No matter how much we read or write, literature lives in all of us — it is what carries the rich histories that brought us to where we are today.
Filipino author and playwright Severino Reyes, also known as the “Father of Tagalog Plays,” embodied this truth in his pen name, Lola Basyang.
Lola Basyang — a fictional grandmother in the province sharing bedtime stories with her beloved grandchildren in a sleepy, candlelit room — narrates Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang, a real-life collection of short stories originally published by Reyes in his magazine, Liwayway.
More than a byline, Lola Basyang has become a beloved figure across mediums of Filipino art and performance, as Reyes’ anthology of short stories has lived on through decades of adaptations, such as books, comics, television, film, and theater productions.
In the hopes of introducing this famous lola to a new generation of Filipino readers, award-winning writer Dr. Christine Bellen-Ang has retold the collection with a team of esteemed illustrators, enlivening Reyes’ stories as a monument to Filipino folklore and heritage.
