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Cándido's Apocalypse
What does Bobby Heredias see that other people don’t?
Now a stand-alone, Candido’s Apocalypse first appeared in the story collection Tropical Gothic, published in 1979.
Now a stand-alone, Candido’s Apocalypse first appeared in the story collection Tropical Gothic, published in 1979.
83 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
46 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
About the author
Nick Joaquín
92 books448 followersNicomedes Márquez Joaquín (1917–2004) was a Filipino writer and journalist best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. In 1976, Joaquin was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature. He has been considered one of the most important Filipino writers, along with José Rizal and Claro M. Recto. Unlike Rizal and Recto, whose works were written in Spanish, Joaquin's major works were written in English despite being a native Spanish speaker.
Before becoming one of the leading practitioners of Philippine literature in English, he was a seminarian in Hong Kong – who later realized that he could better serve God and humanity by being a writer. This is reflected in the content and style of his works, as he emphasizes the need to restore national consciousness through important elements of Catholic Spanish Heritage.
In his self-confessed mission as a writer, he is a sort of "cultural apostle" whose purpose is to revive interest in Philippine national life through literature – and provide the necessary drive and inspiration for a fuller comprehension of their cultural background. His awareness of the significance of the past to the present is part of a concerted effort to preserve the spiritual tradition and the orthodox faith of the Catholic past – which he perceives as the only solution to our modern ills.
Before becoming one of the leading practitioners of Philippine literature in English, he was a seminarian in Hong Kong – who later realized that he could better serve God and humanity by being a writer. This is reflected in the content and style of his works, as he emphasizes the need to restore national consciousness through important elements of Catholic Spanish Heritage.
In his self-confessed mission as a writer, he is a sort of "cultural apostle" whose purpose is to revive interest in Philippine national life through literature – and provide the necessary drive and inspiration for a fuller comprehension of their cultural background. His awareness of the significance of the past to the present is part of a concerted effort to preserve the spiritual tradition and the orthodox faith of the Catholic past – which he perceives as the only solution to our modern ills.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
August 6, 2012
A friend of mine, Cye, lent me this book. They were studying this in her Young Adult literature class and I said, what. The cover looked anti-Young Adult to me; it actually foreshadowed gore and horror. She told me that Bobby/Candido, the main character of Candido's Apocalypse, was a juvenile, thus it was listed under the Young Adult category of Philippine literature.
Honestly, it was a Filipinized version of The Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield used 'phony,' Bobby Heredia used 'overacting.' Both basically shared that common teenage angst of hating the world and all of humankind that inhabited it. I sympathized more with Bobby than with Holden, not only because Bobby was the localized version but also because of Nick Joaquin's take on audience sympathy. First of all, Lolo Nick--I shall call him this hereafter--knew the conceitedness of the subject of teenaged angst and rebellion. Therefore he distanced the topic from the reader by not using the first-person point of view (unlike in Catcher). In that way, the reader was allowed to speculate, and process his own thoughts regarding Bobby, instead of having Bobby rant about them. This technique excellently complemented his style of using a lot of symbolism and imagery.
Identity was heavily tackled in the novella. Names were seen as the epitome of one's identity:
'Then there were the names. Everybody he knew was called Bobby or Willie or Boy or Rene, and Susie or Maggie or Tess or Mari-something. All the children he knew had the same names their parents had picked because those were the current "society" names.'
This segment showed Bobby's hatred to conformity. The narrator added:
'He had heard that in the old days you got whatever name was on the calendar the day you were born. That had struck him as a cleaner naming. No fuss. No nonsense. A la suerte. You got what you had to have. It was yours truly and exclusively dedicated.'
'But parents who picked your name loaded it with wind. The name was not you; the name was your parents and what they thought they were or had got and whatever else they wanted. A boy named Bobby had to be the sort of boy a boy named Bobby would be.'
Actually, Bobby's hatred was not to conformity in general, but to conformity of the present society. The 'old days' and the calendar names denoted a pagan tone. At seventeen, Bobby looked up his supposed name in the calendar: Candido, martir. The title itself, Candido's Apocalypse (and not "Bobby's Apocalypse") was a manifestation of Bobby's want of rebirth wherein he was himself, unatainted from the dictates of his present society. But Bobby missed out that he might not be the only Candido among the countless Candidos born on the same day he was; that there is still conformity and a system that is never absent in any given society.
The Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of his Bobby-Candido identity might issue the topic of property. The namer is always the one in power over the named--the inferior and the property.
Another curious notion in the story was that the scars and filth were seen as parts of one's identity. Impurities are part of what makes someone Someone:
'The big wart on the face of this man made him this man; scars and wrinkles and mendings and tumours and all that could mar the flesh marked out a charcter, an identity, this life, this soul.'
What made this novella a classic was the richness of its symbolism. They could be taken metaphorically and literally, yet they convey the same intent, though different impression. The genius of Lolo Nick was also inherent in his language. The main character was always in motion; the story was not set in a single space. There was a continuous flux such as running. Lolo Nick used a hypnotic flow of language to add to the effect of isolation amidst movement.
There are a few problems though with Lolo Nick's language. He used the Filipino slang in a Western perspective by italicizing the words: siga, diahe, tepok, ayos, erma, derpahe. He exoticized words that were supposedly familiar among Filipinos, practically attempting to cater a foreign audience. Aiming for a larger audience was not at all outrageous, yet other exotic words of other countries such as sushi, canton, and others were no longer italicized in world literature.
Bobby's awakening to everybody's nakedness was alike to his awakening from innocence to the sense of reality. He did not just see everybody naked, he even saw them as machine-like pieces of bones and ligaments and muscles, controlled by a Scientist. Yet he failed to see himself naked; he failed to realize that his new view of the world would be in need of apprehension by looking at himself first, and seeing his own nakedness, scars and all. This is a common blame-everything-on-the-world, Holden Caulfield dilemma.
It was curious that the first person he saw naked was his Mommy. One thing could be that a mother's flesh was also the son's flesh. A person is more of his mother than his father because he shared the same body with his mother for nine months, and drank from it for another more months. I somehow read this as an Oedipus Complex. Bobby caught Pompoy looking at Bobby's mother 'up and down and all over her that slow way he had of looking at women.' And Bobby fired his father's gun. It was somehow suggestive of jealousy of the son, Bobby in this case. Every boy undergoes this disorder especially in adolescence.
Social classes were very distinct based from the division of the town, the ideologies, the prejudices among the characters in the story. The teenage diversion from this conformity was viewed as very unconventional among the people in the society. It showed a society afraid of change, and a society incapable of recognizing the filth of its own nakedness.
Although the idea that Candido's Apocalypse was inspired by The Cathcer in the Rye was not at all impossible, I could say that this was one of those rare times that the 'copy' becomes better than the original it derived itself from. Kudos, Lolo Nick!
Honestly, it was a Filipinized version of The Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield used 'phony,' Bobby Heredia used 'overacting.' Both basically shared that common teenage angst of hating the world and all of humankind that inhabited it. I sympathized more with Bobby than with Holden, not only because Bobby was the localized version but also because of Nick Joaquin's take on audience sympathy. First of all, Lolo Nick--I shall call him this hereafter--knew the conceitedness of the subject of teenaged angst and rebellion. Therefore he distanced the topic from the reader by not using the first-person point of view (unlike in Catcher). In that way, the reader was allowed to speculate, and process his own thoughts regarding Bobby, instead of having Bobby rant about them. This technique excellently complemented his style of using a lot of symbolism and imagery.
Identity was heavily tackled in the novella. Names were seen as the epitome of one's identity:
'Then there were the names. Everybody he knew was called Bobby or Willie or Boy or Rene, and Susie or Maggie or Tess or Mari-something. All the children he knew had the same names their parents had picked because those were the current "society" names.'
This segment showed Bobby's hatred to conformity. The narrator added:
'He had heard that in the old days you got whatever name was on the calendar the day you were born. That had struck him as a cleaner naming. No fuss. No nonsense. A la suerte. You got what you had to have. It was yours truly and exclusively dedicated.'
'But parents who picked your name loaded it with wind. The name was not you; the name was your parents and what they thought they were or had got and whatever else they wanted. A boy named Bobby had to be the sort of boy a boy named Bobby would be.'
Actually, Bobby's hatred was not to conformity in general, but to conformity of the present society. The 'old days' and the calendar names denoted a pagan tone. At seventeen, Bobby looked up his supposed name in the calendar: Candido, martir. The title itself, Candido's Apocalypse (and not "Bobby's Apocalypse") was a manifestation of Bobby's want of rebirth wherein he was himself, unatainted from the dictates of his present society. But Bobby missed out that he might not be the only Candido among the countless Candidos born on the same day he was; that there is still conformity and a system that is never absent in any given society.
The Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of his Bobby-Candido identity might issue the topic of property. The namer is always the one in power over the named--the inferior and the property.
Another curious notion in the story was that the scars and filth were seen as parts of one's identity. Impurities are part of what makes someone Someone:
'The big wart on the face of this man made him this man; scars and wrinkles and mendings and tumours and all that could mar the flesh marked out a charcter, an identity, this life, this soul.'
What made this novella a classic was the richness of its symbolism. They could be taken metaphorically and literally, yet they convey the same intent, though different impression. The genius of Lolo Nick was also inherent in his language. The main character was always in motion; the story was not set in a single space. There was a continuous flux such as running. Lolo Nick used a hypnotic flow of language to add to the effect of isolation amidst movement.
There are a few problems though with Lolo Nick's language. He used the Filipino slang in a Western perspective by italicizing the words: siga, diahe, tepok, ayos, erma, derpahe. He exoticized words that were supposedly familiar among Filipinos, practically attempting to cater a foreign audience. Aiming for a larger audience was not at all outrageous, yet other exotic words of other countries such as sushi, canton, and others were no longer italicized in world literature.
Bobby's awakening to everybody's nakedness was alike to his awakening from innocence to the sense of reality. He did not just see everybody naked, he even saw them as machine-like pieces of bones and ligaments and muscles, controlled by a Scientist. Yet he failed to see himself naked; he failed to realize that his new view of the world would be in need of apprehension by looking at himself first, and seeing his own nakedness, scars and all. This is a common blame-everything-on-the-world, Holden Caulfield dilemma.
It was curious that the first person he saw naked was his Mommy. One thing could be that a mother's flesh was also the son's flesh. A person is more of his mother than his father because he shared the same body with his mother for nine months, and drank from it for another more months. I somehow read this as an Oedipus Complex. Bobby caught Pompoy looking at Bobby's mother 'up and down and all over her that slow way he had of looking at women.' And Bobby fired his father's gun. It was somehow suggestive of jealousy of the son, Bobby in this case. Every boy undergoes this disorder especially in adolescence.
Social classes were very distinct based from the division of the town, the ideologies, the prejudices among the characters in the story. The teenage diversion from this conformity was viewed as very unconventional among the people in the society. It showed a society afraid of change, and a society incapable of recognizing the filth of its own nakedness.
Although the idea that Candido's Apocalypse was inspired by The Cathcer in the Rye was not at all impossible, I could say that this was one of those rare times that the 'copy' becomes better than the original it derived itself from. Kudos, Lolo Nick!
