COSON, Mara
Aliasing

In Aliasing the narration of fiction shifts like the weave of a binakulblanket, and the reader is confronted by a procession of simulacra that might be misunderstood as an alternative history of the Philippines. There are no falsehoods here since representation precedes and determines the real. The northern whirlpool weave that provides the novel with its title has been used to confuse evil spirits and protect its wearer while asleep. Almost traditional stories are woven into a post-history covering everyone from Macabebe Marie (the Mata Hari of Manila) to the Catholic mystic Emma de Guzman (known to followers as the Mother of Love, Peace and Joy). Reflecting the hybrid nature of our contemporary world, Aliasing reconfigures our understanding of who we are as a twice-told tall tale from the South. [publisher’s note]

Mara Coson is a writer and editor from Manila, Philippines, and the founder of The Manila Review. She completed her MA in Creative Media at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

Published by Book Works, 2018
Design by Fraser Muggeridge Studio
Literature