Don Vicente
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derecho Right (direction).
dinardaraan Pig innards stewed in vinegar and pig blood.
drill de hilo White cotton material used for suits.
encargado Person in charge; administrator of a plantation.
feria Fair with sideshows, etc., during fiestas.
galletas Cookie-like biscuits.
gobernardorcillo Town mayor.
hacendero Landlord; owner of hacienda or big tract of land.
halo-halo To mix, usually sweets in crushed ice.
herbolario Folk medicine man.
hijo Son.
hospicio Retirement home for old priests.
Huks Communist-led revolutionary group that fought for agrarian reform in the Philippines after World War II; it grew out of an anti-Japanese resistance movement during the war.
Iglesia Ni Kristo Church of Christ.
ilustrados The first Filipinos, usually of means, who studied in Europe (beginning in the 1880s) in order to become “enlightened”; literally, “learned” or “well-informed.”
kundiman Sad folk song, usually Tagalog.
lechon Roast suckling pig.
lengua Tongue, usually ox tongue, prepared as a special dish.
macopa Tropical fruit, shaped like a pear but smaller.
Manong Affectionate, respectful form of address for older brother or man. Ilokanos do not call older relatives by their given names alone.
media agua Awning over a window, to stop rain.
media cuerpo Half the body, as in a photograph or painting.
Meiji Historical period in Japan from 1867 to 1912, the Meiji Restoration.
merienda Afternoon snack.
morcon Large sausage, usually homemade.
municipio Town hall.
nanca Jackfruit.
pancit Noodles.
pan de sal Salted bun.
Pañuelo Stiff kerchief that is part of the traditional Philippine costume for women.
puraw White.
sacadas Migratory sugarcane workers.
sala Living room in large houses.
salapi Literally a fifty-centavo coin; also denotes money, lucre.
sin vergüenzas Without shame.
sipi A small room attached to a peasant’s house where pillows and the rice bin are stored.
tama Correct.
terno National dress for women.
tinto dulce Sweet wine.
For Evelina and Brigida
&
Ephraim and Eugenio
ALSO BY F. SIONIL JOSÉ
Short Stories
The God Stealer and Other Stories
Waywaya: Eleven Filipino Short Stories
Platinum: Ten Filipino Stories
Olvidon and Other Short Stories
Novellas
Three Filipino Women
Novels
The Rosales Saga
The Pretenders
Tree
My Brother, My Executioner
Mass
Dusk (Po-on)
Ermita
Gagamba
Viajero
Sins
Verse
Questions
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With the publication of Three Filipino Women by Random House in 1992, the work of F. Sionil José began appearing in the United States. He is one of the major literary voices of Asia and the Pacific, but (after encouragement by Malcom Cowley and others) his novels and stories are only gradually being published in the country that figures in much of his work as both a shadow and yet a very real presence.
José runs a leading bookshop in Manila, was the founding president of the Philippines PEN Center, publishes the journal Solidarity, and is best known for the five novels comprising the highly regarded Rosales Saga (Dusk [Po-on]; Tree; My Brother, My Executioner; The Pretenders; and Mass), the second and third novel of which make up this book. He is widely published around the world and travels steadily.