January 29, 2011
I was hoping I can finish this short book for one day, unfortunately I volunteered last night's Green Intensity. There are invited bands like Kamikazee, Sponge Cola and Secondhand Serenade sponsored by our school, Globe TeleCom and Magic 89.9. Since I'm not a party animal or a noise fanatic, all I did last night was to read this book with the intense noise of the band, but I fall chatting with my friends.
This book was set in the mid 90s with the growing word, teen-ager and society. While reading this book, I can't help but to be scared of the past and vomit until I realized that some old people outshone there past with beautiful markings. But a book as a part of art had its own characteristic of being timelessness, there is no death to books but to be revived and loved by the new generations.
Teen-ager are usually a group of teens who are in a society. What I mean of a Society is high-toned, high-priced, high-spirited and hifalutin people, for short rich. And gangster are for people who don't have higher social status in life. I think until now, people are still using this kind of words but not as vulgar as Nick Joaquin's books plus people are still categorize by there social status.
Our own generation were lucky enough and our parents were family oriented, I don't mean that our grandparents were non-family oriented, but I mean our parents knows what is right and what is wrong in our current status with the society. We were also given a chance to mingle with the other people freely. Candido's Apocalypse is a story of a young teen-ager who search for his own identity.
Bobby Heredia, a 17 year old kid, a stowaway and a kid who thought that he knows everything. His eyes started to see naked people when he thinks that his name should be somewhat derived to a calendar name. Like the old times when your grandparents named your mom or dad with names in the calendar, they represents who you are and the shadow that lurks inside you. So his shadow was Candido, a boy who wants to be free and he can see people naked and can read the thoughts of others.
Candido always describes things as offkey and overacting to everything a person reacts to a certain thing. In fact he believes that everything should be done the way he thinks. So one day he decided to leave the burlesque mansion because of his depressing situation of being Candido, until he came back home and his situation is getting worst. He can't see people naked but he sees them without a skin! Nick Joaquin's interpretation of the odd body system of human makes me vomit and frightened of my own body.In the end he realizes that he needed companion to live in peace, with God, family and friends.
Compared to his other short stories, there are sentences or maybe the first half part of the book was lost in translation. It makes my minute of reading confusing and I thought of myself stupid like Bobby. But in the end, he added God as the solution of the story making it more profound to read but weird since if you're going to read the whole story only his grandmother was a religious character and you won't expect something too religious that will be pop in the end.
In some point, the story was hilarious when Bobby imagined his own grandmother naked and when he saw her walking in the stair without clothes. Lol! Don't mention that he can also see skin diseases of commoners walking from side to side, can't help so I laugh. My own interpretation of his eyes is that it shows he need freedom of expression, he can heard people thoughts, he judges people first without knowing them until he realized he or she was different. Another major problem of the book is the shifting of the 1st person narration, sometimes his mother will be the narrator or sometimes their maid. Lastly I want readers to read it slowly as possible while Bobby is in search of his own persona.
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My father works as a corn seller at night and a student every morning. He always talks about his past and his bad experiences. I can't imagine myself like my dad when he was in high school, with Beatles' hair, fit shirt and pleated jeans. How about you? Lol, can't imagine him and him wearing those thing when they were young!
Rating - Candido's Apocalypse by Nick Joaquín, 4 Sweets and the eyes that can see naked people. (So far I've read 2 books of Nick Joaquin and I find him interesting in his own way of writing. Can't wait to grab another Nick Joaquin books soon. Complimentary copy from Anvil and special thanks to Fanta and Gege of Flips Flipping Pages .)
Challenges:
Book #18 for 2011
This book was set in the mid 90s with the growing word, teen-ager and society. While reading this book, I can't help but to be scared of the past and vomit until I realized that some old people outshone there past with beautiful markings. But a book as a part of art had its own characteristic of being timelessness, there is no death to books but to be revived and loved by the new generations.
Teen-ager are usually a group of teens who are in a society. What I mean of a Society is high-toned, high-priced, high-spirited and hifalutin people, for short rich. And gangster are for people who don't have higher social status in life. I think until now, people are still using this kind of words but not as vulgar as Nick Joaquin's books plus people are still categorize by there social status.
Our own generation were lucky enough and our parents were family oriented, I don't mean that our grandparents were non-family oriented, but I mean our parents knows what is right and what is wrong in our current status with the society. We were also given a chance to mingle with the other people freely. Candido's Apocalypse is a story of a young teen-ager who search for his own identity.
Bobby Heredia, a 17 year old kid, a stowaway and a kid who thought that he knows everything. His eyes started to see naked people when he thinks that his name should be somewhat derived to a calendar name. Like the old times when your grandparents named your mom or dad with names in the calendar, they represents who you are and the shadow that lurks inside you. So his shadow was Candido, a boy who wants to be free and he can see people naked and can read the thoughts of others.
Candido always describes things as offkey and overacting to everything a person reacts to a certain thing. In fact he believes that everything should be done the way he thinks. So one day he decided to leave the burlesque mansion because of his depressing situation of being Candido, until he came back home and his situation is getting worst. He can't see people naked but he sees them without a skin! Nick Joaquin's interpretation of the odd body system of human makes me vomit and frightened of my own body.In the end he realizes that he needed companion to live in peace, with God, family and friends.
Compared to his other short stories, there are sentences or maybe the first half part of the book was lost in translation. It makes my minute of reading confusing and I thought of myself stupid like Bobby. But in the end, he added God as the solution of the story making it more profound to read but weird since if you're going to read the whole story only his grandmother was a religious character and you won't expect something too religious that will be pop in the end.
