Francisco Jose - Don Vicente - Two Novels

basi

Sugarcane wine.

bodega

Storeroom, usually separate from the house; granary.

buntal

Fine soft grass woven into hats.

cadena de amor

Weed that grows luxuriantly, with a pretty pink flower.

caldereta

Goat meat stew.

calesa

Horse-drawn buggy.

camineros

Road workers.

camino provincial

Provincial road.

capre

Big dark ghost who inhabits large trees.

carabao

Water buffalo.

caretela

Horse-drawn two-wheeled cart.

caromata

Larger type of horse-drawn vehicle.

castaño

Chestnut-colored horse.

cavan

Sack of grain, sugar, or seeds.

cédula

Residence certificate.

cerveza

Beer.

chico

Brown, golf-ball-size tropical fruit.

colegiala

Female college student.

colorum

From the Latin mass, but meaning something phony or illegal.

comedia

Folk dramatization of the Christian and Moslem wars.

comprador

Merchant.

cuartels

Barracks.

cumbacheros

Folk band composed of not more than six musicians with harmonica, guitar, bass and bongos.

derecho

Right (direction).

dinardaraan

Pig innards stewed in vinegar and pig blood.

drill de hilo

White cotton material used for suits.

encargado

Person in charge; administrator of a plantation.

feria

Fair with sideshows, etc., during fiestas.

galletas

Cookie-like biscuits.

gobernardorcillo

Town mayor.

hacendero

Landlord; owner of hacienda or big tract of land.

halo-halo

To mix, usually sweets in crushed ice.

herbolario

Folk medicine man.

hijo

Son.

hospicio

Retirement home for old priests.

Huks

Communist-led revolutionary group that fought for agrarian reform in the Philippines after World War II; it grew out of an anti-Japanese resistance movement during the war.

Iglesia Ni Kristo

Church of Christ.

ilustrados

The first Filipinos, usually of means, who studied in Europe (beginning in the 1880s) in order to become “enlightened”; literally, “learned” or “well-informed.”

kundiman

Sad folk song, usually Tagalog.

lechon

Roast suckling pig.

lengua

Tongue, usually ox tongue, prepared as a special dish.

macopa

Tropical fruit, shaped like a pear but smaller.

Manong

Affectionate, respectful form of address for older brother or man. Ilokanos do not call older relatives by their given names alone.

media agua

Awning over a window, to stop rain.

media cuerpo

Half the body, as in a photograph or painting.

Meiji

Historical period in Japan from 1867 to 1912, the Meiji Restoration.

merienda

Afternoon snack.

morcon

Large sausage, usually homemade.

municipio

Town hall.

nanca

Jackfruit.

pancit

Noodles.

pan de sal

Salted bun.

Pañuelo

Stiff kerchief that is part of the traditional Philippine costume for women.

puraw

White.

sacadas

Migratory sugarcane workers.

sala

Living room in large houses.

salapi

Literally a fifty-centavo coin; also denotes money, lucre.

sin vergüenzas

Without shame.

sipi

A small room attached to a peasant’s house where pillows and the rice bin are stored.

tama

Correct.

terno

National dress for women.

tinto dulce

Sweet wine.

With the publication of Three Filipino Women by Random House in 1992, the work of F. Sionil José began appearing in the United States. He is one of the major literary voices of Asia and the Pacific, but (after encouragement by Malcom Cowley and others) his novels and stories are only gradually being published in the country that figures in much of his work as both a shadow and yet a very real presence.

José runs a leading bookshop in Manila, was the founding president of the Philippines PEN Center, publishes the journal Solidarity , and is best known for the five novels comprising the highly regarded Rosales Saga (Dusk [Po-on]; Tree; My Brother, My Executioner; The Pretenders ; and Mass) , the second and third novel of which make up this book. He is widely published around the world and travels steadily.