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The Lost Ones aka Without Seeing the Dawn by Stevan Javellana 1952 Popular Library Paperback
The title of Stevan Javellana's only novel in English Without Seeing the Dawn was derived from one of José Rizal's character in the Spanish-language novel Noli Me Tangere or Touch Me Not. Javellana's book has two parts, namely Day and Night. The first part, Day, narrates the story of a pre-war barrio and its people in the Panay Island particularly in Iloilo. The second part, Night, begins with the start of World War II in both the U.S. and the Philippines, and retells the story of the resistance movement against the occupying Japanese military forces of the barrio people first seen in Day. It narrates the people's "grim experiences" during the war.
The same novel was made into a film by the Filipino film maker and director, Lino Brocka under the title Santiago!, which starred the Filipino actor and former presidential candidate, Fernando Poe, Jr. and the Filipino actress, Hilda Koronel. It was also made into a mini-series film for Philippine television. The published novel received praises from the New York Times, New York Sun and Chicago Sun. Without Seeing the Dawn, the novel, became the culmination of Javellana's short-story writing career. The said novel was also known under the title The Lost Ones.
"Look. Listen. I have read heaps of books in Philippine Literature, and by far, this is indubitably the best 'perfect book' I've ever read. After reading this delicate masterpiece, I regained a soft hum of pride for Philippine Literature, an electrifying surge of valiance, a respite from all the mediocre books I've numbly read and a gob of sympathy for the history of my country.
It was brilliant--everything was slotted perfectly. Sure, it was a cliche novel of World War II in the Philippines but there's just a heck a lot more to that, there's this engulfing feature that unites each page stubbornly, a magnetic pull that stops me from doing anything else so radiant and strong, it sucks my goddamn face into the book's brilliance . Not so much fancy words, simple settings, one-dimensional characters--it's fit for a Filipino's liking." - Enrico Monasterial, GoodReads
Rare Vintage Paperback / Popular Library / 1952 / Very Good Condition / In Protective Plastic Sleeve
