Cry Slaughter!: A Novel of the Philippines in World War II

by Edilberto K. Tiempo

Cry Slaughter!, first published in 1957 is a fictionalized account of guerrilla life in the central Philippines during the Second World War. Filipino author E. K. Tiempo (1913-1996), himself a member of the Filipino resistance to the Japanese occupation, paints a vivid picture of life under the Japanese, and the difficulties faced in deciding to surrender to the Japanese or take to the mountains and form a guerrilla force. As Tiempo states in the introduction to the book, “Cry Slaughter! was based on actual situations, including the central situation of the shooting of the four envoys by the minister in the story. Many incidents in the novel were taken from They Called Us Outlaws, a non-fiction work which I wrote for the Seventh Military District of the Philippine resistance forces, as part of my work as officer in charge of the historical section. Parts of They Called Us Outlaws, (the Japanese labeled the guerrillas outlaws in those days) were used in the trial of Japanese war criminals in Manila after the war. The original manuscript of Cry Slaughter! was taken out of the Philippines in a submarine in 1943 under cover of a Philippine blackout; perhaps it was the only manuscript to successfully leave the Philippines” during the War.

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Fiction-writer and literary critic Edilberto Tiempo (1913-Sept. 1996) obtained his M.F.A. from the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. in English from the University of Denver. In addition to having been a Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellow, Ed Tiempo, alongside wife Edith L. Tiempo, spent around four years studying literature and creative writing in the Iowa Writers Workshop. Upon returning to the Philippines in 1962, the Tiempos founded the Silliman National Writers Workshop after the objectives of the Iowa writers' clinic. The annual writing workshop in Dumaguete City is the longest running in Asia.

In the 1960s he taught in two American schools, but it was the Silliman University which Tiempo chose as his base, serving as department chair, graduate school dean, vice-president for academic affairs, and writer-in-residence. He reaped numerous honors for his writing, among them the Cultural Center of the Philippines Prize, Palanca Awards, the National Book Award, and a prize in the U.P. Golden Anniversary Literary Contest.

(from panitikan.com.ph)

Reviews

[Josh Hitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine and actually fairly well written, but overall, it's kind of dull. The setting is the Phillipines during the Japanese occupation and how the guerrillas kept fighting after official surrender. It's from the view of a minster turned soldier who, due to an aggressive act, has a crisis of faith. Most of the action is told second-hand since our narrator isn't part of much.

Can't really recommend it. Has some nice historical aspect since the original manuscript was written in the Phillipines and was shipped out on a sub in 43. Also based on actual events written in the official report of the resistant forces by the author.

[Kelly]

I got about halfway through this book (52% according to my kindle) and it just never really gripped me. I had put it down for about two months, for various reasons, and when I went to pick it back up, I read a few pages and just thought, nope. It wasn't terrible, but I just wasn't compelled to keep reading it.

[Lorelei · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really amazing book. From the Philippines during WWII. Recommended if you can find it.

[Ana Bonode · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was gonna be great