
retrieved on: April 17, 2008
A book review about F. Sionil Jose's Dusk, New York: The Modern Library. 323 pp., The New York Times, NYTimes.com, August 2, 1998
New York: The Modern Library. 323 pp., The New York Times, NYTimes.com, August 2, 1998

Description

''Po-on A Novel'' is the beginning of the book -called '' Rosales Saga'' of F. Sionil José – a series of novels about

Rosales, Pangasinan Rosales, officially the Municipality of Rosales ( pag, Baley na Rosales; ilo, Ili ti Rosales; tgl, Bayan ng Rosales), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The ''Rosales Saga'' has five parts, all of them individual but interrelated novels, composed namely of the following titles in terms of historical chronology: ''Po-on'', ''

Tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

'', ''

My Brother, My Executioner ''My Brother, My Executioner'' is a novel by Filipino author Francisco Sionil José written in Philippine English. A part of the Rosales Saga - a series of five interconnected fiction novels - ''My Brother, My Executioner'' ranks third in terms ...

'', ''

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...

'', and ''

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...

''. Among José's five-part novel series, the ''Rosales Saga'', "Po-on" was the last to be written and published but the first in terms of story-telling chronology.BEST SELLERS: August 9, 1998
And Bear in Mind (Editors' choices of other recent books of particular interest), Dusk by F. Sionil Jose (Modern Library), "A microhistorical novel in which the author, focusing on the trials of a single family, educates the reader in Philippine history and in how the people of that country see themselves," The New York Times, NYTimes.com, August 9, 1998
Dusk by F. Sionil Jose. (Modern Library), "A microhistorical novel in which the author, focusing on the trials of a single family, educates the reader in Philippine history and in how the people of that country see themselves." In ''Po-on'' begins the narration of the experiences of one generation of the ''Salvador'' family (later changed to "''Samson''" to avoid being hunted by the

Guardia Civil The Civil Guard ( es, Guardia Civil, link=no; ) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the a ...

), through ''Eustaqio "Istak" Samson'', a farmer who joined the fleeing Ilokanos known as the ''mal vivir'' or "''agraviados''". The peasant family reluctantly left their original hometown to escape further oppression and persecution from the colonial authorities. Their journey leads them to a new place at

, under the care of the wealthy ''

mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though thei ...

'' named Don Jacinto, who despite owning large tracts of land, supports his fellow countrymen and indios in their plight. The novelist discusses the life and the origins of this family while embellished with the historical background of the Philippines during the late 1880s up to the early 1990s.

Historical background

Alive in the novel were the concepts and the events that emanated during peacetime and wartime; even the status of the poor and the affluent, of the privileged and the powerful, and of those who have privileges, freedoms, and rights. During Istak's time during the final days of the 1800s, when Spain lost control of the Philippines, the bliss in Istak's heart when the

Philippine Republic The term "Philippine Republic" or "Republic of the Philippines" refers to a succession of republics during and after the Philippine Revolution in the Philippines. The current government of the Philippines recognizes five "Philippine republics" in ...

finally achieved

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the s ...

was just for a brief moment. Because that liberation was only short-lived: the ruling Spaniards were only replaced by a new group of strangers from a continent called the United States of America. This

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

transition occurred after the Spaniards were defeated by the Americans] during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cl ...

. In ''Po-on A Novel'', José revisited these mutual chapters in both American and Philippine histories, together with the presentation of their social and psychological effects to the Philippine citizenry who had been under foreign occupiers from one time followed by another.

Plot summary

The events in ''Poon A Novel'' happened from 1880s to early 1900s, when an Ilocano family abandoned their beloved ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish word that means " quarter" or " neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residential, commercial, industrial, etc.), social, a ...

'' in order to overcome the challenges to their survival in southern

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its c ...

in the Philippines, and also to flee from the cruelty they received from the Spaniards. One of the principal characters of the novel is ''Eustaquio Salvador'', a Filipino from the Ilocano stock who was fluent in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

, a talent he inherited from the teachings of an old parish priest named Jose Leon in

Cabugao Cabugao, officially the Municipality of Cabugao ( ilo, Ili ti Cabugao; fil, Bayan ng Cabugao), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 38,884 people. Etymol ...

. He was an

acolyte An acolyte is an assistant or follower assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession. In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone performing ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In others, the term is used f ...

aspiring to become a priest. He was also knowledgeable in the arts of traditional medicine. The only hindrance to his goal of becoming a full-fledged priest was his racial origins. He lived in a period in

Philippine history Earliest hominin activity in the Philippine archipelago is dated back to at least 709,000 years ago. '' Homo luzonensis'', a species of archaic humans, was present on the island of Luzon at least 67,000 years ago. The earliest known anatomically ...

when a possible Filipino uprising against the

Spanish government gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua , image = , caption = Logo of the Government of Spain , headerstyle = background-color: #efefef , label1 = Role , data1 = Executive power , label2 = Established , da ...

was about to erupt, a time after the execution of three

mestizos (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though thei ...

, namely Mariano Gomez,

José Apolonio Burgos José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

, and

Jacinto Zamora Jacinto Zamora y del Rosario (14 August 1835 – 17 February 1872) was a Filipino Catholic priest, part of the Gomburza, a trio of priests who were falsely accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th cen ...

