Father Solo and Other Stories for Adults Only

by Isagani R. Cruz

This book is meant to be read by adults only.

The content is inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18.

94 pages, Newsprint

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Former Philippine Undersecretary of Education ISAGANI R. CRUZ (Ph.D. English, University of Maryland) is currently a Professor Emeritus, a University Fellow, and the Academic Publications Executive Publisher of De La Salle University, the Director of the Teachers Academy of Far Eastern University, and a Visiting Lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of Santo Tomas. He writes plays, essays, biographies, and short stories in Filipino and English, for which he has won numerous national and international awards, including the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards in Literature Hall of Fame and the Southeast Asian Writers (SEAWRITE) Award. He has written or edited more than thirty books. He has been a professor or a visiting fellow at various universities in the Philippines, the United States, Iran, Japan, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom, including the University of Oxford. He heads the Philippine Fulbright Scholars Association, Wika ng Kultura at Agham (WIKA), Books for Philippine Schools Foundation, the Active E-Learning Technologies Foundation, and Libro Amigo Publishers. He co-founded the Manila Critics Circle, the Philippine Association of Scholarly and Academic Publishers (PASAP) and the Philippine Journals Online project. He is the former President of the Philippine Studies Association (PSA). He is a retired Senior Bibliographer of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA). He has been decorated by the Government of France as a Chevalier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite and by the Ramain family as Honorary Sultan of Iligan City. He is a Project Director of the Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education (FUSE) and is the Program Director of the Philippine Cultural Education Program (PCEP) of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). He is a member of the English Speaking Union (ESU) Philippines, the Technical Advisory Council of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology, and Engineering (COMSTE), Filipinas Licensing Copyright Society (FILCOLS), and Former Senior Government Officials (FSGO). He writes for Philippine Star and BizNews Asia.

Reviews

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was aware of the fact that Isagani R. Cruz is a writer and columnist of the Philippine Star, one of the leading newspapers publication in the Philippines. Most of his articles are on educational system. I even tried to read his articles ; thereafter, I had the idea that the writer is so well-educated and respected that I might find him such a book bore ( just the like of me) and cannot stand finishing his pieces. I guess I have the conception that well-educated people are too serious as if when you talk to them, you might just be given a dead pan face. But wait, as I always put, there must be a method to someone’s madness like Isagani R. Cruz's .

Father Solo and other Short Stories by Isagani R. Cruz is a big revelation to me. But first of all, take note its front cover says that this is FOR ADULTS ONLY while its back cover, instead of a synopsis, reiterates that This book is meant to be read BY ADULTS ONLY, and The Content is inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. Its publisher may have been aware of the ridiculous fact that the author himself might be excommunicated by the holier-than-thou Church , or some moralistic NGO’s might take a pot shot at him for its malicious contents. Well, I cannot blame the publisher and the author themselves. I wish young readers knew how to keep at bay from this.

The book turns out to be couched in satirical insinuation despite that the book covers suggest that this must be pregnant with obscene and vulgar language. For instance, In Father Solo, the center of the theme is about masturbation, but do not focus on that because after all, the story reflects in the hypocrisy of priests on their pain-in-the-asshole preach that masturbators go to the eternal fire and brimstone. However, in reality as the story puts it, they practice it likewise. Furthermore, the story illustrates the clandestine sequence of what happens to priest involved in sex scandals. They are not far different from the “trapong” politicians.

In Once Upon a Time Some Years From Now , on the other hand, infers what a real president should be. Without direct allusion, the character Cory Fernandez as the first female president of the Philippines could be the persona of the late Mother of Democracy, Corazon Aquino. Isagani R. Cruz must like her. Of course, it does not do away with the highlight of fetish obscenity: the respected President uses Portable Orgasm Machine or POM. I do not have the faintest idea of what this fetish stands for in the story.

Among the other short stories , Picked is not quite raunchy , but it satirically limns politicians in high government seats who are living in their own reality that they can use the taxes paid by Filipinos in their hedonistic hobbies , bribery, and other under-the-table activities to maintain their positions. A corrupt politician can for sure cringe at it.

Although it’s my first book of I. R. Cruz , I admire his writing style . His style is conventionally professional, but flexible with modern ideas. With his style, he can put the pigment of his imagination into a classical masterpiece just the like of this book. And this is what I have always wanted to imitate, but mine for sure will be a pale imitation. (laughs)

Truly, had I not read it, I would not have known that I CAN write after all.

[Mirvan. Ereon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very exciting and pleasant to read. So erotically-charged, a work by a true master of the craft. Forbidden thoughts, infidelity, casual sex and many more, this very slim volume will leave you hungry for more of Isagani's writing. And they are so good that I just want to write like him too. =P

[C.L. Balagoza]

This collection of short stories hid me under the table of our library. Nagulat ako nang makita ko ito sa library namin, though hindi pa ako aware kay Sir Isagani Cruz. Sinimulan ko itong basahin and just like every book that caught my attention, I've become entranced with the short stories and done it for a short period of time. My shyness of sharing the book i am reading that specific time dissolves. Ni-recommend ko ito sa mga kaklase ko. Who cares kung the book i will read define me? Enjoy ko namang tinapos e. I am more for the plot.

[michi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly the last story is probably the best out of all of them but still an obvious product of a man who likes his Ye Olde Film References. Anyway, I hate the whole thing. Somebody buy this off me so it can never sully my shelves ever again.

[Jeffskie Rosello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to read it please help me

[sun dried library · Rating 5 out of 5]

for the fragile, the mean, the lost, and the horny

[DC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of 5 stories (Father Solo, Once Upon a Time Some Years from Now, Termination, Picked, What I Did Last Summer). This is labelled "For Adults Only" not just because of its erotic content, but also because of the ideas here that young minds may not appreciate or understand. (For example: politics, psychology, academic pursuits, etc.)

The language is lovely, the storytelling is neat and superb (although Picked here needs some getting used to), and the plots were quite unexpected for me (I had some shock to get over here and there, but that's what makes it interesting!).

This book is just a few pages, so I read it in more or less one sitting. Quick, easy, mature.

[Mikko Peralta · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would be tragic for one to not read this book.

Isagani Cruz is a literary genius!

FYI. Love the Cory Fernandez story.

[Rom Nick]

hahaha