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Dust Devils: A Bilingual Selection of Poems on Youth
This is a collection of poems especially for young people who perhaps have never felt how it is to be apart or uprooted from one's native soil, or especially for those who have.
- GenresPoetry
95 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
7 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Virgilio S. Almario
140 books290 followersVirgilio S. Almario, better known by his pen name, Rio Alma, is a Filipino artist, poet, critic, translator, editor, teacher, and cultural manager. He is a National Artist of the Philippines.
Growing up in Bulacan among peasants, Almario sought his education in Manila and completed his degree in A.B. Political Science at the University of the Philippines. A prolific writer, he spearheaded the second successful modernist movement in Filipino poetry together with Rogelio G. Mangahas and Lamberto E. Antonio. His earliest pieces of literary criticism were collected in Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina (1972), now considered the first book of literary criticism in Filipino. Later, in the years of martial law, he set aside modernism and formalism and took interest in nationalism, politics and activist movement. As critic, his critical works deal with the issue of national language.
Aside from being a critic, Almario engaged in translating and editing. He has translated the best contemporary poets of the world. He has also translated for theater production the plays of Nick Joaquin, Bertolt Brecht, Euripedes and Maxim Gorki. Other important translations include the famous works of the Philippines' national hero, José Rizal, namely Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. It was deemed as the best translation by the Manila Critics Circle.
Almario has been a recipient of numerous awards such as several Palanca Awards, two grand prizes from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Makata ng Taon of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, the TOYM for literature, and the Southeast Asia Write Award of Bangkok.
He was an instructor at the Ateneo de Manila University from 1969-1972. He only took his M.A. in Filipino in 1974 in the University of the Philippines. In 2003, he was appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Letters in the said university. In June 25 of the same year, he was proclaimed National Artist for Literature.
Almario is also the founder and workshop director of the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), an organization of poets who write in Filipino. Award-winning writers and poets such as Roberto and Rebecca Añonuevo, Romulo Baquiran Jr., Michael Coroza, Jerry Gracio, and Vim Nadera are but some of the products of the LIRA workshop.
Growing up in Bulacan among peasants, Almario sought his education in Manila and completed his degree in A.B. Political Science at the University of the Philippines. A prolific writer, he spearheaded the second successful modernist movement in Filipino poetry together with Rogelio G. Mangahas and Lamberto E. Antonio. His earliest pieces of literary criticism were collected in Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina (1972), now considered the first book of literary criticism in Filipino. Later, in the years of martial law, he set aside modernism and formalism and took interest in nationalism, politics and activist movement. As critic, his critical works deal with the issue of national language.
Aside from being a critic, Almario engaged in translating and editing. He has translated the best contemporary poets of the world. He has also translated for theater production the plays of Nick Joaquin, Bertolt Brecht, Euripedes and Maxim Gorki. Other important translations include the famous works of the Philippines' national hero, José Rizal, namely Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. It was deemed as the best translation by the Manila Critics Circle.
Almario has been a recipient of numerous awards such as several Palanca Awards, two grand prizes from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Makata ng Taon of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, the TOYM for literature, and the Southeast Asia Write Award of Bangkok.
He was an instructor at the Ateneo de Manila University from 1969-1972. He only took his M.A. in Filipino in 1974 in the University of the Philippines. In 2003, he was appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Letters in the said university. In June 25 of the same year, he was proclaimed National Artist for Literature.
Almario is also the founder and workshop director of the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), an organization of poets who write in Filipino. Award-winning writers and poets such as Roberto and Rebecca Añonuevo, Romulo Baquiran Jr., Michael Coroza, Jerry Gracio, and Vim Nadera are but some of the products of the LIRA workshop.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 15, 2015
My 7th poetry book by Rio Alma. I found this one just an-OK poetry book for me. As the subtitle suggest, this book's target market is the youth or young people. That probably is the reason why I felt left out while reading most of the poems in this book.
However, there are those that I was able to relate with particularly those poems whose settings are in the barrios. Rio Alma was a provincial boy like me. He is 20 years my senior but I could relate to him particularly those poems when he was living in the barrio and highlighting the nature: the farm, mountain, thunder, rain, chicken, banana, coconut trees, carabao, etc. The poems here are also less political than those in Kung Bakit Kailangan ang Himala (4 stars) but less playful that those in his Estremelenggoles (3 stars). The book design, however, is unparalleled. The pages are in full of illustrations. The pages in Filipino are white with violet prints while the pages in English are violet with white prints. The cover is colorful and modern and colors and fonts are youthful.
My favorite poem in this collection is "Pagdiriwang Sa Kamusmusan (Pagkatapos ni SJP)." Let's not ask who SJP is because for Rio Alma, it is not important for you to know. Haha.
However, there are those that I was able to relate with particularly those poems whose settings are in the barrios. Rio Alma was a provincial boy like me. He is 20 years my senior but I could relate to him particularly those poems when he was living in the barrio and highlighting the nature: the farm, mountain, thunder, rain, chicken, banana, coconut trees, carabao, etc. The poems here are also less political than those in Kung Bakit Kailangan ang Himala (4 stars) but less playful that those in his Estremelenggoles (3 stars). The book design, however, is unparalleled. The pages are in full of illustrations. The pages in Filipino are white with violet prints while the pages in English are violet with white prints. The cover is colorful and modern and colors and fonts are youthful.
My favorite poem in this collection is "Pagdiriwang Sa Kamusmusan (Pagkatapos ni SJP)." Let's not ask who SJP is because for Rio Alma, it is not important for you to know. Haha.
December 18, 2011
Wonderful. Very Filipino.
October 2, 2017
It saddens me that I find it easier to read the poems in its English form that the original native language. The translator Kilates did a great job with the translation as the overall feel and message of the poems, in my opinion, were kept and preserved. In an unexpected turn of events, I am more curious to read works from the translator than Rio Alma.
2017 Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge: Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love. - 7/24
2017 Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge: Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love. - 7/24
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews