“This is a place of mystery, Daniel, a sanctuary. Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”- Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind
It is quite surprising how GMA 7’s newest drama My Husband’s Lover has been consistently dominating the Trending Topic on Twitter, and everytime I check my tweets, on the periphery, the hashtag bearing the gay drama title (with episode number) is never lost in the list. Yes, I have watched some back episodes of the show just to get into the hype of it (and to feed my curiosity as well) being branded as something phenomenal and groundbreaking. I have read good reviews about the series, especially that it earned acceptance and accolade from the LGBT community. Not to mention, it also earned the ire of the so-called moralists and homophobes. My Husband’s Lover may be considered as the first-ever gay series in Philippine television, or should I say, in free TV? Well, it wouldn’t even surprise me, since I’m already used to watching gay-themed series and movies and reading gay novels ever since I took up AB Literature in college (thank goodness for our Literature and Gender class with Sir John). In fact, the teleserye has come too late where the theme of same-sex relationship should have been tackled years ago. I mean, it’s a proven reality: there is more than what meets the eye. There are guys who may be acting straight, but deep inside, find themselves enamored of their own kind. Ok, so what’s the point of my blog about this highly talked about TV drama? Nothing actually. But if you want to read my own take, you may click here.
What brings me to that topic is my algid response on My Husband’s Lover which apparently I don’t wanna talk about. I like the series because it is something different, however, from the perspective of someone who has seen enough, it may be another tragic representation of the plight of gays who either lost the battle or succumb to sorrow because of unrequited love. But we’ll see…we’ll see. Going back to gender topic, I wanna share some of the gay-lesbian literary pieces and movies that somehow opened my eyes on the pressing issues faced by people who belong to the third sex. When I was still a Lit major, our teacher, who’s gay, always emphasized the importance of acceptance and un-labelling. That’s probably why, having understood the throes of the LGBT, I become an ally of the group. Yes, I support gay rights. And I’m straight (but of course that is unnecessary). And honestly, I was homophobic and had been labelled effeminate. Yeah, my situation brought about a sort of discombobulation, but somehow I was able to extricate myself from the labels. My feebleness and even my gender doesn’t define who I am. Straight. Gay. We are all equal. Everyone of us deserves respect.
Here’s three of my favorite gay-themed pieces that served as an eye-opener for me in understanding gender and love that goes beyond measure. Just click the titles for full article.
1. Brothers Bishop by Bart Yates
3. Beijing Story (a novel)/ Lan Yu
Reading David Levithan’s novel Everyday immerses me into a surreal dimension and yet impresses me with emotions as real as the emotions I feel while living everyday. Although the book is a love story, it still presents us a caricaturish psyche that we all struggle to get through. Deep inside us dwells a particular soul, desiring to become someone else. Or at least, the self contains sundry “selves” who strive to change despite being too attached to its very being. And when that very being is shaken, things begin to get complicated. Complex. And our only choice is to let go. Never get too attached. Do not interfere.
This is not a review of Levithan’s novel. Yes, I am halfway done reading the book and I must say, I’m hooked. Ever since I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (which is also one of my favorite young adult authors by the way), my fascination for plots told from a guy’s point of view (or predominantly narrated with emphasis on male’s own struggles and issues) has given new hope (and I’m not even exaggerating). So far, I enjoy reading these titles because it’s so meta, meaning going beyond the usual theme and transcends one’s notion of love and life in all its complexities, to new heights. Hurray for post modern literature!
When Ayah lent me Everyday, I noticed something conspicuous as I turned the pages of the book. Some lines were highlighted. Indeed, the owner as engrossed as I was…well, am, have both found gems of truth and relevance from the lines, and thus, while thinking of what to blog about tonight, I have decided to share these quotable quotes from the book, And without further ado, here are the lines which I (I mean we) found striking.
1. After a while, you have to be at peace with the fact that you simply are.
2. We all want everything to be okay. We don’t even wish so much for fantastic or marvelous or outstanding. We will happily settle for okay, because most of the time, okay is enough.
3. It’s one thing to fall in love. It’s another to feel someone else falling in love with you, and to feel a responsibility toward that love.
4. The joy is in remembering; the pain is in knowing it was yesterday.
5. Kindness connects to who you are, while niceness connects to how you want to be seen.
6. People take love’s continuity for granted, just as they take their body’s continuity for granted. They don’t realize that the best thing about love is its regular presence.
