Conflicts and Contests: A History of the Filipino Novel in English

Abstract

Since its first appearance in 1921, the Filipino novel in English has always existed at a disadvantage, having to struggle with the reading public’s preference for writings in the vernacular languages, a small and not entirely receptive market, and stiff competition from imported Englishlanguage novels. What made Filipino authors produce novels in English, then? And why did they continue to do so in increasing numbers throughout the years? This essay seeks to address these questions by exploring the publishing history of Filipino novels in English during the twentieth century and by determining what forces drove the production of English-language novels in the Philippines.