In some point, the story was hilarious when Bobby imagined his own grandmother naked and when he saw her walking in the stair without clothes. Lol! Don't mention that he can also see skin diseases of commoners walking from side to side, can't help so I laugh. My own interpretation of his eyes is that it shows he need freedom of expression, he can heard people thoughts, he judges people first without knowing them until he realized he or she was different. Another major problem of the book is the shifting of the 1st person narration, sometimes his mother will be the narrator or sometimes their maid. Lastly I want readers to read it slowly as possible while Bobby is in search of his own persona.
[image error]
My father works as a corn seller at night and a student every morning. He always talks about his past and his bad experiences. I can't imagine myself like my dad when he was in high school, with Beatles' hair, fit shirt and pleated jeans. How about you? Lol, can't imagine him and him wearing those thing when they were young!
Rating - Candido's Apocalypse by Nick Joaquín, 4 Sweets and the eyes that can see naked people. (So far I've read 2 books of Nick Joaquin and I find him interesting in his own way of writing. Can't wait to grab another Nick Joaquin books soon. Complimentary copy from Anvil and special thanks to Fanta and Gege of Flips Flipping Pages .)
Challenges:
Book #18 for 2011
February 3, 2022
1.5
mister nick joaquin... what goes on..
mister nick joaquin... what goes on..
December 25, 2010
The book was a quick and easy read. It was a "nice" social commentary at first. The main character Bobby or Candido believes that he is better than other people like his parents, who are pretentious and as he would say "overacting". He sees these persons for who they really are or rather he sees what they really are (he sees them naked). Later it becomes about God, about finding God. I love how Nick Joaquin stressed the importance of people, love and God. No man is truly an island.
However, I believe that the story would be conveyed better in Filipino. Some words are lost in translation. If i misunderstood how a word is used I would translate the word in Filipino to truly understand what Nick Joaquin really wants to convey. He also likes run-on sentences thus sometimes I get so confused.
However, I believe that the story would be conveyed better in Filipino. Some words are lost in translation. If i misunderstood how a word is used I would translate the word in Filipino to truly understand what Nick Joaquin really wants to convey. He also likes run-on sentences thus sometimes I get so confused.
July 18, 2023
The prose is overacting
January 18, 2023
Actual Rating: 3.75
Probably the worst analogy, but this book is like if Disney's movie Inside Out and the book Cathcher in the Rye had a baby.
It has the metaphor and symbolism of Inside Out, just darker and grittier in tone, mixed with the teenage angst of Holden and Catcher in the Rye in general while sprinkling the prowess of Nick Joaquin in writing.
It was fun reading it and I really has a good time digging through its symbolism and metaphors.
Probably the worst analogy, but this book is like if Disney's movie Inside Out and the book Cathcher in the Rye had a baby.
It has the metaphor and symbolism of Inside Out, just darker and grittier in tone, mixed with the teenage angst of Holden and Catcher in the Rye in general while sprinkling the prowess of Nick Joaquin in writing.
It was fun reading it and I really has a good time digging through its symbolism and metaphors.
Read
September 12, 2012It takes a little bit of getting used to in the beginning, as the setting and the language is from a bygone time, and I was just part of the ether then. Then, you get pulled in Bobby's mind as he begins his "revelatory" in-sights. There's not much to see when the end comes into sight, though. I felt hanging somehow, but perhaps it's because it ended too cleanly for me. You need to read it again to be able to relish it better.
July 14, 2025
Edit: I also wanted to mention that for YEARS, this has been my “travel book”, meaning that I’d go to different countries and “read” it, when in reality I had NO IDEA what it was about and somehow always stopped on the 22nd page LOL! But here I am years later, finally finishing it haha 😁
Gosh!!! My first read from a Filipino author outside the classroom—and I genuinely loved it. There’s something so refreshing about encountering local literature without the pressure of analyzing it right away LOL 😭. At first, you’re introduced to a troubled “teen-ager,” someone who seems distant or even difficult to understand. But as the story unfolds and shifts to Bobby’s perspective, you find yourself slowly getting attached. His experiences begin to feel personal. His voice becomes familiar. And then it hits you—he reminds you of yourself.
Candido felt like a shadow—he’s the part of ourselves that wrestles with shame, guilt, and isolation. But despite how heavy that shadow becomes, there’s always something we can’t quite let go of: our most authentic self. The story became not just about Bobby seeing naked bodies then bones and tendons that worked like machinery, but about identity, culture, and the way tradition continues to shape us, especially given the historical context it was set in. I found myself reflecting on how much we often suppress or overlook the roots that formed us, and how literature like this reminds us of the importance of reclaiming those parts 🥹!
Will probably read this again in the future :‘)
Gosh!!! My first read from a Filipino author outside the classroom—and I genuinely loved it. There’s something so refreshing about encountering local literature without the pressure of analyzing it right away LOL 😭. At first, you’re introduced to a troubled “teen-ager,” someone who seems distant or even difficult to understand. But as the story unfolds and shifts to Bobby’s perspective, you find yourself slowly getting attached. His experiences begin to feel personal. His voice becomes familiar. And then it hits you—he reminds you of yourself.
Candido felt like a shadow—he’s the part of ourselves that wrestles with shame, guilt, and isolation. But despite how heavy that shadow becomes, there’s always something we can’t quite let go of: our most authentic self. The story became not just about Bobby seeing naked bodies then bones and tendons that worked like machinery, but about identity, culture, and the way tradition continues to shape us, especially given the historical context it was set in. I found myself reflecting on how much we often suppress or overlook the roots that formed us, and how literature like this reminds us of the importance of reclaiming those parts 🥹!
Will probably read this again in the future :‘)
March 24, 2019
Score: 80/100 (or 3 stars)
Check out my full review here: https://nightmaredressedasareader.hom...
