The moral obligation of writers ~ by National Artist F. Sionil Jose
The moral obligation of writers HINDSIGHT (The Philippine Star) By National Artist for Literature F Sionil Jose First, the good news, particularly to all of you who teach literature courses. The retired Fil-Am academic, Dylan Dizon who is now working pro bono in the Philippine educational system, handed me this information only last week about a scientific study in the United States which has just been concluded. It showed that reading novels “expands the capacity of the brain, stimulates it for creative thinking” and equips novel readers with higher “emotional quotient” (EQ) thus enabling them to have better social relations and understanding of the human condition. The study does not mention what kind of novels should be read; with this information, I hope there will be more readers of my novels. I have, of course, already spoken at length on the importance of literature. It helps us in the building of a community, a nation, by strengthening our memor...
