Tagalog pocketbooks
Encyclopedia
Tagalog romance novels, sometimes collectively referred to as Tagalog pocketbooks, Tagalog paperbacks, Tagalog romance paperbacks, Tagalog romance pocketbooks, Philippine romance novels, Filipino romance novels, Pinoy pocketbooks, Tagalog popular novels, or Tagalog popular romance literature are commercialized novels published in paperback
or pocketbook
format published in the Tagalog
or the Filipino language
in the Philippines
. Unlike the formal or literary romance genre, these popular romance novels were written, as described by Dominador Buhain in the book A History of Publishing in the Philippines as a form of traditional or conventional romance stories of "rich boy meets poor girl or vice versa who go through a series of obstacles and finally end up in each other's arms".
: A day with Tagalog romance novels, Tagalog romance paperbacks were thin Philippine versions of romance novel
books that could be found at the bottom shelves of the romance section of bookstores, wrapped and bound with bookcovers that are decorated with Philippine-comics styled illustrations, such as "a barrio landscape with a badly dressed guy and girl locked in an embrace". As a form of "escapist fiction
" (escapism
) and "commercial literature", Tagalog romance novels generally follow a "strict romance formula", meaning the narratives have happy endings (a factor influencing the salability of the novel), the protagonists are wealthy, good-looking, smart, and characters that cannot die. Normally, the hero or heroine of the story falls in love and "goes crazy" over the admired person. However, later authors of Tagalog romance novels deviated from portraying so-called "damsel-in-distress and knight-in-shining-armor characters". Contemporary writers also turned away from writing "rags-to-riches plots". The stereotypal or typical norm had been replaced by the incorporation of storylines with "interesting scenes, characters [who are ready to face challenges or to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of other people], dialogues, and new angles to old plots". Authors such as Maria Teresa Cruz San Diego
, who used the pen names Maia Jose and Tisha Nicole, ventured into the fantasy romance genre, and into topics that are related to politics
, ecology
, gender issues, prostitution
, mail-order bride
syndicates, white slavery, non-governmental organization
s, and breastfeeding
programs. Apart from writing about ideal lovers (men and women) and ideal situations, other novelists wrote about true-to-life settings, or at least based the stories from personal experiences. Thus, Tagalog romance novels came to mirror or replicate the "roles that women and men play" in Philippine society.
The Tagalog novels in pocketbook or paperback format became the contemporary equivalent of the serial novels that appeared on the pages of Liwayway
magazine novels and the illustrated novels of Philippine comics such as the Tagalog Komiks. A regular Tagalog-language romance pocketbook is composed of around 120 pages, with a dimension of 10 centimeters x 16 centimeters, giving the book the its characteristic portability, light-weight, and easy to pass on to other readers. The current price per book ranges from PHP
39.50 to PHP 54.50. The price of the pocketbook is dependent on the date of publication or the release date.
and Harlequin Romance love story pocketbooks. The actual idea of publishing Tagalog romance paperbacks in the Philippines was conceptualized by Benjie Ocampo, the proprietor of Books for Pleasure, Inc., the company that carried the English-language Mills & Boon
pocketbooks line in the country. Ocampo thought about the concept of selling Filipino romance novels in book format in 1983. In 1984, Ocampo's company published the Tagalog-language Valentine Romances line with a preliminary release of 5,000 copies. Although discontinued temporarily due to distribution-related issues, the publication of Valentine Romances was resumed after one year. The sales of the pocketbooks increased from 8,000 copies within a 3 to 4 month period to 10,000 copies over a period of 2 to 3 months, including provincial sales. In 1990, Anvil Publishing, the sister company of Books for Pleasure, targeted the Filipino male readers by publishing Pinoy Suspense, a pocketbook line that featured "original Filipino paperback thrillers". Later on, after eight months of producing Pinoy Suspense pocketbooks, Anvil Publishing released its own Tagalog-language paperback romance novels that were geared towards Filipino female readers. Although Books for Pleasure, Inc. closed down in 2002, other publishing companies came to produce Tagalog-language paperbacks. Among the contemporary and most popular Tagalog romance novel brands released in the Philippine books market was the Precious Heart Romance (PHR) line, a Tagalog pocketbook brand name published by the Precious Pages Corporation since 1992. Other Tagalog paperbrands include Love Match.
, Joi Barrios, Rosalie Matilac, Leo del Rogierro, Crisostomo Papa, and Rosario Cruz Lucero. Apart from Maria Teresa Cruz San Diego (as Maia Jose or Tisha Nicole), other contemporary Tagalog pocketbook novelists were Camilla (pen name of Armine Rhea Mendoza), Apple Masallo, and Paul Sevilla.
workers, such as the female domestic helper
s in Hong Kong
. There are more female readers than males, and the female audience of Tagalog pocketbooks include young women and teenagers. Other readers set-up a collection of Tagalog pocketbooks that they rent to other paperback enthusiasts for a designated fee.
