Banaag at Sikat

by Lope K. Santos, Danton Remoto (Translator)

Lope K. Santos’s novel, Banaag at Sikat, is a love story framed as a political tale. Published in 1906, it was later hailed as Asia’s first proletariat novel. It revolves around Delfin, a poor man in love with Meni, a capitalist’s daughter. Delfin is a socialist while Felipe, his friend, is an anarchist. Delfin wants the citizens to have more rights in business and property relations. He believes that society could be changed through education. On the other hand, Felipe believes in tearing down society’s walls. Factories should be owned by those who work there and land owned by those who till it. Banaag at Sikat mirrors the clash of forces during the American empire in the Philippines. Its burning passages on race, class, and colonialism still resonate today. Translated by ‘one of Asia’s best writers’, it is hoped that this modern rendering will inspire new readers to shape their lives so they ‘can help change the world’.

Genres: Fiction, Historical, Novels

388 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1906

About the author

Lope K. Santos (born Lope Santos y Canseco) was a Filipino Tagalog-language writer and former senator of the Philippines. He is best known for his 1906 socialist novel, Banaag at Sikat and to his contributions for the development of Filipino grammar and Tagalog orthography.

(wikipedia)

Reviews

[Billy Ibarra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unang mga pangungusap pa lang ng kahit anong manuskrito o nobela, alam mo na kung magiging masalimuot ang pagbabasa mo o hindi. At oo, napakahirap basahin ng Banaag at Sikat maski itong bagong edisyon. Unang inilimbag noong 1906 at muling inilimbag noong 1959. Kung bakit pagkalayo-layo ng agwat ng paglilimbag, ayon kay LKS:

"𝘐𝘴𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘨 𝘶𝘭𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘢𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘵, 𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘬𝘭𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘢 𝘪𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘨-𝘶𝘥𝘺𝘰𝘬 𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘭 𝘴𝘢 𝘒𝘰𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘰; 𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘱 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘢 𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘬𝘩𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢 𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘰 𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘺𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘬𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢."

Sanggol pa lamang ang sosyalismo sa Pilipinas at natututo pa lang maglakad ang unyonismo noong isulat ni LKS ang Banaag at Sikat kaya't maituturing itong panandang-bato ng 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 sa Pilipinas. Itinuring pa nga itong Biblia ng mga manggagawang Pilipino, kahit kuwento ng pag-ibig ang kabuuan nito. Abante ang nobela sa kaniyang panahon.

Tungkol ang nobela sa pag-iibigan nina Delfin at Meni, pati na rin nina Felipe at Tentay. Isang manunulat si Delfin sa isang pahayagan at anak naman si Meni ni Don Ramon---isang kilalang mangangalakal sa Maynila. Para itong sinaunang soap opera: mahirap na umibig sa mayaman at tutol ang magulang. Sa kabilang banda, si Felipe nama'y nagmula rin sa may sinasabing pamilya sa Silangan, sa Lalaguna, na umibig kay Tentay, isang mahirap.

Bukod sa istorya ng pag-iibigan, naipasok ng tauhang si Delfin ang kaisipang sosyalismo, at kay Felipe nama'y anarkismo. Katulad ng puna ni Juan C. Laya sa Banaag at Sikat, kayraming pagkahahabang pagtatalo sa aklat ukol sa 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘰, 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘰, at 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘰 na sadyang kabagot-bagot kung minsan. Ngunit sang-ayon din ako kay LKS na hindi ito dapat mawala sa nobela dahil ito ang nagpapaiba sa palasak nang kuwento ng pag-ibig sa kuwento. Social commentary ang Banaag at Sikat tungkol sa relasyon ng Puhunan at Paggawa, ng maylupa at kasamá, at iba pang mga mapapansin sa lipunang Pilipino. Kung babasahin mo ito, kailangan mong maging matimpiin dahil sadyang mabagal ang daloy ng kuwento. Huwag ka ring umasa sa isang pagkilos o pag-aaklas ng mga manggagawa dahil walang ganoon dito. Ang mayroon lang dito ay pagmumulat sa mga bagay na bagong-bago pa noon. Malinaw na ang gusto lamang ni LKS sa nobela ay buksan ang pinto at papasukin ang sikat ng sosyalismo sa bansa. Ani nga ni Felipe sa nobela:

"𝘒𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘸𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘪 𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘰𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘺?"

At sa kantang "𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘦":

"𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨
𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘯𝘶𝘣𝘰𝘴
𝘒𝘢𝘺𝘢’𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘢’𝘺
𝘕𝘢𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴."

Kung nabubuhay pa si LKS, mapagwawari niyang malayo pa ang sikat ng araw ng sosyalismo, ngunit malayo na rin. 'Ika nga, malayo pa pero malayo na.

