Palanca awardee Dr Anthony Tan on why

literature matters

Contributed photo of Dr Anthony Tan.

By Eunice Baliong
“What is the relevance of say, Shakespeare, to an engineering student who is
trying to build a bridge?” asked two-time Palanca awardee (for essay and poetry)
Dr Anthony Tan as he began his talk in “Why Literature Matters: A Literary
Forum.”
His talk formed part of Xavier Ateneo’s celebration of National Literature Month
which culminated in events spearheaded by the Department of English Language
and Literature (DELL), namely, “Why Literature Matters: A Literary Forum” and
“Balaki Ko: Poetry Reading.” Both events were slated on Friday, April 28 at the
XU Little Theater.

And who better to grace the occasion than one of Mindanao’s most prolific
writers and poets?

Tan earned his MA in Creative Writing and PhD in English from Siliiman
University, where he also taught for more than a decade. He also chaired the
English Department of Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology
(MSU-IIT) and was a regular panelist in several writing workshops, such as the
Silliman National Summer Writers Workshop, Iligan National Writers Workshop,
and Dumaguete National Writers Workshop.

Many of Tan’s works have been widely published both locally and abroad such as
the prestigious Atlanta Preview and Manoa, the literary journal of the University
of Hawai’i. He was also listed in the Encyclopedia of Philippine Arts and Artists
for his significant contribution to the Philippine literary scene, as he has
authored two book poems, “The Badjao Cemetery and Other Poems” and “Poems
for Muddas.”

Tan also won two Focus Philippines Awards in Poetry from HomeLife magazine
and the most coveted Palanca Awards in essay and poetry.

To answer the question he posed at the start of his talk, the master poet cited
five major points:

(1) Literature matters because it is timeless. He mentioned the Epic of

Gilgamesh, considered to be the first epic poem as an example. It is astounding
that a literary piece dating way back to 2,500 BCE, a period when literature
appeared in the form of clay tablets, managed to transcend time as the Epic of
Gilgamesh is still readily available today in hardbounds and paperbacks for
readers’ consumption.

(2) Literature matters because it is universal. Here, Tan cited the Bible as “one
of the most significant pieces of literature that has influenced and shaped
Western civilization, the tragedies of the Greeks, and the philosophical premises
of the great philosophers.” He argued that though the Bible was written about
the Jews, by the Jews, and for the Jews, its appeal, however, is not limited to
the Jews alone. He mentioned Ruth’s tale in the Old Testament, a story of love
and fidelity — themes which are definitely relatable to all people regardless of
culture and race. Not one who hesitates to make a joke or two, Tan humorously
added that Ruth’s famous lines to her mother-in-law, Naomi, were the first “hugot
lines” of the Bible.

(3) Literature matters because it is transcendent. “Literature goes beyond

boundaries, crosses over to other disciplines,” Tan shared. He argued that
though literature was originally intended as art and a form of entertainment,
people read it as religion, philosophy, politics, linguistics, psychology, and
pedagogy. Calling on the many different perspectives and slants on literary
criticism such as Marxism, Feminism, and Structuralism, among other theories,
Tan showed the many areas by which literature could be read and interpreted.

Tan also highlighted that transcendence may also mean that a truly significant
literature, though it may be written in one country, will cross-over to other
people. “Underneath the color of our skin, the fiber of our hair, and the slant of
our eyes, we are all human beings and we belong to one human race,” he said.

(4) Literature matters because it teaches and entertains. Tan quoted Horace in
Ars Poetica, to prove his point: “Literature has a dual function: to instruct and to
delight. Next to food, shelter, and sex, these are the two activities all men want
to do — to know and to entertain or be entertained.”

(5) Lastly, for Tan, literature matters because it is a friend to man. The writer
became more personal in this part of the talk. He mentioned many friends and
literary journeys he took, none of which would be possible without the common
love for literature that he shared with his circle of publishers and authors. He
also cited the experiences of the writer Ernest Hemingway, and of the many
relationships and friendships that the writer formed through literary interactions.
LITERATURE MATTERS. From left to right: Xavier Ateneo English faculty members Ann-
Catherine Acenas and Christine Faith Gumalal; forum speaker Dr Anthony Tan; literary scholars
Dr Maria Luisa Saministrado and Aimee Faunillan-Abella; and XU English Department chairman
Dr Ferdinand Cantular. Contributed photo.
Alongside Tan, literary scholars of Xavier University also presented their literary
works and criticisms.

Aimee Faunillan-Abella presented her masters’ thesis, “Counter Memory

Strategies in Arlene Chai’s Historiographic Metafiction,” which showed the
connections between Chai’s novel and the Marcos years.

Dr Maria Luisa Saministrado also read “The Female Archetype in 19th Century
Fiction,” a criticism on Kate Chopin’s novel, “The Awakening,” in which she
stressed the 19th century women’s plight for individuality and equality.
When asked how he encourages his students to read more, Tan jested that he
just presents them with his reading list and tells them that once they manage to
read at least one of his recommendations, they’ll “feel more superior” than their
peers.