If you’re a fellow Filipino studying literature or Creative Writing in college, then chances are you will hear the name “Nick Joaquin” a lot. Like, a lot a lot. He’s like the Filipino equivalent of William Shakespeare in terms of popularity in the academe.
Since he’s a classic figure for Philippine Literature, at least in one point of your life, you will have to read his works and discuss it in class. And you will also feel the pressure of liking them because everyone in the academe just gushes about him, so if you dislike them, then something is wrong with you, as a literature student.
(Okay, that’s totally an exaggeration, but hey, admit it, that’s how we feel with books we have to read for classes. Our professors will not stop exalting these books, so you will feel like trash once you read them and realize that they’re…not that good — at least in your own opinion.)
That is exactly my case with Nick Joaquin — particularly with this novella, Candido’s Apocalypse. I’m sorry to say it, but I have to, okay? Honesty is what I’m going for in this blog.
If you guys don’t know what Candido’s Apocalypse is all about, it’s simply about this boy named Bobby Heredias who develops an ability to see through people. First, it starts with him being able to see through their clothes (so he sees everyone naked), but then he starts seeing through the skin, and soon through the muscles until all he can see are skeletons. The story, once you’ve read it, is truly as weird as it originally sounds.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I totally get the appeal of this book, or any of his books for that matter (I read another novel of his, Cave and Shadows, about 3 years ago). I personally think that depth is something that Candido’s Apocalypse is able to ace (just like every other classic novel in the world). This book may only be less than a hundred pages long, but don’t be fooled — this ain’t an easy read. A lot of things are going on in this text, and once you try to analyze it, you’ll realize just how much layered this story is, and once you think you’ve finally analyzed it completely, you’ll see that the analysis still hasn’t stopped.
Like seriously, this novella can be interpreted in so many ways. I read this for my literary theory class, and one of our requirements is to apply a particular reading to it. For my group, we applied the New Critical way of reading, and then the others used structuralist, Marxist, feminist, deconstruction, and post-colonial reading. And let me tell you: everything works. No matter how much we tore this novella down, it still stands, unbothered, and still offers more room for interpretation.
And I don’t know about you, but when a story actually survives numerous rounds of analyzing, of deconstructing, it actually shows how much deep it truly is. And that’s frikkin fantastic.
So, yes, Candido’s Apocalypse is deep, layered, and thought-provoking. But it pains me to say that for me, that’s where the positive things I could say end.
One of the things that hinder me from liking Nick Joaquin and his craft is his writing style. Now, his writing style isn’t the worst — actually, there’s a sort of deliberate quality to his style — but I just can’t stand it. He has this tendency to use really, really long sentences (and I don’t mean a one-sentence paragraph; I mean, MULTIPLE PAGES THAT CONSIST OF ONLY ONE FUCKING SENTENCE), and it just really takes him forever to get to his point that sometimes, I get lost before he finally gets there. Sometimes, I feel like his quirky writing style stumps the pacing a little bit; with his super long sentences, of course the reader will feel like the pace has slowed down even though it should pick up because we’re nearing the climax of the story already.
I also didn’t care much about the characters. Now, the characters aren’t supposed to be liked in this novells. All of them are not-so-good characters that you aren’t supposed to root for. And it’s perfectly all right for books to feature unlikeable characters. But if a book is to feature unlikeable characters, it might as well make them truly interesting. It should give us a reason to continue following along with their story. Sadly, I felt like that’s what’s missing in Candido’s Apocalypse. I mean, I get their unlikeability, but now, a few months after reading the story, I didn’t think anyone was that interesting enough to be memorable.
So, yeah, as you can see, I don’t really have much else to say about this novella. It’s actually pretty funny because when I read this back in January, I really thought I liked it. But then right now, I just realized that I liked it, simply because I forced myself to. I mean, I already disliked a lot books I read for class that even my own classmates loved. I didn’t want to feel like the black sheep of my literary family who has “terrible” reading tastes. I just wanted to fit in, okay?
But despite my dedication to like this book, I have to admit that at some point, the pretending has to stop. And that time is right now. Maybe because it’s just now that I truly realize how much I didn’t like it. Or maybe because I’m not anymore in college, so my professors can’t touch me anymore (*cue evil laugh*). Either way, the truth still stands: I think this book has great depth, but it’s not really something that one reads for entertainment.
That being said though, I still recommend this to those people who are interested in Philippine Literature. Nick Joaquin is always a good place to start because he’s a classic figure in this field, and he was also a prolific writer — writing in all sorts of genres, from fiction to literary journalism. So, his works really offer a lot of material in studying Philippine Literature. If you want to study Philippine Literature but don’t know where to start, I suggest reading Nick Joaquin.
Check out my full review here: https://nightmaredressedasareader.hom...
If you’re a fellow Filipino studying literature or Creative Writing in college, then chances are you will hear the name “Nick Joaquin” a lot. Like, a lot a lot. He’s like the Filipino equivalent of William Shakespeare in terms of popularity in the academe.
Since he’s a classic figure for Philippine Literature, at least in one point of your life, you will have to read his works and discuss it in class. And you will also feel the pressure of liking them because everyone in the academe just gushes about him, so if you dislike them, then something is wrong with you, as a literature student.
(Okay, that’s totally an exaggeration, but hey, admit it, that’s how we feel with books we have to read for classes. Our professors will not stop exalting these books, so you will feel like trash once you read them and realize that they’re…not that good — at least in your own opinion.)
That is exactly my case with Nick Joaquin — particularly with this novella, Candido’s Apocalypse. I’m sorry to say it, but I have to, okay? Honesty is what I’m going for in this blog.