[Roberto D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 56 out of 200 books
"Banaag at Sikat" or "From Early Dawn to Full Light" (in English) by Lope K. Santos

"Banaag at Sikat" explores the social conditions and injustice of the Philippines , early into the American occupation era.

MY THOUGHTS:
I am going to write this review in English, but that is a more unimportant fact. I liked some parts of the book but disliked most of the book for being too long in explaining the human conditions that it is nearly unnecessary.

We have Felipe and Delfin. One promotes socialism and the other detests it. One was the capitalist businessman, one was the poor farmer. So which should you choose?

I am not going to write as much for this book review. Because, as I have said, the book is boring in a lot of times.

[Radzmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really need to read this book because this much more mean to me infact these book is my project in filipino.....

[Gabriela Francisco · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The time of the great West has passed. Now it is the time for the East to rise from the shadows."

There has been a movement over the past few decades, a call to replace Jose Rizal's NOLI ME TANGERE and EL FILIBUSTERISMO in the school curriculum with this book. When I first heard of this several years ago, I remember promising to myself that, should the time come for an English translation to come out, I'd read it and find out why some folks think this is better than Ibarra and Simoun for our youth to read in class.

Fast forward the first Philippine Book Festival, where I found a copy at the Penguin SEA stall!

I dove into the novel in a comparative frame of mind, and could see a lot of similarities with the Rizal novels.

We have lovers from different social classes, a clash between haves and have-nots, characters who STAND FOR SOMETHING and have unnatural dialogues awkwardly set up as mini-debates about the pros and cons of socialism and the evils of inherited wealth.

In both novels we have the heights of the infamous Malay passion that are obvious predecessors to the melodramatic plots of teleseryes today.

Now the differences.

Rizal's novels served to unite Filipinos in their ire against the foreign oppressor.

Santos' novel, in contrast, seeks to set Filipinos against each other: the laborer versus his boss, the proletariat versus the bourgeois.

This is obviously the work of a very young man (Santos was in his early twenties when he wrote it in 1906). It reeks of dangerous idealism, untried, untested, impractical and impossible to implement.

I'll admit it was an interesting read, but only in the historic sense. This was, after all, only a few years after the death of Rizal. We had just exchanged one foreign oppressor for another. This was written before history had shown that the great experiment of socialism/communism was doomed to fail, before the Russian revolution and Stalin's infamous famine, before Mao's Cultural Revolution.

But in terms of the elements of "good literature," this book falls short and is one of those books that became famous because it was among the first of its kind, and not on the strength of its literary merit.

People fall in love at a glance. If this was meant to be a romance mixed with political propaganda, the lovers' dialogues are trite and nonsensical. One can predict what will happen in the plot chapters away. And the characters are obviously personifications of social classes, they do not change and seem like unrealistic individuals. The supposed hero and heroine's chief virtue seem to be hard headedness and not any other nobility in spirit.

The author is pedantic at times:

"From the way the two sisters dressed that day, the female guests saw how funny and ugly it was to borrow clothes from other lands, and how beautiful it was to wear dresses that belonged to one's own people. They learned that not all that was good in Europe or the United States should be borrowed and imitated by Filipinos. Whether in clothes or character traits, we should only borrow those elements that would not destroy what was beautiful in our own country and race..."

Rizal's novels, therefore, emerge superior not only in literary style, but also because of their characters. True, they are symbols, but Rizal managed to imbue them with a sense of epic majesty that captures the imagination. And his characters change. Ibarra becomes Simoun, and becomes something else towards the end.

In this regard, Banaag at Sikat fails to approach the standard that Rizal set. This teacher would support a movement to include it in the curriculum, but not to replace Noli and Fili completely.

[Michael David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I planned on reading Banaag at Sikat once it had been translated to English. First, I am not a native Tagalog speaker or reader and am more competent in English. I was fortunate that it was translated by one of my esteemed professors, and most excellently at that. It’s been almost twenty years since I’ve been under his tutelage and he never stopped practicing what he taught: avoid logorrhea, because it is always better to be understood.

Sir Danton exemplified this belief in his Penguin (!) translation of Banaag and Sikat. I would have quit reading this novel in the original Tagalog, because the novel is bloated. I understand that Lope K. Santos used his main characters as his mouthpiece, but the novel is quite excessive. Even with Sir Danton’s limpid and lively translation, the novel sags with the weight of its own ideas that were perfunctorily integrated into it.

I recall Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, which was sooty and depressing, but a lot more poignant. Rather than fixating upon talking about the concept of socialism, Upton Sinclair showed the horrible work conditions inside a meatpacking plant. Although roughly of the same length, I felt that Jungle was a lot more cohesive than Banaag at Sikat.

