On the Angels of War
Angels in Bataan - a novel by Semana sang Ilonggo
Literary Awardee, Atty Agustin Misola
Adventure, poignancy, grief, beauty, and tears. These are the gifts of magic delivered by printed words. Words that transport us from one place to another, to bring either glory or destruction.
These, we can get from our local Ilonggo writers. Ilonggos by nature are talented, in the arts or literature, we have plenty. It is only that in our province, these people do not have an acknowledged outlet where they could vent all their ideas. Or where, their works would be accessible to their fellow Ilonggos, especially the youth, who need a more profound and intellectually-challenging reading materials.
Works likethat of Semana Sang Ilonggo Literary Awardee, Atty. Agustin Misola, that are profoundly historical and classical. Classic in a sense that, his works are philosophical and introspective in nature. One could say that they are windows to his soul, his past, his experiences, his memories.
First printed in the United States, his novel, Angels in Bataan, is a detailed and descriptive recollection of World War II through the eyes of a young American nurse. It is a story about a girl recounting the rigors of the war through her experiences as a part of a medical team assisting the injured soldiers.
The story diplayed the point of view of a nurse aboout the war and everything else that goes with it. There is also an injection of a complex romantic love situation so common to stories on young people. Which lends them their humanistic value. Without the prujudice of sugar and spice and everything nice associated to a female lead, the story unfolded with all the aspects surrounding the war. There are the events before the war, where peace and innocence would later be shattered with the onset of a pillaging horror. The war itself and the after effects that follow it are also present.
However the story is not all gore, death, and destruction. It also has that humanistic element provided by the characters. They bring the necessary life and zest to the story, giving it shape and value in turn.
As portayed in the love shared by two sisters that evokes an ultimate sacrifice in one, the goodness of a heart personified. Or, in a love that waits for second chances, in a sense of letting go and moving on, of loving the ideal of a proffesion more than self preservation, we learn that everything has a price, though not always material. These are the innert compulsions of human dignity and capacity made corporeal in selfless deeds of courage, love, humility, gratitude, and sympathy.
The novel is an easy read, and should be recommended to students, especially taking history lessons. Although fictional, this particular work of literature would be able to capture the minds of young and old people alike. It will leave a deeper understanding and uncomplicated learning in its wake. This also makes the subject of the Second World War more interesting to the reading public.
A retired U.S. Navy soldier was said to have remarked in a letter to the author, "Your portrayal of the nurses, doctors, military personnel, and treatment of the Japanese brought chills to me – so realistic were the descriptions." This appreciation, from a first-hand witness of the war, is proof enough of the material's value, not only in literature, but in history and human emotion as well.
To the Ilonggo writers, Atty. Misola's advise is that, writing is patience and sacrifice rolled in one. And that, this skill is fueled by a writer's capacity to dream and imagine. Writing to him is a lifetime profession.