If you guys don’t know what Candido’s Apocalypse is all about, it’s simply about this boy named Bobby Heredias who develops an ability to see through people. First, it starts with him being able to see through their clothes (so he sees everyone naked), but then he starts seeing through the skin, and soon through the muscles until all he can see are skeletons. The story, once you’ve read it, is truly as weird as it originally sounds.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I totally get the appeal of this book, or any of his books for that matter (I read another novel of his, Cave and Shadows, about 3 years ago). I personally think that depth is something that Candido’s Apocalypse is able to ace (just like every other classic novel in the world). This book may only be less than a hundred pages long, but don’t be fooled — this ain’t an easy read. A lot of things are going on in this text, and once you try to analyze it, you’ll realize just how much layered this story is, and once you think you’ve finally analyzed it completely, you’ll see that the analysis still hasn’t stopped.
Like seriously, this novella can be interpreted in so many ways. I read this for my literary theory class, and one of our requirements is to apply a particular reading to it. For my group, we applied the New Critical way of reading, and then the others used structuralist, Marxist, feminist, deconstruction, and post-colonial reading. And let me tell you: everything works. No matter how much we tore this novella down, it still stands, unbothered, and still offers more room for interpretation.
And I don’t know about you, but when a story actually survives numerous rounds of analyzing, of deconstructing, it actually shows how much deep it truly is. And that’s frikkin fantastic.
So, yes, Candido’s Apocalypse is deep, layered, and thought-provoking. But it pains me to say that for me, that’s where the positive things I could say end.
One of the things that hinder me from liking Nick Joaquin and his craft is his writing style. Now, his writing style isn’t the worst — actually, there’s a sort of deliberate quality to his style — but I just can’t stand it. He has this tendency to use really, really long sentences (and I don’t mean a one-sentence paragraph; I mean, MULTIPLE PAGES THAT CONSIST OF ONLY ONE FUCKING SENTENCE), and it just really takes him forever to get to his point that sometimes, I get lost before he finally gets there. Sometimes, I feel like his quirky writing style stumps the pacing a little bit; with his super long sentences, of course the reader will feel like the pace has slowed down even though it should pick up because we’re nearing the climax of the story already.
I also didn’t care much about the characters. Now, the characters aren’t supposed to be liked in this novells. All of them are not-so-good characters that you aren’t supposed to root for. And it’s perfectly all right for books to feature unlikeable characters. But if a book is to feature unlikeable characters, it might as well make them truly interesting. It should give us a reason to continue following along with their story. Sadly, I felt like that’s what’s missing in Candido’s Apocalypse. I mean, I get their unlikeability, but now, a few months after reading the story, I didn’t think anyone was that interesting enough to be memorable.
So, yeah, as you can see, I don’t really have much else to say about this novella. It’s actually pretty funny because when I read this back in January, I really thought I liked it. But then right now, I just realized that I liked it, simply because I forced myself to. I mean, I already disliked a lot books I read for class that even my own classmates loved. I didn’t want to feel like the black sheep of my literary family who has “terrible” reading tastes. I just wanted to fit in, okay?
But despite my dedication to like this book, I have to admit that at some point, the pretending has to stop. And that time is right now. Maybe because it’s just now that I truly realize how much I didn’t like it. Or maybe because I’m not anymore in college, so my professors can’t touch me anymore (*cue evil laugh*). Either way, the truth still stands: I think this book has great depth, but it’s not really something that one reads for entertainment.
That being said though, I still recommend this to those people who are interested in Philippine Literature. Nick Joaquin is always a good place to start because he’s a classic figure in this field, and he was also a prolific writer — writing in all sorts of genres, from fiction to literary journalism. So, his works really offer a lot of material in studying Philippine Literature. If you want to study Philippine Literature but don’t know where to start, I suggest reading Nick Joaquin.
September 11, 2025
had to read this for a class. a slow descent into hell except that hell is a privileged kid's world slowly unraveling before his as he begins to see the insides and truths behind the people in his lives, down to their organs, raw flesh and bones. nick joaquin blending the nightmarish tone and inner monologue of bobby/candido with his relatives' and friends' ignorance and concern with seemingly inconsequential matters makes this a great read. personally think this would make an insane lynch/cronenberg film, or, at the very least, a great black mirror episode.
October 5, 2024
Kind of gross but in a poetic way i think
July 11, 2021
Likes:
I'm a 90's guy from Visayas and always wondered what a Luzon teen-ager do during their puberty years and this book somewhat showed me that; so they also pulutan dog, huh?
They compared this book to Salinger's "The Cather in the Rye" but I don't feel that during reading; but I guess maybe because Candido also comments about the ugly side of the society he 's in; same as Catcher's Holden.
This book is a light read and recommended for a lazy weekend reading.
Dislikes:
I was bombarded by too much dialogue at the first pages by characters not yet introduced properly.
There is a blurred contrast between Bobby and Candido. If he is Candido; seeing others behind there flesh, why is he wondering why he sees them like that? That should be Bobby's question not Candido's.
The description of people seen by Candido's eyes are not described well. At times, they are mechanical and compared to robots with robotic components but other times they are skeletal.
Candido's observatios and judgements of people are appearance-based and not through there thoughts and beliefs.
I'm a 90's guy from Visayas and always wondered what a Luzon teen-ager do during their puberty years and this book somewhat showed me that; so they also pulutan dog, huh?
They compared this book to Salinger's "The Cather in the Rye" but I don't feel that during reading; but I guess maybe because Candido also comments about the ugly side of the society he 's in; same as Catcher's Holden.
This book is a light read and recommended for a lazy weekend reading.
Dislikes:
I was bombarded by too much dialogue at the first pages by characters not yet introduced properly.