(or the ''

Gomburza Gomburza, alternatively stylized as GOMBURZA or GomBurZa, refers to three Filipino Catholic priests, Mariano Gomez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, who were executed by garrote on February 17, 1872, in Bagumbayan, Philippines by Spanish c ...

'', an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in '' NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, a ...

for the three) at the erstwhile known ''Cavite'' (which is then renamed to Bagumbayan; now known as

Rizal Park Rizal Park ( fil, Liwasang Rizal, es, link=no, Parque Rizal), also known as Luneta Park or simply Luneta, is a historic urban park located in Ermita, Manila. It is considered one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines, covering an are ...

) on February 17, 1872. There were signs that a revolution will happen, despite the lack of unity among the inhabitants of the Philippines islands at the time, as ''pampangueños'' generally sided with the enemy. Another approaching occurrence was the help the Filipinos would be receiving from the Americans in finally removing the governing Spaniards from the

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

after three hundred years. The novel recreates the societal struggles in which the characters of ''Po-on'' were situated, which includes the protagonist ''Istaks personal search for life's meaning and for the true face of his beliefs at principles. Throughout this personal journey, he was accompanied by a dignity that is his alone. He was assigned the task of delivering a message to President

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippin ...

, the leader of the Philippine revolutionaries, but died at the hands of American soldiers

fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

at the

Tirad Pass Mount Tirad is a mountain peak near Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, Philippines. It ranks as the 3rd highest mountain in Ilocos Sur and the 446th highest mountain in the Philippines. Tirad Pass on the mountain holds a significant place in Philippine his ...

, inevitably unable to recount the contents of the letter to Aguinaldo.

Reviews and analysis

''Po-on'' the novel is only one part of F. Sionil José's ''Rosales Saga'', the historical epic narrative composed of four other novels considered by the Filipino poet and

literary critic Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

Ricaredo Demetillo Ricaredo Demetillo (June 2, 1919 or 1920 – 1998) was a Filipino essayist, poet, and playwright. Demetillo was one of the most important and prolific literary figures in the Philippines during the Twentieth Century and has won numerous awards for h ...

as "the first great Filipino novels written in English." Specifically, ''Po-on'' had been described by

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Ger ...

as a work of fiction which is "more than" the character of a "historical novel", a book with "extraordinary scope and passion" that is "meaningful to Philippine literature." a book as meaningful to Philippine literature as '' One Hundred Years of Solitude'' is to

Latin American literature Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous languages of the Americas. It rose to particular prominence globally during t ...

. ''One Hundred Years of Solitude'' is the masterpiece of Latin America's Colombian novelist

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one ...

.About this book and Backcover details, Amazon.com
/ref>

Frank Gibney Frank Bray Gibney (September 21, 1924 – April 9, 2006) was an American journalist, editor, writer and scholar. He learned Japanese while in the American Navy during World War II, then was stationed in Japan. As a journalist in Tokyo, he wrote '' ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described the story-telling in José's ''Rosales Saga'' as being similar to the tradition and style found in the ''

U.S.A. trilogy The ''U.S.A.'' trilogy is a series of three novels by American writer John Dos Passos, comprising the novels ''The 42nd Parallel'' (1930), ''1919'' ( 1932) and ''The Big Money'' (1936). The books were first published together in a volume titled ...

'' by the American novelist

John Dos Passos John Roderigo Dos Passos (; January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) was an American novelist, most notable for his ''U.S.A.'' trilogy. Born in Chicago, Dos Passos graduated from Harvard College in 1916. He traveled widely as a young man, visit ...

Notes

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

Articles and Reviews about F. Sionil José's Dusk A Novel (Po-on)
"Everybody's Colony" by Frank Gibney, "Best Sellers: August 9, 1998," and "Notable Books of 1998," The New York Times, NYTIMES.com

The New York Times, NYTimes.com, December 6, 1998
Supnet Macansantos, Priscilla. "Rosales, Pangasinan, reclaims F. Sionil Jose,"
Lifestyle, Inquirer, Inquirer.net, April 23, 2007

* ttp://www.alexmaskara.com/f_sioniljose.html Review of Dusk, the resilience of a Pinoy called Istak of Poon, Alex Maskara Pinoy, AlexMaskara.com (undated)

External links

Book cover for and page excerpts from ''Dusk A Novel''
by

F. Sionil José Francisco Sionil José (December 3, 1924 – January 6, 2022) was a Filipino writer who was one of the most widely read in the English language. A National Artist of the Philippines for Literature, which was bestowed upon him in 2001, José's ...

(English) at Amazon.com
Book cover for ''Po-on Isang Nobela''
(Tagalog) by

at Divisoria.com
Book cover for ''Po-on''
by

(French), translated by

Amina Said Amina Said, also spelled Amina Saïd (born 1953 in Tunis) is a Tunisian author and poet. Her father is Tunisians, Tunisian and her mother is French people, French. Said has been living in Paris since 1978, where she studied literature at the Univer ...

, at Benediction. Multiply.com {{FSionilJose-RosalesSaga Novels by F. Sionil José 1984 novels Philippine English-language novels Novels set in the Philippines