Publishing Perspectives Staff Report
‘More Than Solving a Mystery’
While much of the book world is focused on the upcoming 76th edition of Frankfurter Buchmesse (October 16 to 20), many in the Philippines book business are thinking about—and planning for–the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair, when their market will be Frankfurt’s guest of honor.
Already we know from organizers that the 2025 Philippine delegation to Frankfurt next year is expected to feature more than 70 authors, publishers, and other creative workers to Frankfurt, with a presentation of 900 books.
The 2025 Guest of Honor Philippines program is a project of the country’s National Commission for Culture and the Arts; the National Book Development Board; the Department of Foreign Affairs; and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, whom Publishing Perspectives interviewed last year.
The Philippine national stand in Hall 5.1 features an internationally popular genre, mystery and crime. In its Philippine form, it’s different, however, from Western crime fiction, according to Karina A. Bolasco, who heads the literary program and curates the books for the 2025 guest of honor pavilion. Philippine crime fiction often relates to perceptions of injustice and corruption.
One topic you may encounter if you visit this year’s Philippines National Book Development Board stand in Hall 5.1 A76 is a special interest that many Philippine consumers have in mystery and crime-writing. While readers in many countries are fond of mystery and crime, Karina A. Bolasco, the head of the literary program and curator of books for the 2025 program, says that Philippine crime fiction often relates to readers’ perceptions of corruption.
“In our political landscape of populist leaders, deeply embedded corruption, and harrowing poverty,” Bolasco says, crime fiction often “is about victims and their families avenging them, or vigilantes seeking justice against perpetrators who usually are the police and military, or politicians and greedy elites with private armies.
Karina A. Bolasco
“Much more than the thrill of the hunt or the chase and solving a mystery,” Bolasco says, “it is the moral quest that moves the narrative. Some stories end defeated by an endless cycle of oppression; others end triumphant and show how it is to survive a warped world.”
Asked how many publishers and authors specialize in the Philippines in crime and mystery, Bolasco says it’s not as popular as romances, whether those in Filipino or English, because romances are feel-good stories while crime fiction is depressing. As one crime writer, Charlson Ong is quoted, saying, “People no longer want to indulge in it while reading fiction.”
Some of the publishers which occasionally release crime fiction are PsiCom; Precious Pages; Summit Books; and Anvil Publishing, as well as a few university presses, including Ateneo de Manila University Press; University of Santo Tomas Publishing House; and University [of] the Philippines Press. Others are self-published or are produced by independent presses.
While Western crime dramas revolve around the pursuit of law and justice, critic Isagani Cruz says, “It will be hard for Filipinos to believe stories where crimes are solved,” because the Philippines’ history is replete with unsolved crimes, whether at the national or personal level.
A distinction of Philippine crime fiction, organizers say, is that it blends “local color, customs, and the country’s socio-political context with traditional crime-fiction elements.” And while some authors in the field find widespread readership, others are more successful in niche markets.
Highlighting Philippine Crime Fiction
Among some of the key writers and titles in the Philippines’ crime fiction market, the program’s organizers list these.
‘Smaller and Smaller Circles’ in its Soho Crime edition
Smaller and Smaller Circles by FH Batacan originally was published by the University of the Philippines Press in 2002 and in 2015 in the United States by Soho Press‘ Soho Crime imprint.
The book follows two Jesuit priests investigating murders in the slums of Manila. “It’s not just about the serial killings but more evidently the corruption, poverty, and injustice in the Philippines,” guest of honor program organizers say. And the book has been adapted into a 2017 film directed by Raya Martin and released by Netflix.
Josh Gonzales is the author of the “Law Series,” which is set in the Philippines and said to “blend romance, crime, and courtroom intrigue,” revolving around attorneys and prosecutors dealing with complex criminal cases and personal relationships.
The first book in that series from Gonzales—so far with five books—is Defend Me, Attorney, about a young man accused of killing his abusive father, and his relationship with a female attorney who becomes his lover.
José Dalisay Jr. is the author of Soledad’s Sister, originally published in 2018 by Anvil Publishing in the Philippines and published in 2023 as Last Call Manila by Germany’s Transit Verlag, in a translation from English by Niko Fröba.
Dalisay’s book is a novel about identity, migration, and the human cost of the Filipino diaspora. It was shortlisted in the 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize.
The novel follows the sister of a Filipina worker who has died in the Middle East under mysterious circumstances. It looks at “the harsh realities of those who leave their countries to seek better economic opportunities for their families at home. The guest of honor program organizers note that Dalisay’s fiction “is known for its quiet meditation yet powerful commentary on the consequences of poverty and migration.”
Andrea: Oyayi sa Daluyuong by Rom Factolerin, is referred to as “part Manila noir and part urban lit,” and is reported to have been originally written as a screenplay inspired by the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
“The transformation from script to novel during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic adds depth to Andrea’s emotional and psychological journey,” highlighting the consequences of violence and loss, according to organizers.
The “Dreamland Trilogy” by Ronaldo Vivo, Jr., again, based in noir traditions, is said to “explore the violent interplay between low-level criminals and corrupt police in a Manila slum” called Dreamland.
The trilogy’s titles are Bangin sa Ilalim ng Ating mga Paa (Abyss Beneath Our Feet); Kapangyarihang Higit sa Ating Lahat (Power Above Us All); and Ang Suklam sa Ating Naaagnas na Balat (The Loathing of Our Rotting Skin). In the giant slum Dreamland, “ordinary decent criminals” and extraordinarily brutal cops come together and collide on the unforgiving landscape of Metro Manila.
Although the first volume of the trilogy was published in 2014, Dreamland Trilogy still is very popular, especially among readers aged 16 to 27.
The trilogy’s The Power Above Us All “follows the story of a small-time crook whose life spirals into chaos after his girlfriend is found dead, and he is framed for her murder. As he teams up with a friend to uncover the truth, and as a parallel investigation into a serial killer progresses, deeper layers of corruption, violence, and suffering are exposed.
“Mixing multiple story lines, this trilogy brings together unrelated characters with sinister secrets in a narrative of power and survival in a world overwhelmed by poverty and moral decay.”
A Programming Note
Between October 16 and 18, the Philippines program this year offers several events during Frankfurter Buchmesse on the International Stage in Hall 5.1, the Arts+ Stage in Hall 4.1; and the New Adult Stage in Hall 1.2.
Here are schedules and details for those events, listed by the three stages and presented by the Philippines.
Additionally, between October 16 and 20, as many as 29 Filipino authors, creative workers, and publishers will be featured at the Asia Stage in Hall 5.1, hosted by Frankfurter Buchmesse and Rex Education. Full scheduling of events on that stage is here.
On October 17 from 5 to 6 p.m. CEST, Philippine reception in Hall 5.1, at stand A76.
And between October 24 and 27, a program called In the Air will launch Frankfurt’s 2025 Guest of Honor Philippines program in Heidelberg and Wilhelmsfeld. There, the Philippines will extend 2024 programming beyond the fairgrounds in Frankfurt in a dynamic four-day literary program and performances in both cities. These activities are free of charge and open to the public. The full schedule of these events can be found here. To participate, email philippinesgohfbm2025@gmail.com .
More from Publishing Perspectives on Frankfurt’s 2025 Guest of Honor Philippines program is here, more on the Philippine market is here, more on guest of honor programs in world publishing’s book fairs and trade shows is here, and more on Frankfurter Buchmesse is here.