Alfred ‘Krip’ Yuson with son Alaric’s daughter Azariah
Of all the Philippine myths and folk tales, the ones on mountains evoke mystery, mysticism and awe the most. Is it because of the grandeur and the tapestry of tales woven around this nature’s wonder which has been told from generation to generation long before our ancestors succumbed to foreign powers? And through the indigenous Philippine folk religions and ethnic faiths even as scientifically, the mystic mountain evolved from subduction of tectonic plates through millennia of geological activity?
Mount Makiling keeps a trove of Maria Makiling stories which were part of the Philippine oral tradition long before they were written down. The world-renowned 2,462-meter-high Mayon Volcano was said to have inspired the legend of the tragic Daragang Magayon and her prince which gave birth to this “perfect cone” volcano.
Philippine mythology also boasts the fabled Maria Sinukuan on Mount Arayat. As well, Mt. Kanlaon, an active volcano 2,465 meters above sea level which makes it the highest point in the Visayas, has spurred numerous myths and tales gathered by the author Victoria Hoffarth in her book, Song of Negros.
Mount Banahaw bordering Quezon and Laguna in Southern Luzon is well known for its mysterious and mystical aura, thus spawning innumerable stories and legends. And so is Montalban in Rizal, just south of Metro Manila, famous for Bernardo Carpio. The legendary giant hero is said to keep two mountains separate and serves as the guardian of wildlife in the area.
Recently, Sierra Madre, the longest mountain range in the Philippines spanning more than 540 km from Cagayan in the north to Quezon in southern Luzon, has added a magnificent story to its many secrets. The mystery this time around is how the mountain range, which reaches out even to the Cordilleras, saved thousands of lives from the fury of super typhoon Karding with violent winds of close to 200 kph. Even as it has been under heavy threat from illegal logging, mining and development operations affecting its ecosystem and its capability to effectively shield Luzon from the onslaughts of typhoons, Sierra Madre still held the fort so to speak. How we wish Sierra Madre Day observed every Sept. 26, as declared by the late President Benigno Aquino III (PNoy) under Presidential Proclamation No. 413 in 2012, will still be observed under the present dispensation.
The Mountain That Grew poster
Lately, another tale of the mountain has come out, this time as an illustrated allegory titled The Mountain That Grew. The handsome 30+ page book by celebrated author, Alfred A. Yuson, a.k.a. Krip Yuson, is “not exactly for your kids but maybe for ten-year-old and above, including adults.”
Beautifully illustrated by modern expressionist painter Marcel Antonio and freelance illustrator Ilana Antonio, the engaging book brings us to an imaginary Mt. Lariq which has lost all its gold and all trees have been cut down by the islanders who built boats to sail away from their island of Manao. Only few were left behind when one islander, Ka Liser, noticed that their once beloved mountain started growing taller.
The Boy Who Ate Stars
Junior Starfish and the Rainbow
The book is the third children’s book the prolific Yuson has penned so far, the first being The Boy Who Ate Stars, then Junior Starfish and the Rainbow which he authored with his daughter Mirava, who is now a doctor of Veterinary Medicine with Masters in Veterinary Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
About his latest book, Yuson says: “I admired and loved what Marcel Antonio and Ilana Antonio accomplished visually, graphically, with The Mountain That Grew — so that I quickly followed it up with the next one, and have somewhat vowed to author at least one a year of such illustrated allegories, parables or fables. The genre presents a challenge not only with regards imagination, but also the use of choice language.”
Krip Yuson is one of the most prolific and awarded writers in the country, having authored over 35 literary titles, including poetry (which has been translated into 12 languages), fiction and essay collections, drama, biography, translation, travel books, children’s books, and novels. That’s not counting his screenplays for Lino Brocka, Tikoy Aguiluz and Peque Gallaga, and his life-long editorship of various journals, magazines, and newspapers. His Kripotkin art and culture column in Philippine Star has been running for over 20 years. And before that, he wrote a column for Inquirer for several years in the Lifestyle section under Thelma Sioson San Juan.
Of his novels, three of which are Great Philippine Jungle Energy Café (1987), Voyeurs and Savages (1998), The Music Child and the Mahjong Queen (2017 National Book Award for the Novel in English), he says: “I’ve been wanting to complete a 4th novel, but it keeps taking off in all kinds of directions, and for long-form writing one needs a stretch of time that’s relatively free. But commissioned books, mostly biographies, keep taking my time, and they’re what keep me and the household afloat.”
Yuson, whose favorite poet is Wallace Stevens, is also completing his 8th collection of poetry, “with predominantly English-language poems (that are really my metier, since it’s the language I was trained in) but also some in Filipino (or street Tagalog as in Manileño). Titled Kafka in the Tropics, it might come out before the year ends.”
The multi-faceted man of letters has mellowed through the years and wistfully says, “Regrets are usually aplenty for someone my age, but becoming a septuagenarian also allows one the privilege of making light of all these, and simply assigning them also as possible virtues of wide experience.”
About The Mountain That Grew published by San Anselmo Press, 10-year-old Raja Miclat-Janssen says after reading it: “If a mountain is growing, then it means it’s possible that it’s a volcano that’s about to explode. Which is the plot of the book, so they tried to cut it down because it kept growing; and then it turned out to be a volcano. With lava and ash.”
Raja’s mother, UP professor and thespian Banaue Miclat-Janssen, quips: “Kids like Raja might take it literally for now, but it will be deep-seethed into their psyche to take care of the environment when they grow up, and not be greedy.”
And as more kids and adults read the story, we may yet see the fruition of the story’s end note: “There are many endings to this story. Each one is told in the people’s different dreams, as they sleep each night and wait for their dreams to become one.”
Yuson with a ‘kasambahay’s apo’ Jherilyn
Yuson dedicates the book to his two granddaughters Azariah and Azriel, and the two granddaughters of his ‘kasambahay’, Jherilyn and Rina.
