An Embarrassment of Riches
Encyclopedia
An Embarrassment of Riches is a 2000 novel written by Filipino novelist Charlson L. Ong. A Second Place Philippine Centennial Literary Prize winner, the novel was published in Quezon City
, Philippines
by the Philippine Centennial Commission, the University of the Philippines Press, and the UP Creative Writing Center, in celebration of the one hundred years of Philippine independence from Spain after the Philippine Revolution in 1898. The 425-page novel was written in Philippine English
. It is Charlson Ong’s first novel.
, providing the reader a sense of alienation, foreigness, or being not in the Philippines, despite of the similarity of the fictional Victorianas to the archipelago. Among the differences between Victorianas and the Philippines is that the Victorianas is an Americanized Asian country where there is the absence or, even if present, has reduced influences from Spain and Europe, in terms of the Catholic religion, folk beliefs, and traditional practices. Victorianas is composed of mestizo
or "hybrid" residents – including the descendants of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Malay ancestors, particularly the Chinese Filipinos. Ong intended An Embarrassment of Riches as a novel that presents a Southeast Asian perspective, rather than a Hispanic or Latin American viewpoint. An Embarrassment of Riches is a political, thriller-filled whodunit
, and satirical work of fiction that serves as a parody to the events occurring in the Philippines, through the author’s creation and utilization of the imaginary island named Victorianas.
to portray the Victorianas, a fictional country. Metafiction uses techniques to draw attention to itself as a work of art, while exposing the "truth" of a story. In the case of Ong, he used metafiction in An Embarrassment of Riches in order to draw attention to the novel as a work of literature and as a work of fiction, while exposing the realities happening in a non-fictional country - in this case the Philippines – represented by the Victorianas, an island monickered as a "small Philippines". According to literary critic R. Kwan Laurel, Ong’s An Embarrassment of Riches is the most successful in inventing a fictional Philippines among the three 1989 Philippine Centennial Literary Prize winners (the other winning novels were Alfred Yuson
's Voyeurs & Savages
and Eric Gamalinda's
My Sad Republic
). Ong created an alternate country – one smaller than an archipelago, and with a different name – to represent the Philippines and its social, economic, and political situation and atmosphere. Because Ong is of Chinese descent, there was a possibility that the reader of 'An Embarrassment of Riches can be interpreted as an an "allegory of the Chinese gaining power – control and supremacy – in the Philippines".
The strength of An Embarrassment of Riches as a novel is that it did not "essentialize", simplify, and "exoticize" the Philippines (even if represented as the "Victorianas", the nation of the "Victorianos") and the Filipino experience. R. Kwan Laurel described the ending of An Embarrassment of Riches being similar to Filipino writer Nick Joaquin
's play the Portrait of an Artist as Filipino, because Ong's hero pledges to survive, live, remember, and await for another opportunity, for the sake of all the people in the past.
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
by the Philippine Centennial Commission, the University of the Philippines Press, and the UP Creative Writing Center, in celebration of the one hundred years of Philippine independence from Spain after the Philippine Revolution in 1898. The 425-page novel was written in Philippine English
Philippine English
Philippine English is the variety of English used in the Philippines by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. English is taught in schools as one of the two official languages of the country, the other being Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog.English is used in education,...
. It is Charlson Ong’s first novel.
Description
The scenes in An Embarrassment of Riches is set during the mid-1990s, and occurs in a fictional island west of the Philippines, known as the Victorianas. Victorianas is a "shadow of the Philippines" because it is a developing nation that has similarities to the Philippines. Although filled with characters, circumstances, and places that are familiar to Filipino readers, the Victorianas and the novel deviated from the real and contemporary life in the Philippines, and from the actual events in Philippine history. According to literary critic Vicente G. Groyon III, Ong’s fictionalization of recent Philippine history and recasting of the Philippines threads along the borders of surrealismSurrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, providing the reader a sense of alienation, foreigness, or being not in the Philippines, despite of the similarity of the fictional Victorianas to the archipelago. Among the differences between Victorianas and the Philippines is that the Victorianas is an Americanized Asian country where there is the absence or, even if present, has reduced influences from Spain and Europe, in terms of the Catholic religion, folk beliefs, and traditional practices. Victorianas is composed of mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
or "hybrid" residents – including the descendants of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Malay ancestors, particularly the Chinese Filipinos. Ong intended An Embarrassment of Riches as a novel that presents a Southeast Asian perspective, rather than a Hispanic or Latin American viewpoint. An Embarrassment of Riches is a political, thriller-filled whodunit
Whodunit
A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader or viewer is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final...
, and satirical work of fiction that serves as a parody to the events occurring in the Philippines, through the author’s creation and utilization of the imaginary island named Victorianas.
