Burning Heart: A Portrait of the Philippines (Paperback)

~ Jessica Hagedorn (Author), Marissa Roth (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Nothing is absolute, especially in the Philippines. It is a land of opposites, where religion, spirituality, superstition, and mystery are all present in equal doses. It is a place where Catholics consult tarot card readers and prostitutes keep shrines to the Virgin Mary. Burning Heart allows a rare glimpse into this world: the taste of cane liquor and salty stews, the sound of infectious dance music, and the hopelessness of political turmoil and violence. Photographer Marissa Roth says "I saw the Philippines in terms of light: luminous, reflective, hard, and deeply shadowed. Filtering that light was the constant heat and humidity, a deceptive sensual salve, masking a country scarred by violence and pain." Her unflinching photographs uncover the importance of religion in the Philippines, as well as the social inequality, dire poverty, overpopulation, and ingrained class system that are all part of daily life. The poetry of Jessica Hagedorn reinforces these realities, but also shows that the simple pleasures we all experience as human beings-- dancing, eating, rejoicing, laughing-- are not absent from Philippine life. Together, these images and poetry are a deeply affecting vision of a country and its people.

About the Author

Marissa Roth is a photographer whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, Time, Newsweek, and other publications. Her photographic study about the children of the Philippines, "The Children Wear Old Eyes," was featured in a solo exhibition at the Lentz Center for Asian Culture at the University of Nebraska. Born and raised in the Philippines, Jessica Hagedorn is the author of the novels The Gangster of Love and the award-winning Dogeaters; and the editor of Charlie Chan Is Dead: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction. She has adapted Dogeaters for the stage and is working on a new novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications (March 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847821641
• ISBN-13: 978-0847821648
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,008,421 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meaningful photographs., March 27, 2000

By	Marcelino Cruz (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews

This is a beautiful collection of photographs. They speak about the lives of people we hardly see in pictorial collections about the Philippines. The faces of the people are real and desperate. I am reading Bino Realuyo's Umbrella country (which I love) and these pictures almost bring to life the images in the novel. I recommend this book (and realuyo's novel too).

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, powerful photographs, July 25, 1999

By	RL (New York City) - See all my reviews

I recently got to see the photographs that make up this book at the Sepia Gallery in NYC. These photos are superb and very powerful. Roth has a fantastic eye--her photographs are beautifully composed, showing great attention to the nuances and details of her subjects. She has obviously spent a lot of time immersed in Filipino life and culture--and has the skills to capture it to film. As a photographer, I found her work very inspiring. Beyond the formal qualities, her photos present very moving glimpses of Filipino life. They are very powerful and showcase a wide range of scenes. I highly recommend this collection of photos (especially if you cannot see the exhibit in person).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great photos!, June 24, 2002

By	"kpatnugot" (Santa Monica, CA United States) - See all my reviews

The photographs brought together a variety of interesting images of the Philippines. As an amateur photographer, I have been searching for photographic books on the Philippines and I found the contrast of beauty and harsh reality very well put together. The only drawback was the poetry. I didn't feel that it captured the emotion of the images.