India, Nov. 22 -- 1What makes Filipino literature unique in the global literary landscape? Our people's story is one of enormous suffering and sacrifice, but also of survival; occasionally we achieve sublimity. Because of our diaspora, we are now all over the world, and are both changing and being changed by that world. 2How do you see the current state of Philippine literature in English? What are the economic factors that drive it? It's alive and well, even robust, in terms of the writing. New authors and works are constantly emerging, especially in genres such as speculative fiction, young adult fiction, and graphic novels. Our exposure at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 and the contacts we make here can only encourage more literary production in English. I can't even say this is being driven by economic factors, as the returns so far have been minimal, so it isn't that. It's our natural expressiveness finding a means of bursting forth, of announcing itself on the global stage, looking for receptive audiences. We have to learn the international market, sure. I'm not one of those aesthetes for whom the word "market" is anathema. But first we also have to address and grow our domestic readership, who, after all, should be our primary audience. 3What do you think international readers most misunderstand about Philippine literature? They don't know where to put us, because we write in an English that's neither American nor British, but is the unique product of our colonial history and our adaptation to modern times. I've always seen us as the bastards whom no one quite knows how to deal with when we turn up at the family dinner. Most Americans don't even know we were their colony. We're out of the Commonwealth loop. Even within Asia, we're not Bahasa speakers despite our Malay connections. 4Filipino writers have gained more international recognition recently. What is driving this change? A lot of new products and bright, fresh talent in areas like speculative and graphic fiction, the romance novel, and even horror. It's young people who know how to explore and navigate the terrain on their own without needing the guidance or approval of universities, party doctrinaires, and literary elders or academies. It's quite exciting. 5Your stories capture working-class Filipino lives... I write about the Filipino middle class and the poor because these are the people I grew up with, and what I grew up as. I think they have the most interesting stories to tell, as people constantly vulnerable and on the brink. 6Your recent novel, Last Call Manila, was translated into German. I was pleasantly surprised by the warm critical and popular reception my books reportedly received in Germany. I'm glad to be breaking ground, so other Filipino authors can be discovered....