Characters
The main characters in An Embarassment of Riches include Jeffrey Kennedy Tantivo, Jennifer Suarez (also known as JaySy or Jennifer Sy), General Azurin, Brother Mike Verano, and Alfonso Ong. Jeffrey Kennedy Tantivo is the hero and narrator in An Embarrassment of Riches. Jennifer Suarez, the "daughter of the richest man" in Victorianas, is a female politician who wanted to rule Victorianas by providing everything to her constituents. General Azurin is the dictator and ruler of Victorianas. Brother Mike Verano is a religious preacher with questionable background, the suspected killer of Tantivo's father. Alfonso Ong is another shady character, a wealthy and corrupt resident of Victorianas.Plot
In 1994, Jeffrey Kennedy Tantivo - a writer - returns from his exile in the Philippines to his homeland the Victorianas because of his father's death. Ong intends to uncover the identities of his father's murderers. In addition to this circumstance, Tantivo was also summoned to return to Victorianas by his old friend Jennifer "JaySy" Suarez. Suarez – a middle aged woman belonging to the 20 to 30 year-old generation - wants Tantivo to manage her presidential campaign, timed after the demise of General Azurin, the dictatorial leader of Victorianas. Suarez is a politician with Maoist inclinations. Suarez won but her political rule was brief. On one hand, Brother Mike Verano, a charismatic preacher and healer, leads the Victorianas Moral Restoration Army using violence for the cause of morality. Then, Alfonso Ong – a wealthy, shrewd and shady character – builds his alternative city of the future on an island off the coast of Victorianas. The novel ends with Tantivo leaving Victorianas – going back in exile – but with a renewed sense and sagacity after the altercations and travails he experienced in the island nation. During Tantivo's stay in the Victoriana's, he found out that Jennifer Suarez is his half sister, and that his real father is Alfonso Ong. Tantivo left the Victorianas with Jennifer Suarez, leaving their beloved nation in political, socio-economic, and religious turmoil.Analysis
In An Embarrassment of Riches, Ong employed metafictionMetafiction
Metafiction, also known as Romantic irony in the context of Romantic works of literature, is a type of fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, exposing the fictional illusion...
to portray the Victorianas, a fictional country. Metafiction uses techniques to draw attention to itself as a work of art, while exposing the "truth" of a story. In the case of Ong, he used metafiction in An Embarrassment of Riches in order to draw attention to the novel as a work of literature and as a work of fiction, while exposing the realities happening in a non-fictional country - in this case the Philippines – represented by the Victorianas, an island monickered as a "small Philippines". According to literary critic R. Kwan Laurel, Ong’s An Embarrassment of Riches is the most successful in inventing a fictional Philippines among the three 1989 Philippine Centennial Literary Prize winners (the other winning novels were Alfred Yuson
Alfred Yuson
Alfred A. Yuson has authored 19 books, including novels, poetry collections, short fiction, essays, and children's stories, apart from having edited various other titles....
's Voyeurs & Savages
Voyeurs & Savages
Voyeurs & Savages is a 1998 English-language novel written by Filipino novelist Alfred A. Yuson. The 220-page novel was published in Pasig City in the Philippines by Anvil Publishing, Inc. The second edition of the novel was published by Anvil Publishing, Inc. in 2003. The novel is a winner of the...
and Eric Gamalinda's
Eric Gamalinda
Eric Gamalinda is an established Filipino American author. He was an editor, journalist, short-story writer, children’s literature author, poet, and novelist. He published three novels...
My Sad Republic
My Sad Republic
My Sad Republic is a 2000 Philippine English-language novel written by Filipino novelist Eric Gamalinda. The novel won for Gamalinda a Philippine Centennial Literary Prize in 1998. The 392-page novel was published by the Philippine Centennial Commission, the University of the Philippines Press,...
). Ong created an alternate country – one smaller than an archipelago, and with a different name – to represent the Philippines and its social, economic, and political situation and atmosphere. Because Ong is of Chinese descent, there was a possibility that the reader of 'An Embarrassment of Riches can be interpreted as an an "allegory of the Chinese gaining power – control and supremacy – in the Philippines".
The strength of An Embarrassment of Riches as a novel is that it did not "essentialize", simplify, and "exoticize" the Philippines (even if represented as the "Victorianas", the nation of the "Victorianos") and the Filipino experience. R. Kwan Laurel described the ending of An Embarrassment of Riches being similar to Filipino writer Nick Joaquin
Nick Joaquín
Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín was a Filipino writer, historian and journalist, best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila...
's play the Portrait of an Artist as Filipino, because Ong's hero pledges to survive, live, remember, and await for another opportunity, for the sake of all the people in the past.
External links
- Excerpt from Charlson L. Ong's An Embarrassment of Riches at the Philippine Literature Portal, Panitikan.com.ph