7. The sound of words as they’re said is always different from the sound they make when they’re heard, because the speaker hears some of the sound from the inside.
8. You shouldn’t have to venture deep down in order to get to love.
9. I am learning that a life isn’t real unless someone else knows its reality.
10. Falling in love with someone doesn’t mean you know any better how they feel. It only means you know how you feel.
11. Part of growing up is making sure your sense of reality isn’t entirely grounded in your own mind.
12.But the thing about a cry for help is that someone else needs to be around to hear it.
13. If other people see you differently, you’ll end up seeing them differently, too.
14. It was so much easier when I didn’t want anything. Not getting what you want can make you cruel.
15. This is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters build the scenery, guide the plot. The person you love sits across from you, and you want to do everything in your power to make it possible, endlessly possible, And when it’s just the two of you, alone in a room, you can pretend that this is how it is, this is how it will be.
So, what’s your favorite line from the book? Honestly, I can so relate to the last paragraph. That is soo true. Not because I’m a writer, but because, once in my life, the story became real. So the story pretty much sums up my own plight. Though I don’t wish to live in someone else’s body everyday, but I guess, the book simply tells us that, yeah, love is a powerful thing. We don’t know when it happens, but as soon as it strikes, we just have to give in. And we must love that person whoever she or he is while there is still time.
1. Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux. St. Therese is my patroness, so at times when I feel that I’m losing track of my spiritual odyssey, I turn to this small book which constantly reminds me of that “little way” I ought to follow. The Little Flower wrote this autobiography when she was suffering from her illness, and by reading this book, I get a glimpse of her life and spirituality. According to her, it was not necessary to engage in manifold practices, to perform rigorous penances, to receive extraordinary graces. What we needed was simply to acknowledge our “nothingness” and approach God with love and confidence.
2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. It was the greatest love story I have ever read. Seriously. The passion Heathcliffe and Katherine feel for each other is just so intense I even questioned myself if that kind of love actually happens in real life. The epitome of “soulmate” reverberates throughout the novel. Everytime I read Wuthering Heights, I get encumbered by the rolling thunderclap that loom over the moors as dreary as the romance of these star-crossed lovers.
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Years ago, I almost hoarded dirt cheap books from National Bookstore. I didn’t know Oscar Wilde at that time yet, and I guess, I just blindly grabbed Dorian Gray from the shelf. The synopsis at the back of the book seemed interesting. The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian’s beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil’s, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry’s world view. Espousing a new hedonism, Lord Henry suggests the only things worth pursuing in life are beauty and fulfillment of the senses. Realizing that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian (whimsically) expresses a desire to sell his soul to ensure the portrait Basil has painted would age rather than he. Dorian’s wish is fulfilled, plunging him into debauched acts. The portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each act has upon his soul, with each sin displayed as a disfigurement of his form, or through a sign of aging.
4. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. We discussed this literary masterpiece in our Fiction class, and honestly, none of us really appreciated the story when our professor assigned us to read it before we tackle the elements and the significance of the novel. I actually got bored, as bored as the old man waiting to catch fish in the middle of the ocean. But when our awesome teacher finally “deboned” the story in its bits and pieces, I was awestruck at how this very simple organic literary piece holds a grandeur of wisdom. What I learned about the story is how we constantly struggle through our lives. The ambition and the demands of the urbanized world tend to pull us from seeing our own humanity. We forgot to see our own courage and strength to deal with life and to survive. The Old Man and the Sea lets us realize the HERO in us.
5. The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgand von Goethe. As the title itself suggests, this book is by far the most “sorrowful” book I have ever read. I mean, there’s no tinge of joy can be found in the characters and I just so love to smash the protagonist’s head. Like Wuthering Heights, I’m pissed off at how these characters could subject themselves to suffering for the ones they love, and in Werther’s case, his love for Lotte, to the point of committing suicide. Oh, when love took hold of you, right? I only read The Sorrows of Young Werther once. Will I ever read it again? Perhaps not.
SO WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? CARE TO SHARE?
Cersei Lannister, A Game of Thrones
“There are some things about myself that I can’t explain to anyone. There are some things I don’t understand at all. I can’t tell what I think about things or what I’m after. I don’t know what my strengths are or what I’m supposed to do about them. But if I start thinking about these things in too much detail, the whole thing gets scary. And if I get scared, I can only think about myself. I become really self-centered, and without meaning to, I hurt people. So I’m not such a wonderful human being.”
| — | Haruki Murakami, A Slow Boat To China |
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