Banaag at Sikat has the same afflictions as Rizal’s two novels: as novels of ideas, the plot seemed too patchwork with egregious transitions. Rizal’s advantage was that he was one of the first writers of such a Philippine novel. Even near the end, new characters were also introduced that point to Filipinos being marginalized. Although much is obsolete with the novel, Santos hit the nail on the head when he showed that a lot of the problems in the Filipino is his inability to keep his dick in his pants. Almost all of the problems of the novel could have been resolved with abstinence or deliberation.

The novel’s antagonist, Don Ramon, is the father of the female protagonist. He is rich, entitled, and very much a caricature of the Filipino landowner during the time. He beats his workers, women, and makes money taking advantage of others. He's so one-dimensional that a straight line might have more depth.

The love stories at the heart of the novel represent the rich-poor dynamic. I'm just droning on, because there's really little to laud about the novel.

The most frustrating part of the novel was Santos talking about it being a socialist novel yet never really diving into its nuances: this can be contrasted with the rather explosive extreme that Simoun decided to realize in El Filibusterismo. Here, there's just whining and more whining.

Banaag at Sikat is more of a historical curio than a good novel. I am highly appreciative of the linguistic legerdemain that Sir Danton did with this novel, but even his lively translation can’t buoy the unevenness and bloat that this novel possesses.

If you have to read this novel, however, this is the definitive translation. If there's one thing I got from this novel, it showed me was sir Danton's interminable patience. If it was a chore to read, I can't imagine how much of a chore it was to expertly translate.

[Guelan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nang walang pagtawad sa kahalagahan ng naturang nobela sa malinggatong na kasaysayan ng mga unyong manggagawa at Sosyalismo sa Filipinas, yaring “kathambuhay” bilang teksto ay buhay na buhay bilang sityo ng biyak na kamalayan ni Santos: bilang ideyologo(ng nakatutulig! makatanggal-tutuli!) at bilang natural na makata sa modong komiko. Kung ihahambing ang mga proselito — na nakapapagod! sukat maunawaan ko kung ba’t sila ibig busalan nina Don Ramon at Don Filemon sa batis ng Antipulo! — na sina Delfin at Felipe, kumpara sa mga buhay na buhay na personang sina Meni (huwaran sa pag-iyak at paghihimatay at pang-uuyam sa ligawan!), Julita, Nora Loleng, ang Ale ni Delfin (itong huling tatlo’y ilan sa pinakakatawa-tawang mga tauhan sa mga nobelang Filipinong nabasa ko na), at ang huli-ma’t-mahahabol-ding romantikong abenturerong si Ruperto at kaniyang kasing si Sela, walang maibabatbat ang paris ng mga ideologo sa parikala, kulay, at kasiningan nitong mga huli. Patunay na si Santos ay mapagpahiwatig sa komikong banghay ng nobela, at di-gasino sa madidiwarang diskurso ng samparis na bugnuting palaisip — aanhin ang payak at reduktibong agham-politika ni Santos kumpara sa yaman, estetika’t kubling politika ng kaniyang komiko-trahedyang talagang palaisipan at sakdal-katatatawanan, na lalong nabibida kay Mening walang kahulilip sa pagiging kasinta-sinta?

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

From what I read about this novel, at the time of publishing this socialism was still a new idea. Introducing it through a love story was a fairly usual strategy and looking at it as that might have justified how it was kind of disproportionate in its content of socialism and the love story. But what fell flat for me was the lack of nuance of the characters and how these socialist ideas can intertwine with their lives (which was portrayed nicely as a historical piece) already ruled by capitalism. I did kind of expect something as thrilling or controversial (maybe it was because redtagging might already be present then) as Rizal's novels like a bomb in a party or something hahah. It was also really intriguing to learn that this was written by a senator then hehe. To live in time where a typical Philippine senator can write a book hay.

Don't get me wrong, I did adore the love story with its teleserye tropes which tells that these tropes were already a Filipino favorite since back then haha and I must say that these types of novels should still be produced today (kind of like giving medicine to kids hidden in snacks HAHA) because of the lack of class consciousness displayed by the majority of the present people in the Philippines.

Medyo ironic lang talaga na binasa ko to sa kalagitnaan ng Buwan ng Wika pero nakasalin sa Ingles hehe. Susunod ko namang babasahin ay Mga Ibong Mandaragit (The Preying Birds) ni Amado V. Hernandez at salin din ni Danton Remoto na siya ring nagsalin nitong Banaag at Sikat. Baka mas radikal at kontrobersyal dahil itinitutulad daw iyon sa The Count of Monte Cristo. Mataas ang aking inaasahan. (HAHA)

[Cezca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Banaag at Sikat doesn't just tell a story. Often regarded as the first social realist novel in the Philippines, it creates a manifesto. It shhows a vision of what society could become. It’s a heavy read, dense in philosophy and ideals, but it’s also gripping in its portrayal of friendship and ideals colliding with reality. This novel doesn’t sugarcoat; instead, it pushes you to think deeply about the pursuit of justice and the nature of sacrifice.

