10 3 / 2011
Sidewalk literature
I am still amazed by the wealth of literature just — literally — lying on the sidewalks bounding the Supreme Court in Ermita, Manila. During weekdays, a few vendors bring out an assortment of used titles from NY Times bestsellers to literary classics. The first time I went there I was able to buy Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” for a measly 150 pesos. Today, I got something better — “A Literate Passion: Letters of Anais Nin and Henry Miller” for 300 pesos! I spotted some other books that I wanted to buy but didn’t have enough money to spend. Sigh. Will just have to wait for the next paycheck to arrive.
