BOOK REVIEW: The Search For Adarna

by Rose Cruz Churma

If you had gone to school in the Philippines, you will be familiar with the 19th century’s Filipino epic Ibong Adarna, which is written in corrido style, a type of narrative poetry.

It is now included in the curriculum for junior high school students in the Philippines. Its storyline has been used for several Filipino movies the earliest was in 1941 and the most recent was in 2014 titled Ibong Adarna: The Pinoy Adventure.

Ibong Adarna is also a popular Filipino children’s book, a hardcover bilingual edition (English and Tagalog) was published by Adarna House, a publisher of children’s literature based in the Philippines.

The original storyline is about the lives of King Fernando, Queen Valeriana, and their three sons: Don Pedro, Diego, and Juan.

The three princes embark on a quest to find the legendary Adarna bird to cure their dying father’s illness.

Its healing powers are the only thing that can save their father who declares that whoever successfully brings back the magical bird will inherit the throne.

The story is commonly attributed to the poet Jose de la Cruz of Tondo, Manila, who writes in Tagalog. Also called Huseng Sisiw, he was also known as the mentor of Francisco Baltazar, another famous Filipino poet who popularized the balagtasan.

However, the actual authorship still needs documentation. Whoever the author is, experts describe that the tale of this fantastic bird represents indigenous Filipino literature even if it bears some medieval European romantic chivalry.

Interestingly, in the first quarter of the 21st century, another version has emerged. It is a retelling of the same storyline but geared towards modern sensibilities and structured for young adults.

The book’s promotional blurbs describe the modern storyline this way:

“Anna Waldorf-Ocampo wants to get away from the ever-present scrutiny that comes with her famous name. She will do anything to avoid dealing with her ruthless older half-sister, Elizabeth, although she gets along with her belittled other half-sister, Olivia. Tragedy strikes when their father is felled by a mysterious illness that has no cure. The family’s only hope lies in a bird called the Adarna, a mythical creature that can only be found in the Philippine jungle. The three sisters are each tasked to search for the elusive creature. Whoever retrieves it first will inherit their father’s billion-dollar empire, but they must hurry, or they will lose their father forever.”

The writing is brisk and the tone is more Western than Filipino. Although the plot follows the storyline of a Filipino epic poem, it does not try to insert Filipino terms or other literary devices that inform the readers that it has Filipino underpinnings. Nor does it have any Taglish dialogue, which is a relief.

Unlike the original storyline, where there can only be one king to inherit the throne, all three sisters inherit a piece of their father’s billion-dollar empire.

Thankfully, there is enough wealth to go around after our heroines endure amazing adventures that expose them to supernatural and fantastic interactions to find this legendary bird.

The author, Kristyn Maslow-Levis is based in Sydney, Australia, where she works as a marketing specialist and writer.

She worked as a TV reporter for ABS-CBN before receiving her master’s degree in communications under an ASEAN scholarship in Singapore.

Her other writings have been published in the New York Times and Al Jazeera.

Aside from her other two YA novels, The Girl Between Two Worlds and The Girl Between Light and Dark which were recently published, her two children’s picture books had been released by Amazon.

ROSE CRUZ CHURMA established Kalamansi Books & Things three decades ago. It has evolved from a mail-order bookstore into an online advocacy with the intent of helping global Pinoys discover their heritage by promoting books of value from the Philippines and those written by Filipinos in the Diaspora. We can be reached at kalamansibooks@gmail.com.