[Emilio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Premise 5
Plot 5
Style 4
I consider this as OG, one of the pioneers. Lit in the 1900s. Deserves respect. May pagka teleserye but we know it got there first. Mainly about socialism in the time of American occupation wrapped in the characters' personal struggles. It was a product of its time, and so was the style and the way it was worded. Not meant to be compared to contemporary lit.

[emil · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY NABASA KO NA TO!!!! GANDA!!!!!!!

[Efraim Ampong · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ampong

[Cyndee Bartolome · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paano basahin to?!!!!

[Dannah Nicole]

i want to read it

[Sophia Beltran · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I read this?

[Jessica Diesta · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a good book.

this is also my last review on goodreads. i’m moving to fable ✌🏽

[Sofia Khu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited about this book since it was considered to be Asia’s first proletariat novel, but I found it to be tendentious and full of cliches.

[Jean Louise | bookloure · Rating 2 out of 5]

read the translation by Danton Remoto and my recommendation is to just skip it. idk about the original tagalog, tho.

[Princess Zaira · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[John Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its so amazing..i love it.

[Jannah Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might be the best book I've read so far, I mean this is my first book that is political and boy do I want to read more books like this. This book was written in the past but it's content remains relevant today, one of the lines that really resonates in me was *bit spoiler alert*

"What am I to do Delfin? Should I just turn a blind eye to the acts of injustice and oppression unfolding right before me? If those who are enlightened just stand back and do nothing then surely darkness would descend upon our land and consume us all." This alone tells you so much about the book. I think every filipino student out there should read this so that they'll learn and make their eyes open to the injustices of the government and even inside our society. We must be enlightened so that we can bring back the light in the darkness lurking around our world.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading Banaag at Sikat (read Danton Remoto's English translation, alternatively published under the title ‘Radiance and Sunrise’), I’ve realized that the best, if not the only way to read it is to read it in its bare original hefty Tagalog text. There simply is no way through or around it. There is a reason why historians often regard Santos’ work as a staple of Filipino literature, and that is specifically because it paved the way for other full-length Tagalog novels to come into fruition. For a time, it was the standard.

However, Banaag at Sikat suffers from many weaknesses. The novel introduces us to the aristocratic lives of capitalists vacationing in 1900s Antipolo. Accompanying them is Delfin, a young newspaperman who sports the ideals of socialism and advocates the lives of the working class. However, the supposed holiday is unduly interrupted when Delfin finds himself caught in the middle of a heated exchange with Don Ramon—who, unfortunately, is the father of his lover, Meni. The story naturally takes its course from this incident, and along the way, the lovers struggle to fight for their love albeit Don Ramon’s tyrannical resistance, which seems to be an overarching exploration of the true theme of Banaag at Sikat.

But while it sounds grand and promising, with its title alluding to a shower of golden rays from early signs of morning, a reflection of the inchoate right of Filipino workers come the dawn of the great tomorrow, the story is nonetheless far from that. Sadly, I found Banaag at Sikat a bit distracted in its purpose. It’s flat. Much of its futile attempt to discuss human behavior with respect to one’s personal property, labor relations, exploitation under capitalism, was at its best just that–an attempt. The dialogues between Delfin, Felipe, Don Ramon, and Yoyong felt awkward and haphazardly shoved in the scenes, but none of it ultimately affected the heart of the novel. No real stakes were raised to consequently progress the story. This was my main sentiment because to me the real conflict was how Meni and Delfin must be together. For a book aiming to explore socialist themes in an ambitious scale, the conflict felt too trivial and individualistic.

[Maria Jastine Golo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Radiance and Sunrise depicts the socioeconomic conditions of the early 20th  century Philippines during the American occupation. You can really feel the main characters' strong conviction in the ideologies they believe in as they express their sentiments about the struggles of the proletariat. The book remains relevant, as it continues to resonate with contemporary issues in society such as economic inequality and injustice. This work gives hope to the oppressed, believing that a ray of the rising sun will shine upon them and the country. It encourages the readers to envision a better society where there is equality and justice for all.

[Wogie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ang mahabang nobelang ito'y napakaganda. Pinagsama-sama ang kwento ng pag-iibigang tunay nina Delfin at Meni, at nina Felipe at Tentay, ang pag-ibig nina Delfin at Felipe sa kanilang ideolohiya, ang pagdaralita ng mga anak ng bayan. Kapupulutan din ng maraming kaalaman hinggil sa lipunan.

[Janrose Ocampo]

yeyt

[Cate · Rating 5 out of 5]

wala naman.. anu kaya 2 baliw lang ang peg

[Violete]

I think I will like this book.

[Rb Salonga]

How can I read this ?