Manila, My Manila by Nick Joaquin

The City of Manila is brought to life as a vibrant, venerable character by the literary skill of one of its most devoted sons.
 
Manila’s history is dissected and brought to life by essayist and fictionist Nick Joaquin, whose love for the city’s past is evident in his body of work. Joaquin relates Manila’s history from its beginnings before colonization and ends with the term of the Manila mayor who commissioned the work, Gemiliano “Mel” Lopez. Ever the storyteller, Joaquin trots out all the most intriguing and dramatic tidbits about historical personages and events, presenting history as so much more than a listing of key names and dates. More than just titillating bits of trivia, the relevance of these is illuminated by Joaquin’s keen analyses of how the fear and frustration aroused by unsavory experiences drove each player to a particular action, for better or for worse. He not only narrates major events and the incidents that led up to them but describes the many tiny, uncelebrated activities that contribute to the richness of everyday life in Manila in every age.