FOUR THOMASIAN professors and authors bagged prizes during the 42nd National Book Awards, an event that recognized outstanding titles in the country.
UST Graduate School Prof. Jeffry Ocay bagged the best book in Philosophy award for his work Critical Theory at the Margins: Applying Herbert Marcuse’s Model of Critical Social Theory to the Philippines. His work was released by Aletheia Printing and Publishing House
Conservatory of Music Prof. Maria Alexandra Chua, also the director of the Research Center for Culture, Arts, and Humanities, won the Alfonso T. Ongpin Prize for Best Book on Art for Julio Nakpil (1867-1960) Collected Works, Volume Two: Band and Orchestral Music. Her book was published by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House.
Journalism alumna Lady Camille De Guia won the best book on food for her work Heritage Dishes of the Philippines, which was published by Vibal Group, Inc.
Veteran journalist Joel Pablo Salud, a former UST Psychology student, bagged the Hilarion and Esther Vibal Prize for Best Book in Journalism for his work View from the Foxhole: Shaping the Political into the Personal. His book was released by The University of the Philippines Press.
Meanwhile, creative writing professors Chuckberry Pascual, Benedict Parfan and Joel Toledo were among the finalists in the best translated book and best poetry book categories.
Pascual’s translation of Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo’s Tales for a Rainy Night was nominated for best translated book in Filipino, while Parfan’s translation of Pascual’s Ang Nawawala earned him a nomination for best translated book in the English category. Toledo was a finalist in the best book of poetry in English category for his title Planet Nine: Poems.
The National Book Awards is sponsored by the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics’ Circle and has been held annually since 1982. Among this year’s 326 submissions, 31 emerged as winners for works written in English, Filipino, Bikolano and Ilokano.
The awarding of the winners will take place this month in Intramuros, Manila. F – Bettina Katryn Reyes
