ABOUT THE BOOK

First serialized in Muling Pagsilang in 1906, Anino ng Kahapon by Francisco Laksamana came out as a book in 1907. The novel was a sprawling, multitiered narrative that encompassed the years 1890 until 1896, when the Revolution against the Spaniards began to spread in the country.

The novel’s pivotal moment—the killing of Sergeant Cruz and its violent repercussions on Ilaya, a town already in the grip of fear due to the ruthlessness and cruelty of the military—wrecked lives, separated families, and unleashed a nationwide search for Modesto, the novel’s protagonist. Born to a middle-class family, educated in Manila, Modesto appeared at first as a young man deeply aware of the military’s abuses. But when he killed Sergeant Cruz and later seriously wounded Lieutenant Roca—both symbols of the oppression—his world was turned upside down. Hunted down like a wild beast, he came back to find his father a corpse.

Modesto’s journeys as a fugitive and encounters with various victims of injustice, his temporary alliance with a band of outlaws who helped him attack the Spanish headquarters in Ilaya, among other episodes, forced him to rethink his plan to save his country. The mission remained—to free the people from tyranny. He left for the United States, where he discovered what it meant to be free in a society where equality and the rule of law were deemed fundamental to the pursuit of happiness. He eventually came back in 1896 after the outbreak of the Revolution.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Francisco Laksamana was born in Concepcion, Tarlac, on April 2, 1877, but he spent the rest of his life in Manila. He finished his studies at the Escuela Normal Superior de Maestros de Manila in 1895. He passed the civil service examination in 1901 and began to work for the Bureau of Customs in 1901–1903 as a checker. He began his career in journalism in 1903 by writing for La Patria and Muling Pagsilang until 1919, for Taliba until 1923, and for Sampagita from 1923 to 1939. He then found employment at the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa as a researcher in 1939, but his work was interrupted when the Second World War broke out in 1941. To gain permanency, Laksamana took the civil service examination for researchers and translators in 1948.

Laksamana passed away on January 23, 1966. His legacy consisted of his only novel in book form, Anino ng Kahapon, and several works: Taksil sa Hukom, Dugo sa Dugo, Timpalak ng mga Puso, and Bocaccio.

Pablo Glorioso says of the novel: “Kung may maituturo na ‘central idea’ sa nobelang Anino ng Kahapon, ito’y naglulundo sa pagpapahalaga sa ating karangalan at pagmamahalan: di hayag sa lupang tinubuan kundi sa itinatanging kasintahan at paglingap sa kaanak.” —Anino ng Kahapon, 1907265