Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
‘Writing visits like grace. Its greatest gift is the comfort if not the joy of transformation. In an inspired moment, we almost believe that anguish can be made bearable and injustice can be overturned, because they can be named. And if we’re lucky, joy can even be multiplied a hundredfold, so we may have reserves in the cupboard for the lean times.’
- Merlinda Carullo Bobis is a contemporary Philippine
Australian writer
- Born in Legazpi City, Albay in the Philippines
- A performer and visual artist of her own poetry
- Wrote various genres in Filipino and English works
inspired by Philippine culture
- Currently teaches in University of Wollongong,
Australia
- Bachelor of Arts (Summa cum Laude) from Aquinas
University of Legazpi
- Master of Arts in Literature (Meritissimus) from the
University of Santo Tomas, Manila
- Taught Literature and English at various universities
in Manila
- Completed her Doctorate of Creative Arts at the
University of Wollongong, Australia
- Member of Philippines Organization Women
Involved in Creating Cultural Alternatives (WICCA)
- Her plays have been performed in Philippines,
Australia, France, China, Thailand and Slovak
Republic
- Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas (National
Balagtas Award: a lifetime award for author’s poetry
and prose in English, Pilipino, Bikol) from the Unyon
ng Manunulat ng Pilipinas (Union of Philippine
Writers), 2006
- Gintong Aklat Award (Golden Book Award: Philippine
publishers’ award) for Banana Heart Summer (novel),
2006
- Nomination: Best in Foreign Language in Fiction from
the Manila Critics’ Circle for Banana Heart Summer,
2006
- Commended: National Short Story Competition,
Society of Women Writers for The Sadness Collector
(short story), 1998
Novels:
• Banana Heart Summer (2005)
• The Solemn Lantern Maker (2008)
• Fish-hair Woman (2011)
Short Stories:
• White Turtle. (1999)
• The Kissing (2001)
• The Sadness Collector
- Judges’ Choice Award, Bumbershoot Bookfair,
Seattle Arts Festival for The Kissing (collection of
short stories published as White Turtle in Australia
and the Philippines), 2001
- Philippine National Book Award for Fiction (Joint
winner) from the Manila Critics’ Circle for White
Turtle, 2000
- NSW Ministry for the Arts Writers’ Fellowship for
novel in progress, Fish-Hair Woman, 2000
- Pamana Philippine Presidential Award for
achievement in the arts (for Filipino expatriates),
1998
- Carlos Palanca Memorial Award in Literature
(Philippine national award), Honourable Mention
for Ms. Serena Serenata (one-act play), 1995
Poetry:
• Rituals: Selected poems, 1985-1990.
(1990)
• Summer was a Fast Train without
Terminals. (1998)
• Pag-uli, Paghuli, Homecoming
(trilingual poetry collection)
- Gawad Cultural Centre of the Philippines
(National award for Poetry in Pilipino) for Mula
Dulo Hanggang Kanto (‘From End to Corner’,
collection of poems), 1990
- Likhaan Award for Daragang Magayon and other
poems, University of the Philippines Writers’'
Workshop, 1990
- Carlos Palanca Memorial Award in Literature,
Second Prize for Lupang di Hinirang: Kuwento
at Sikreto (‘Land Not Dearest: Story and Secret’,
collection of poems in Pilipino), 1989
- Carlos Palanca Memorial Award in Literature,
Joint winner, First Prize for Peopleness
(collection of poems in English), 1987
www.merlindabobis.com.au/biography.html
http://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/poet/item/22871/15/Merlinda-Bobis
http://www.poemhunter.com/merlinda-carullo-bobis/biography/
http://faculty.washington.edu/kendo/bobis.html
http://www.spinifexpress.com.au/Bookstore/author/id=97/
http://www.tayoliterarymag.com/merlinda-bobis/
How migration of a person affects his/her family (Diaspora, Displacement, Dislocation)
The story represents the importance of the specific roles played by each of the members of a Filipino family. It is evident that a mother and a father in a Filipino family tends to have a very distinct role to perform in the household. In the story they have seemed to break tradition. The mother went to Paris to work and actually be the bread winner while the father, although still working, stayed at home with Rica. In the absence of the mother, the Filipino perspective that the mother is the best person who can look out for the welfare of her child/children was represented in the story seeing Rica as a confused and disturbed child because her mom is not by her side. The father was so hard to connect with Rica because of the reason that it was hard for himself to accept the fact that he had to stay with his child which is for him is not his real role. Merlinda Bobis depicted the corroding of what is said to be the essence of a Filipino family. The message of the story is that, breaking the tradition or the culture of the essence of the family, will affect the emotion and performance of their own child
This short story basically revolves on the theme of diaspora (the dispersion of any people from their original homeland) or migration, how it affects families and the importance of having a complete family. In the story, the mother migrates to Paris and it destroys the family because first of all in our culture the one working is the father and the mother is the one left behind with their child/children but in this case it’s the other way around. Second, Rica really became sad when her mother left and it was really hard for the father to comfort her and make her happy that’s why he told Rica a story about the Big Lady/Sadness collector who eats sadness from people and if Rica becomes sad all the time the Big Lady will get big too fast and soon will burst. The real reason behind this story is that if Rica still continues to be sad, soon enough her mother will get her and bring her to Paris. People nowadays prefer to work overseas and leave their families because the pay is higher but there’s nothing good they get in these but the money; their families get destroyed and even sometimes they just get scammed or abused overseas. The story wanted to show us that the completeness of a family is very important in a child’s life and it greatly affects the child whatever happens in the family.
The short story, The Sadness Collector is about a girl named Rica who has problems while growing up with her father because her mother works overseas as a domestic helper. After her mother left for Paris she’s use to send different gifts to Rica just to show her love and her presence. To divert Rica's attention, her father told her a story about a big lady who eats sadness away from houses at night. Her dad told her that if the big lady eats all of their mess, the big lady might grow too fast and burst, so Rica has to be a good girl and save the big lady by not being sad. Ever since her mother left, Rica would be so eager listen to all of the sounds at the kitchen and waiting for the big lady to show up. One night, Rica heard noises again and because of the story that her father made about the lady who eats sadness, she became nervous and afraid that the big lady might burst but unfortunately it wasn’t even the big lady at all, not even her aunties. But it was only her drunk dad. Rica told her dad about her hesitations and her thoughts about the noise she heard and argued with her dad that it was really the Big lady. But maybe, because of her dad’s guilt about making a story and about his wreckless actions, he said sorry and assured Rica that big lady can’t and won’t ever get her away from him, and to top it off she assured Rica that he really loves her. But due to her young mind Rica tends to wait patiently for Big Lady to appear.