There is a blurred contrast between Bobby and Candido. If he is Candido; seeing others behind there flesh, why is he wondering why he sees them like that? That should be Bobby's question not Candido's.
The description of people seen by Candido's eyes are not described well. At times, they are mechanical and compared to robots with robotic components but other times they are skeletal.
Candido's observatios and judgements of people are appearance-based and not through there thoughts and beliefs.
January 17, 2016
Sensational. Amazing.
It's almost like revisiting the life of the rebel Holden Caulfield, the infamous protagonist of Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.
With this novella, I just had a little nitpick with the start, i.e., the run-ons appearing time and again that I can't quite cope with it easily until the 15th page. Nevertheless, this book is a crystal meth. Another Nick Joaquin winner!
It's almost like revisiting the life of the rebel Holden Caulfield, the infamous protagonist of Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.
With this novella, I just had a little nitpick with the start, i.e., the run-ons appearing time and again that I can't quite cope with it easily until the 15th page. Nevertheless, this book is a crystal meth. Another Nick Joaquin winner!
April 21, 2018
The problems faced by Bobby are still existing in status quo. These perennial problems are obviously brought by the events in the Philippine history. They usually make it hard for Filipinos to find their true identity. Currently, it still remains a challenge for every Filipino to find who they truly are.
September 1, 2021
Of course, knowing that Nick Joaquin will always make us think, this short story is not easy to get. But so are revelations in our lives that attempt to shatter us in order for us to be formed anew.
February 28, 2016
Perplexity. :)
December 22, 2024
Although the book isn't divided into three parts, I will rate it as such, as I experienced distinctly different emotions in each part.
1st part: 3.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
—A bit dragging and disorienting; it's hard to keep track of who's who and which character is speaking
2nd part: 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
—Things start to get interesting when Candido takes the driver's seat and tells the story from his perspective. I was all ears and the way he tells his story reminds me of the alienation felt by Holden Caufield, the main character from "The Catcher in the Rye". The story was starting to build up and I felt it had great potential.
3rd part: 2.5 ⭐️⭐️
—I don't want to spoil anything but let's just say Candido, still in the driver's seat, makes a left turn that came completely out of left field.
Overall average rating: 3.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was disorienting at first but it gets interesting in the middle when we start to see the narrative from Candido's perspective. I did not expect the ending to go the route the way it did, but given the author's background, it makes sense (sort of).
It's still a thought-provoking and interesting read that reflects Filipino values (except for the part where they ).
1st part: 3.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
—A bit dragging and disorienting; it's hard to keep track of who's who and which character is speaking
2nd part: 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
—Things start to get interesting when Candido takes the driver's seat and tells the story from his perspective. I was all ears and the way he tells his story reminds me of the alienation felt by Holden Caufield, the main character from "The Catcher in the Rye". The story was starting to build up and I felt it had great potential.
3rd part: 2.5 ⭐️⭐️
—I don't want to spoil anything but let's just say Candido, still in the driver's seat, makes a left turn that came completely out of left field.
Overall average rating: 3.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was disorienting at first but it gets interesting in the middle when we start to see the narrative from Candido's perspective. I did not expect the ending to go the route the way it did, but given the author's background, it makes sense (sort of).
It's still a thought-provoking and interesting read that reflects Filipino values (except for the part where they ).
March 7, 2025
I purchased this book when visiting the Philippines because I think it’s nice to read books authored by famous writers of the country. However I did buy the book in the English translation and feel that some parts were difficult to read because the translation wasn’t doing it justice. So while it looks like a short read it took me longer than expected.
Overall, I liked the book. The way Nick Joaquin uses all the run on sentences and creates imagery is something I haven’t seen much in the books I’ve read. I would be interested to read another one of his works. I think this book hits on a lot of important points on identity. I adored Tita Menchu’s bit about how as you get older you add a new skin to become a new version of yourself but the old you is still in there. Or the bit about the names and how they used to just name you whatever was on the calendar the day you’re born. I, too, have a Tito Boy.
Overall, I liked the book. The way Nick Joaquin uses all the run on sentences and creates imagery is something I haven’t seen much in the books I’ve read. I would be interested to read another one of his works. I think this book hits on a lot of important points on identity. I adored Tita Menchu’s bit about how as you get older you add a new skin to become a new version of yourself but the old you is still in there. Or the bit about the names and how they used to just name you whatever was on the calendar the day you’re born. I, too, have a Tito Boy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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April 22, 2023My second novel of Nick Joaquin, and I really feel like his books should have an introduction by now. I am not keen on metaphors and symbolisms and historical analogies, thus the need for introduction to appreciate his stories more. However, I always enjoy his run-on sentences and its always a joy to hear his drunken prose, the fluid shift on character perspectives, jumping over time and space over and over. I guess, based on his biography here in goodreads, this is more Nick Joaquin than my first novel of his - The Woman Who had Two Navels - with the mc's searching deeper for identity and probing deeper on where is the soul located in the human anatomy until a catholic story was connected to the fantastic scene. This is the kinds of stream-of-consciousness story that is always fun to hear in inuman sessions.
May 2, 2025
This is what happens when you soul-search but instead of it being philosophical, the experience becomes psychotic.
The main character became too detached and alienated of himself that he created a persona he couldn't control, which also affected his environment and perspective.
3.5 over 5. A reader has to understand the setting (which has middle-class Filipino local color), the context (and the lack of it on some parts), and the execution of the plot technique (to which I think is en extremes res), before aptly appreciating this novella.
Nevertheless, Nick Joaquin and his unique writing style - from the buildup to the flashback up to the "kilometer sentneces" - would engage his readers with what goes on with the main character of this story. Bobby, Candido, or whoever - Joaquin's writing of quirky characters is one of his best trademarks.