's (under the pen name Martha Cecilia) Kristine, which is labelled as the "most successful series in Philippine romance pocketbook history".
(over one hundred languages are spoken in the Philippines
with English and Tagalog being the only official state tongues).
The books have been particularly popular with younger Filipinos, in part due to the "oral and contemporary" character of the language used in writing the novels.
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
or pocketbook
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
format published in the Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
or the Filipino language
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
in the 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...
. Unlike the formal or literary romance genre, these popular romance novels were written, as described by Dominador Buhain in the book A History of Publishing in the Philippines as a form of traditional or conventional romance stories of "rich boy meets poor girl or vice versa who go through a series of obstacles and finally end up in each other's arms".
Description
According to Tatin Yang in the article Romansang PinoyPinoy
Pinoy is an informal demonym referring to the Filipino people in the Philippines and overseas Filipinos around the world. Filipinos usually refer to themselves as Pinoy or sometimes the feminine Pinay...
: A day with Tagalog romance novels, Tagalog romance paperbacks were thin Philippine versions of romance novel
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
books that could be found at the bottom shelves of the romance section of bookstores, wrapped and bound with bookcovers that are decorated with Philippine-comics styled illustrations, such as "a barrio landscape with a badly dressed guy and girl locked in an embrace". As a form of "escapist fiction
Escapist fiction
Escapist fiction is fiction which provides a psychological escape from thoughts of everyday life by immersing the reader in exotic situations or activities.The term is not used favorably, though the condemnation contained in it may be slight...
" (escapism
Escapism
Escapism is mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life...
) and "commercial literature", Tagalog romance novels generally follow a "strict romance formula", meaning the narratives have happy endings (a factor influencing the salability of the novel), the protagonists are wealthy, good-looking, smart, and characters that cannot die. Normally, the hero or heroine of the story falls in love and "goes crazy" over the admired person. However, later authors of Tagalog romance novels deviated from portraying so-called "damsel-in-distress and knight-in-shining-armor characters". Contemporary writers also turned away from writing "rags-to-riches plots". The stereotypal or typical norm had been replaced by the incorporation of storylines with "interesting scenes, characters [who are ready to face challenges or to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of other people], dialogues, and new angles to old plots". Authors such as Maria Teresa Cruz San Diego
Maria Teresa Cruz San Diego
Maria Teresa "Tessa" Cruz San Diego is a prolific and bestselling author of Tagalog popular romance novels in the Philippines. As a writer for the Tagalog pocketbooks industry, San Diego used the noms de plume such as Maia Jose and Tisha Nicole....
, who used the pen names Maia Jose and Tisha Nicole, ventured into the fantasy romance genre, and into topics that are related to politics
Politics of the Philippines
The Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system...
, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, gender issues, prostitution
Prostitution in the Philippines
Human trafficking and the prostitution of children is a significant issue in the Philippines, often controlled by organized crime syndicates.Human Trafficking in the Philippines is a crime against humanity....
, mail-order bride
Mail-order bride
Mail-order bride is a label applied to a woman who publishes her intent to marry someone from another country. This term is considered offensive by some people. The mail-order bride industry is the economic trade of contracted domestic partnerships, often between citizens of different countries or...
syndicates, white slavery, non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s, and breastfeeding
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
programs. Apart from writing about ideal lovers (men and women) and ideal situations, other novelists wrote about true-to-life settings, or at least based the stories from personal experiences. Thus, Tagalog romance novels came to mirror or replicate the "roles that women and men play" in Philippine society.
The Tagalog novels in pocketbook or paperback format became the contemporary equivalent of the serial novels that appeared on the pages of Liwayway
Liwayway
Liwayway is a leading Tagalog weekly magazine published in the Philippines since 1922. It contains Tagalog serialized novels, short stories, poetry, serialized comics, essays, news features, entertainment news and articles, and many others. In fact, it is the oldest Tagalog magazine in the...
magazine novels and the illustrated novels of Philippine comics such as the Tagalog Komiks. A regular Tagalog-language romance pocketbook is composed of around 120 pages, with a dimension of 10 centimeters x 16 centimeters, giving the book the its characteristic portability, light-weight, and easy to pass on to other readers. The current price per book ranges from PHP
Philippine peso
The peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...
39.50 to PHP 54.50. The price of the pocketbook is dependent on the date of publication or the release date.
