Elijah's Reviews

Title: To Whom SHall I Tell My Sorrow? Author: Anton Chekov Author’s Background: Russian writer Anton Chekhov is recognized as a master of the modern short story and a leading playwright of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Anton Chekhov was born on January 29, 1860, in Taganrog, Russia. Through stories such as "The Steppe" and "The Lady with the Dog," and plays such as The Seagull and Uncle Vanya, the prolific writer emphasized the depths of human nature, the hidden significance of everyday events and the fine line between comedy and tragedy. Chekhov died of tuberculosis on July 15, 1904, in Badenweiler, Germany. Source: https://www.biography.com/people/anton-chekhov-9245947 Vocabulary: slough – a swamp. reins -- a long, narrow strap attached at one end to a horse's bit, typically used in pairs to guide or check a horse while riding or driving. jocose – playful or humorous kopeck -- a monetary unit of Russia and some o...

Title: The Rainy Day Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Author’s Background: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a famed 19th century scholar, novelist and poet, known for works like 'Voices of the Night,' 'Evangeline' and 'The Song of Hiawatha.' Born on February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow became a Harvard scholar versed in several European languages. He was heavily influenced by Romanticism and made a name as a poet and novelist with works like Hyperion, Evangeline, Poems on Slavery and The Song of Hiawatha. He was also known for his translation of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. Longfellow died on March 24, 1882, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Source: https://www.biography.com/people/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-9385673 Point of View: Life is never a smooth road. There are ups and down, holes, cracks, and gaps. But it was meant to be this way. Life was never meant to be easy. There are times when we look back and see...

Title: A Night in the Hills Author: Paz Márquez Benítez Author’s Background: Paz Márquez-Benítez (1894–1983) was a Filipina short-story writer born in 1894 in Lucena, Tayabas (now Quezon). Marquez – Benítez authored the first Filipino modern English language short story, Dead Stars, published in the Philippine Herald in 1925. Born into the prominent Marquez family of Quezon province, she was among the first generation of Filipino people trained in the American education system which used English as the medium of instruction. She graduated high school in Tayabas High School now, Quezon National High School. She was a member of the first freshman class of the University of the Philippines, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1912. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paz_M%C3%A1rquez-Ben%C3%ADtez Vocabolary: azotea - a flat roof or platform on the top of a house or other building carreton - small cart kaingin - employing a technique of clearing land by slashing...

Title: Dead Stars Author: Paz Marquez Benitez Author’s Background: Paz Marquez-Benitez (1894–1983), who authored the first Filipino modern English-language short story "Dead Stars", was born in Lucena City, Quezon. Benitez was among the first generation of Filipinos trained in the American education system which used English as the medium of instruction. She taught at the University of the Philippines’ English department from 1916 to 1951, acquiring a reputation as an outstanding teacher. She became an influential figure to many Filipino writers in the English language, among them, Loreto Paras Sulit, Paz Latorena, Bienvenido Santos, Manuel Arguilla, S.P. Lopez and National Artist Francisco Arcellana, who later emphatically declared, “She was the mother of us all!” In 1919, she founded "Woman's Home Journal", the first women's magazine in the country. In 1928, she compiled "Filipino Love Stories," reportedly the first anthology of Ph...

Title: Visitation of the Gods Author: Gilda Cordero-Fernando Author’s Background: Gilda Cordero-Fernando is a multiawarded writer, publisher and cultural icon from the Philippines. She was born in Manila, has a B.A. from St. Theresa’s College-Manila, and an M.A. from the Ateneo de Manila University. She started off as a writer and was awarded the Palanca Award for Literature several times. She has also written and illustrated children’s books.Her short stories are collected in The Butcher, The Baker and The Candlestick Maker (1962) and A Wilderness of Sweets (1973). She has had a very rich life as a publisher. In 1978 she launched GCF Books, which published landmark books on Philippine cultural history: Streets of Manila (1977), Turn of the Century (1978), Philippine Ancestral Houses (1980), Being Filipino (1981), The History of the Burgis (1987), Folk Architecture (1989), & The Soul Book (1991). Cordero-Fernando has also worn numerous other hats as a visual artist, fas...