National Book Award finalists

Here are the finalists for the 2006 National Book Awards:

ANTHOLOGY: The Manila We Knew; Philippine Speculative Fiction.

ALFONSO T. ONGPIN AWARD FOR BEST BOOK ON ART: Ani; Brushstrokes from the Heart; Fabian de la Rosa and His Times.

BIOGRAPHY / AUTO/BIOGRAPHY: Abe; Ballerina of the People; Beyond the Great Wall; Ed Angara; Kapitan; Masay; Myself, Elsewhere; Trailblazing.

BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS AWARD FOR BEST BOOK ON BUSINESS & ECONOMICS: Coconut; The Path to the Success of Cooperatives.

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: Bad Kings; The Cat Painter; Hale, Hale, Hoy; Halikpon / Pumbakhayon; Inang Bayan’s New Clothes / Mga Bag-ong Sinina ni Inahang Nasod.

COOKBOOKS / FOOD: The Governor-General’s Kitchen; Potluck, Hidalgo Bonding.

DRAMA: Halik sa Kampilan; Mga Premyadong Dula.

EDITING: Anticipating Filipinas; Great Scott.

EDUCATION: Daughters True.

ESSAY: (Im)Personal; The King of Nothing to Do; The Knowing is in the Writing; Science Solitaire; They Have Jesus.

JUAN C. LAYA AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL IN A PHILIPPINE LANGUAGE:  (H)istoryador(a); Ang Sandali ng mga Mata.

JUAN C. LAYA AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE:  Banyaga; The Jupiter Effect; Salamanca; Samboangan; Women in the House.

SHORT FICTION: Maligayang Pagdating sa Sitio Catacutan / Malagim ang Gabi sa Sitio Catacutan; Pagluwas; Taguan-Pung; Ten.

FILM: Mythopoeic Poe; Postmodern Filming of Literature.

CULTURAL STUDIES: Hiligaynon Mythological Stories and Folktales; Interactive Vernacular and National Literature; Kasaysayan at Pag-unlad ng Dulaang Pambata sa Pilipinas; Mula sa mga Pakpak ng Entablado; Treading Through; Writing Literary History.

POETRY: Apokripos; Gagamba sa Uhay; Kung ang Tula ay Pwedeng Pambili ng Lalaki; Pag-aabang sa Kundiman.

SCIENCES: Contribution to Philippine Agricultural Modernization; A Guide to Families of Common Flowering Plants in the Philippines; Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Philippine Agriculture, Food Security, and APEC.

SOCIAL SCIENCES: Adios, Patria Adorada; Archaeology and Culture in Southeast Asia; The Blood of Government; A Dictionary of Cebuano Arts; Engaging Society; How to Win an Election; In the Name of Civil Society; The I-Stories; Kuwentong Bayan; Pestilence in the Philippines; Romblomanon Dictionary; Stringing the Past; Unknown Aspects of the Philippine Revolution.

SPORTS: Advanced Badminton Techniques; Pacific Storm.

THEOLOGY & RELIGION: God Talk; God Was Not in the Wind.

TRANSLATION: The Colonial Odyssey of Leyte; Fort; Gagamba sa Uhay; Juanita Cruz; Monografias de los Pueblos de la Isla de Pan-ay.

BEST DESIGN: Ani; Brushstrokes from the Heart; The Governor-General’s Kitchen; Halikpon / Pumbakhayon.

The Manila Critics Circle will also give citations to the following:  Sawikaan, Ayala Foundation, and Sy Yinchow.

In response to feedback from writers and publishers, the Manila Critics Circle decided to start trimming down the categories of the annual awards. That explains the large number of finalists in certain combined categories.

Writers, designers, and publishers of nominated books are invited to attend the awarding ceremonies, to be held on Aug. 31, Friday, at 4 p.m., at the Manila International Book Fair.

Sponsors for this year’s awards are the National Book Development Board, Primetrade Asia, Speaker Jose de Venecia, Senator Edgardo Angara, and Senator Mar Roxas.

FORGET THE ADULTS, LET’S GO FOR THE KIDS:  The STAR has announced the start of the 2007 Interschool English Proficiency Competition. The contest is commendable, because it focuses on the young. As far as old people are concerned, the decline in proficiency in the English language is irreversible.

Take this sentence from a recent full-page advertisement taken out by the government:

“While the process was fast, it was not done with haste.”  What the writer meant was in haste, not with haste. In haste means carelessly; with haste means in a hurry. If you do not know the difference, you do not play chess. Grandmasters can make many moves in one minute, but they never play in haste. As the old people so wisely used to say, even to those that had known each other for a year or so, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure.” By the way, traditional grammarians consider with haste subliterate.

“WORDS OF THE DAY” (English / Filipino) for next week’s elementary school classes:  Aug. 13 Monday:  1. man / gaan, 2. pig / gilid, 3. lotus / gamit, 4. roach / gamot, 5. mosquito / gugo, 6. mushroom / gulaman;  Aug. 14 Tuesday:  1. new / gabi [plant], 2. melon / gulay, 3. lime / gapang, 4. lily / gabot, 5. elephant / gibay, 6. strawberry / gagad; Aug. 15 Wednesday:  1. now / gabi [night], 2. weed / ginoo, 3. banana / gayak [decoration], 4. pandan / gunting, 5. soybean / giling, 6. mangosteen / gutom; Aug. 16 Thursday:  1. out / gatas, 2. teak / ginang, 3. corn / gimbal [drum beats], 4. iris / gulo, 5. betel / gapas, 6. magnolia / gapos; Aug. 17 Friday:  1. egg / galang, 2. right / gana [appetite], 3. rice / gibik [aid], 4. doctor / gaod, 5. coconut / gaway, 6. anthurium / gayuma.  The numbers after the dates indicate grade level.  The dates refer to the official calendar for public elementary schools.  For definitions of the words in Filipino, consult UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino.