Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo to deliver UMPIL’s 2019 Adrian Cristóbal Lecture Feb 20

This is a press release from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas.

Eminent fictionist, critic, and teacher Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, University of the Philippines professor emeritus and director of the University of Santo Tomas Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies, will deliver this year’s Adrian Cristóbal Lecture, on February 20 at 3 pm to 5 pm at the Tanghalang Teresita Quirino, UST Graduate School in Manila.

Her lecture – titled “Will There Be Space for the Practice and Study of Literature in the Near Future?” – poses vital and provocative questions regarding the “danger signs” of Literature’s current state of being “shunted aside in the university curricula.” 

The lecture abstract continues: “Literary Studies are having trouble keeping afloat in some major universities. Literary titles are being edged out of the shelves of the main bookstore chain in the country. Magazines that include stories and essays are now available only on line. Commercial publishers are turning down literary titles unless they have a clearly identified market. Even academic publishers are experiencing some problems justifying the publication of literary titles, which are so slow-moving that they clog up storage space. Will there be any space in the near future for the practice and study of literature?”

Hidalgo is the author of several autobiographical travel books, novels, and books of literary criticism focusing on women’s literature. She has also edited literary anthologies, as well as pioneered creative nonfiction in the country. She obtained her PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of the Philippines. 

The Adrian Cristobal Lecture Series was established by the Cristobal family, in collaboration with the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL) or the Writers’ Union of the Philippines. It aims to honor the intellectual legacy of the late renowned writer and former UMPIL chair whose name the series carries.

In this annual event, a Filipino public intellectual delivers a keynote speech on a topic related to a current socio-political condition in the country or a cultural development. The past lecturers include Gemino Abad (2011), National Artist Virgilio Almario (2012), National Artist Resil Mojares (2013), Reynaldo Ileto (2014), Solita Monsod (2015), Marites Vitug (2016), Alfred Yuson (2017), and Soledad Reyes (2018).

The lecture is co-organized with the Department of Literature of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

To register, email UMPIL chair Michael Coroza at mcoroza@ateneo.edu or sign up at http://bit.ly/2RXWRni. – Rappler.com