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The Singing Detainee and the Librarian with One Book: Essays on Exile
In late 2019, Michael Beltran found himself in the city of Utrecht, The Netherlands, deep in conversation with Filipino revolutionary leaders Jose Maria Sison and Julie de Lima. What was planned to be a feature article ended up as a collection of observations on what it means to live in exile. The Singing Detainee and the Librarian with One Book shares lesser known tales about the lives of the political exiles and the people around them.
The essays track the couple’s prolonged stay as refugees, how the Philippine liberation movement found a home in Europe, and how migrants and activists alike gravitated toward each other while adrift from their homeland. “Exile,” Beltran says, “is imprisonment by displacement . . . when people are condemned to leave their lands dressed in invisible chains.”
The essays track the couple’s prolonged stay as refugees, how the Philippine liberation movement found a home in Europe, and how migrants and activists alike gravitated toward each other while adrift from their homeland. “Exile,” Beltran says, “is imprisonment by displacement . . . when people are condemned to leave their lands dressed in invisible chains.”
267 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2023
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June 30, 2025
An enjoyable read as the author spends considerable time with ka joma and ka julie de lima during their time in exile in the netherlands
Interesting look at the latter years of ka joma's life as well as his and ka julie's reflections on the natdem struggle in the Philippines
Interesting look at the latter years of ka joma's life as well as his and ka julie's reflections on the natdem struggle in the Philippines
Displaying 1 of 1 review