The main character became too detached and alienated of himself that he created a persona he couldn't control, which also affected his environment and perspective.
3.5 over 5. A reader has to understand the setting (which has middle-class Filipino local color), the context (and the lack of it on some parts), and the execution of the plot technique (to which I think is en extremes res), before aptly appreciating this novella.
Nevertheless, Nick Joaquin and his unique writing style - from the buildup to the flashback up to the "kilometer sentneces" - would engage his readers with what goes on with the main character of this story. Bobby, Candido, or whoever - Joaquin's writing of quirky characters is one of his best trademarks.
June 23, 2023
Is Bobby schizophrenic? Or was the entire novel fantastically metaphorical?
The book highlights beauty and youth through such putrid bodily descriptions. Cándido’s sight purges through the human flesh, seeing people’s ugly nakedness and illnesses. I can empathize with how disturbing it must be—to see someone’s warts, privates, their intestinal functions, et cetera.
I admired how it depicted the ugly rawness found within a Filipino society, like the notions about teen-agers vs gangsters depending on one’s family background to overlapping parenthood (because of how close-knitted Filipino families and neighbors are.) And of course, I enjoyed the bits of angst and the eventual coming-of-age conclusions.
The book highlights beauty and youth through such putrid bodily descriptions. Cándido’s sight purges through the human flesh, seeing people’s ugly nakedness and illnesses. I can empathize with how disturbing it must be—to see someone’s warts, privates, their intestinal functions, et cetera.
I admired how it depicted the ugly rawness found within a Filipino society, like the notions about teen-agers vs gangsters depending on one’s family background to overlapping parenthood (because of how close-knitted Filipino families and neighbors are.) And of course, I enjoyed the bits of angst and the eventual coming-of-age conclusions.
September 18, 2025
This is the first classic I've read, and it was a bit hard to understand at first, as I am still unfamiliar with some words used. Though I got the story as I flipped from one page to another. Bobby, as a teenager from the older generation, is not entirely different from teenagers today, as I am myself a teenager, who is such a hater. Honestly, no other sentiments about this for now since I am still making up my mind on this. On the other hand, I would love to read classics this short again since it's fun and easy to keep up with for new readers in this genre like me.
November 26, 2025
Bobby Heredia is the epitome of adolescence—my adolescence.
I read the first half in total disgust, visualizing the herd of naked bodies pressing against Candido, Bobby’s “alter ego.” But the second half pulled me even deeper into the narrative. Candido’s extreme vision of human frailty mirrors a machinated reality that reduces people to mere flesh. I remember writing poems about the same nakedness... how it was always dirty, erotic, yet somehow holy. And Bobby was right: you can only find God deep within the skin, because God exists only in the spaces where feeling precedes thought.
I read the first half in total disgust, visualizing the herd of naked bodies pressing against Candido, Bobby’s “alter ego.” But the second half pulled me even deeper into the narrative. Candido’s extreme vision of human frailty mirrors a machinated reality that reduces people to mere flesh. I remember writing poems about the same nakedness... how it was always dirty, erotic, yet somehow holy. And Bobby was right: you can only find God deep within the skin, because God exists only in the spaces where feeling precedes thought.
February 2, 2018
Having read a lot of classic literature, Cándido's Apocalypse reminded me a bit of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" because of the dual persona present in the story. Bobby's hatred towards the society somehow reminds me of "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D Salinger. A lot of symbolism and imagery mirroring the Philippine Society made the story much more interesting.
I hope that this short review will inspire my fellow Filipinos to read more and appreciate our literature.
I hope that this short review will inspire my fellow Filipinos to read more and appreciate our literature.
January 5, 2023
I say this as someone who usually enjoys Nick Joaquin: I didn't know what the fuck this was about. The cover said it was some kind of allegory about colonialism, but I didn't get that at all. I just got annoying rich people, and some teenager going through some weird existential crisis, except he didn't seem to have any realizations at the end of it. Maybe I'm not cultured enough and the metaphors went over my head. The way Nick Joaquin puts sentences together is still entertaining though.
January 18, 2020
I was so confused at first. But looks like it’s intentional to feel lost in the first few pages. Nick Joaquin will make you feel lost in people’s pretense, lies and obscurity - faults that identifies them as themselves.
Candido’s Apocalypse is a curse and a pilgrimage; a journey to find God, goodness and love in what are mundane, imperfect and hypocritical.
Candido’s Apocalypse is a curse and a pilgrimage; a journey to find God, goodness and love in what are mundane, imperfect and hypocritical.
March 15, 2023
This is a good read for a postcolonial study on the Philippines' experience of social maladies, neuroses in reclaiming the past or resisting the future, and a nation in transition struggling to establish identity in between finding its ethnic roots and assimilating its postcolonial identity analogous to a teenager's angst and search for identity and recognition.
November 4, 2024
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but it certainly wasn’t this (even though the blurb laid it out clearly, lol). And surprisingly, I liked it. Bobby’s story was both poignant and disturbing, leaving an unsettling feeling that lingered long after I closed the book. This was my first encounter with Nick Joaquin’s writing, and it definitely won’t be my last.
September 5, 2025
i read this in one sitting. also i love filipino literature bec literally wtf did i just read?? social commentary and criticism but its digusting but its poetic. but also wtaf was that. played like a Black Mirror ep in my head w a vague ending. the prose was witty, and sharp, and it bites you. funnnnnn.
September 8, 2025
I mean yes it's a social commentary, but I think the aspect of it as a meditation on arrogance and the teenaged disgust of things that shouldn't warrant so is where it really shines. It poses a quip, "you're so disguested huh? I'll give you something to be disgusted by". Yeah I think that sums it up.
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