FEU Publications manager Melany Caperal presents Nick Joaquin’s FEU-related works during 2nd Philippine Book Festival. Photo from FEU Publications.

TAMS Bookstore and FEU Publications joined the country’s gathering of local publishers, authors, and creatives in the 2nd Philippine Book Festival organized by the National Book Development Board recently at the World Trade Center.

The four-day book fair celebrated the love for reading and provided a venue for the country’s rich and diverse content on literature, arts, and culture, among others.

As part of the special segment “Dahling Nick: A Tribute to National Artist Nick Joaquin,” FEU Publications manager Melany Caperal shared the literary icon’s close ties with the university long before 2015 when it served as the home of the “Nick Joaquin Special Collection.”

Quoting the Chair Emeritus Dr. Lourdes Montinola, Caperal said: “It is fitting that FEU should house the works of Nick Joaquin because of its strong connection with the legendary writer. Nick, at the instance of Sarah [Joaquin], wrote the elegant lyrics of the FEU Hymn.”

It was FEU that published “The Complete Poems and Plays of Jose Rizal” translated by Nick Joaquin in 1976.  As a way of introducing both Rizal and Joaquin to the younger generation, this was reprinted by FEU Publications in 2023 with a modern interpretation of Rizal on the cover.

FEU also trusted Joaquin to write the biography of the university founder, Dr.  Nicanor Reyes to mark the 66th year of the university’s founding anniversary.  Published in 1995, the book “Mr. FEU: The Culture Hero That Was Nicanor Reyes” chronicles the life and vision of a man who built one of the country’s respected academic institutions.

Also present to pay tribute during the book festival were other publishers like Anvil Publishing, Ateneo Press, Milflores Publishing, and Penguin Classics, which also shared their story and journey with the National Artist.

The FEU Booth was also packed with book lovers who were greeted with a surprise visit from “Some People Need Killing” author and award-winning journalist Patricia Evangelista who signed copies of her book made available by the TAMS Bookstore Manager, Gwenn  Jessica Galvez.