History
Among the possible inspirations of publishing Tagalog romance paperback novels were the Mills & BoonMills & Boon
Mills & Boon is a British publisher of romance novels. It was founded in 1908, and was independent until its purchase in 1971 by Harlequin Enterprises with whom the company had had a long informal partnership...
and Harlequin Romance love story pocketbooks. The actual idea of publishing Tagalog romance paperbacks in the Philippines was conceptualized by Benjie Ocampo, the proprietor of Books for Pleasure, Inc., the company that carried the English-language Mills & Boon
Mills & Boon
Mills & Boon is a British publisher of romance novels. It was founded in 1908, and was independent until its purchase in 1971 by Harlequin Enterprises with whom the company had had a long informal partnership...
pocketbooks line in the country. Ocampo thought about the concept of selling Filipino romance novels in book format in 1983. In 1984, Ocampo's company published the Tagalog-language Valentine Romances line with a preliminary release of 5,000 copies. Although discontinued temporarily due to distribution-related issues, the publication of Valentine Romances was resumed after one year. The sales of the pocketbooks increased from 8,000 copies within a 3 to 4 month period to 10,000 copies over a period of 2 to 3 months, including provincial sales. In 1990, Anvil Publishing, the sister company of Books for Pleasure, targeted the Filipino male readers by publishing Pinoy Suspense, a pocketbook line that featured "original Filipino paperback thrillers". Later on, after eight months of producing Pinoy Suspense pocketbooks, Anvil Publishing released its own Tagalog-language paperback romance novels that were geared towards Filipino female readers. Although Books for Pleasure, Inc. closed down in 2002, other publishing companies came to produce Tagalog-language paperbacks. Among the contemporary and most popular Tagalog romance novel brands released in the Philippine books market was the Precious Heart Romance (PHR) line, a Tagalog pocketbook brand name published by the Precious Pages Corporation since 1992. Other Tagalog paperbrands include Love Match.
Authorship
Most of the writers for Tagalog pocketbooks are females. But there are also male novelists. In this case, there were publishers who required male contributors to use female pseudonyms because of the belief that female readers prefer female authors, and that women know other women better than men. Among the first Tagalog pocketbook writers were Edgar Reyes (also known as Edgardo Reyes), Lualhati BautistaLualhati Bautista
Lualhati Torres Bautista is one of the foremost Filipino female novelists in the history of contemporary Philippine Literature. Her novels include Dekada '70, Bata, Bata, Pa'no Ka Ginawa?, and ‘GAPÔ....
, Joi Barrios, Rosalie Matilac, Leo del Rogierro, Crisostomo Papa, and Rosario Cruz Lucero. Apart from Maria Teresa Cruz San Diego (as Maia Jose or Tisha Nicole), other contemporary Tagalog pocketbook novelists were Camilla (pen name of Armine Rhea Mendoza), Apple Masallo, and Paul Sevilla.
Readership
Readers of Philippine comics, the popular literature in the Philippines from the early 1900s through the 1990s, moved into reading inexpensively priced Philippine romance novels. In terms of sales, Tagalog pocket romance books were winning over the Philippine comics industry. Among the readers of Tagalog-language paperbacks, apart from the local followers in the Philippines, are overseas FilipinoOverseas Filipino
An Overseas Filipino is a person of Philippine origin who lives outside of the Philippines. This term applies both to people of Filipino ancestry who are citizens or residents of a different country and to those Filipino citizens abroad on a more temporary status.Most overseas Filipinos migrate to...
workers, such as the female domestic helper
Filipinos in Hong Kong
There are around 140,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong, a lot of whom work as foreign domestic helpers. Filipino maids are known by the locals as fei yung , fei being the first character in the Cantonese phonetic translation of Philippines and yung means maid...
s in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. There are more female readers than males, and the female audience of Tagalog pocketbooks include young women and teenagers. Other readers set-up a collection of Tagalog pocketbooks that they rent to other paperback enthusiasts for a designated fee.
Challenges
The problems of publishing Tagalog romance novels include the issue of piracy. Among the methods used in pirating original pocketbooks were through scanning copies, changing the book covers, changing the titles, and changing the name of the authors.Film adaptation
Tagalog pocketbooks novels had been adapted into film and television. An example of a Tagalog romance novel that was adapted into television was Babes CajayonBabes Cajayon
Babes Cajayon is a renowned author of Tagalog popular romance novels in the Philippines. Cajayon used the pen name Martha Cecilia, a nom de plume she adopted from her daughter. Her trademark in pocketbook writing are novels with happy endings. She is the writer for the bestselling Kristine series,...
's (under the pen name Martha Cecilia) Kristine, which is labelled as the "most successful series in Philippine romance pocketbook history".
Significance
Together with the airing of Tagalog-language television shows and films, the publication of romance pocketbooks in Tagalog helped to further establish it as the national language of the PhilippinesFilipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
(over one hundred languages are spoken in the Philippines
Languages of the Philippines
In the Philippines, there are between 120 and 175 languages, depending on the method of classification. Four languages no longer have any known speakers. Almost all the Philippine languages belong to the Austronesian language family...
with English and Tagalog being the only official state tongues).
The books have been particularly popular with younger Filipinos, in part due to the "oral and contemporary" character of the language used in writing the novels.
External links
- Ikaw Lang sa Aking Bukas by Vicky Eleen (sample Tagalog romance novel online)
- Tagalog Pocketbooks online, Filipino love stories and romance novels made in the Philippines
- Filipino Romance Novel FRN, online novels
- Tagalog Online Pocketbook TOP, The leading source of online pinoy stories