Lumpen: Ficcion

by Federico Licsi Espino Jr.

115 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Marwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

FLE remains one of the most prolific writers in the late 20th-century Philippine literary scene. Sadly, many of his books were self-published in extremely limited print runs, making them rare enough to send collectors into a frenzy; whenever copies surface today they often fetch thousands from the most eager buyers.

In an era when prostitution was commonly seen as a women’s issue, Lumpen subverts this notion through its protagonist, Segkoupolos, a half-foreigner, half-Filipino who fought to survive through sex work. When he lands a job as a university janitor, it represents his chance to leave that life behind. But after his wallet, containing his entire weekly salary, was stolen by a pickpocket, he finds himself with no choice but to return to the very work he had hoped to escape.

It is difficult not to pity him as he’s driven back into this cycle of desperation. With mouths to feed and bills to pay, he returns to that familiar stretch along Avenida, rejoining his friends and offering his body once again. The story is a bleak choreography of poverty, desire, and the blunt realities that shape his world.