Myself, Elsewhere

by Carmen Guerrero Nakpil

About The BookThis first volume of a 3-part series is both an autobiography and a memoir of old pre-war Ermita. It covers the period between 1922, the start of what Nick Joaquin called Manila’s “most glittering decade” and 1945, the destruction of Manila. The gentility of pre-war Ermita makes for dramatic contrast to the brutality of the battle that destroyed it. Using flashbacks and fastforwards, Mrs. Nakpil provides historical background and foreground to the highly personal account of her early years and family history. This book also describes the cultural frame, the manners, and morals, gossip and intrigue of a small Filipino town on Manila Bay during the first half of the 20th century and it does so with humor and also sorrow over its tragedy. Reviews for Myself, Elsewhere “Powerful, authentic -- a look back at the way people lived, loved, even hated,” ---Manuel Quezon III. "All the passion, intrigue and action to make a great movie" ---Film director Chito S. Rono. "The memoir does more than show us the way we were. It also captures a state of mind long vanished.” -- Film director Peque Gallaga “There is simply enough material here for a ‘War and Peace’.” -- Writer Adrian E. Cristobal. "As many-layered and as rich as a millefeuille or a sans rival slice. Not only is it autobiography and memoir but also history, social commentary and a priceless snapshot of a lifestyle and an era in a district (la Ermita) whose tiny size belied its stellar role in antebellum Manila. Indeed, the book is not simply a compilation of previously published essays, but a riveting, totally original and candid revelation, (in her own words, she has “opened a vein”) of a privileged youth but also of painful memories involving the destruction not only of a way of life but also of lives unnecessarily wasted and traumatized in a horrific war." - Ambassador Virgilo Reyes, Jr., Pretoria, South Africa, 2007."Crisp, clear and compelling prose teleports the reader to the optimistic era of Manila from the 1920s to the ’40s. This dexterous bit of time-travel enriches the book’s narrative, making it both fond and yet reflective, a gambit of symphony." -- Ruel S. de Vera, Philippine Inquirer, February 23, 2007

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil was a Filipino journalist, author, historian and public servant.

Reviews

[Julian Inah Anunciacion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myself, Elsewhere is the first in an autobiography trilogy by journalist Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil of the eminent Guerrero clan.

I read this book for a creative project and approached it as a spectacle. The rigid lives of the upper class Filipinos in pre-WWII Ermita provoked in me both contempt and fascination. Although it was an autobiography of Guerrero-Nakpil, I read it more as a biography of a place: Ermita as Ozymandias--the statue of a mighty king that fell "...Round the decay/ Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare" (Shelley 1818).

All in all, it was a well-written piece and a model autobiography for those who want to focus on the nonfiction genre. The intricacy of details, the simplicity of the text, and the strength of the narrative structure made this text very engaging.

The only thing that bothered me is that the author worked under President Marcos and was part of the First Lady's inner circle (which will be explored at length in the second installment of Guerrero-Nakpil's autobiography trilogy).

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very engaging that I could not stop reading it straight through in short order. I was yearning to see (or, at least, imagine,) what it was like to live in Manila prior to its destruction in the Second World War. I have been to Ermita once, walking with my brother and uncle along the famous Roxas Boulevard (once called Dewey Boulevard) and saw how the area has gotten ugly and overly congested; the air was filled with petrol fumes, the Manila Bay was murky, the sidewalk filled with peddlers. It had improved since my last visit based on the many pictures and videos I saw, which I find quite wonderful.

In contrast to my experience, Mrs. Nakpil's account of her experiences of her life in Ermita is very delightful, her descriptions so romantic, that I could not help but wonder if Ermita was indeed what it seemed to her. For example, Mrs. Nakpil's point-of-view of Ermita was primarily confined to her experiences being in a prestigious family, living a commodious lifestyle. Her friends were also well pampered, and based on Mrs. Nakpil's account, they all seem to exude a sense of constant bliss. Obviously, there were ups and downs, but they all (or most) seem to have lived a life detached from the experiences of most Filipinos. Imagine being able to live like royalty, ordering foreign foods on a whim, being able to buy the best things money can buy, having multiple cars, having a retinue of maids. That seems to be the Ermita Mrs. Nakpil remembers.

If you're looking for a story of Ermita from the point-of-view of an upper-class Filipina in the 1930s-40s, then this book is definitely worth a read; but if you're looking for a book that tells the lives of ordinary Filipinos in that period, then this is not the book for you.

Mrs. Nakpil does have some intriguing comments directed to America and Americans that are very evocative. She's obviously not a big lover of the colonial power. I think she has a love-hate relationship with America. She praises their achievements on the modernization of Manila, while equally loathing their presence in the country as colonizers. It seems bizarre to me. She seems pretty conflicted in that regard.

[Ferdi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essayist Carmen Guerrero Nakpil looks back to life in pre-WWII Manila, especially Ermita, as the only daughter in a household of a preeminent Filipino family, detailing the neighborhood mores, class divisions, characters and preoccupations of the times. She also opens up about a difficult time she rarely discussed before: the horrors of war, losing a husband and her previous life to the Japanese occupation at a young age. At the end of this memoir, she is left to rebuild her life with two very young children, even as the city was in ruins. No one has seen it like her and our good fortune is that her prose is lively, insightful and unflinching.