First drafted in Iowa in the summer of 1967, the working title was Tis a Praying Man, a wordplay on the praying mantis and preying/praying key concepts the author explores throughout the novel.  It was then published by Sionil Jose in Solidarity magazine and serialized in 10 issues from May 1971 to February 1972. This work of fiction, so vivid in its setting and characters, was deemed a threat by the Marcos regime, leading to its ban and the author's voluntary exile to the United States.

This book, first published by New Day Publishers in 1982, was released in a special edition in 2011 to celebrate the author's centenary.

Bienvenido Santos (1911-1996) was a Filipino-American fiction, poetry, and nonfiction writer. He was born and raised in Tondo, Manila, but his family is originally from Lubao, Pampanga, Philippines. He lived in the United States for many years and is widely credited as a pioneering Asian-American writer.

Selected literary works include Villa Magdalena (1965), The Day The Dancers Came (1967), Scent of Apples (1979), The Man Who (Thought He) Looked Like Robert Taylor (1983), Distances: In Time (1983), What The Hell For You Left Your Heart in San Francisco? (1987), Memory's Fictions: A Personal History (1993).

Publisher:
New Day Publishers, Philippines

Publication Date:
2011

Format:
Softcover / 8.75 x 5.75 inches / 172 pages / BW

Language:
English

ISBN: 971-10-0003-2