Dead Stars

I didn't know anything about Paz Marquez Benitez before I read Dead Stars. I liked the story so I did a little research about the author. She was a member of the first graduating class of the University of the Philippines (UP) in 1912. She later taught at the University's English Department, influencing many of the country's future writers.
She founded the first women's magazine in the country, co-founded with six others the Philippine Women's College (now University), and was editor of the Philippine Journal of Education at the UP.
These are extraordinary achievements made even more amazing by the Philippines' largely patriarchal society during that time.

First of all I love that title. I've always been fascinated by the idea that the starlight we see started their journey millions of years ago, and that the stars are no longer there.
I also love the writing. It gives the reader a glimpse of Philippine society in the 1920s but still feels fresh and modern. This is a story that ages well. There is also a certain...quality that I can't quite express. It evokes a feeling of dull longing and emptiness. The effect is anti-climactic, but satisfying.

Abogado - lawyer
Carabao - water buffalo, a beast of burden used by farmers to plow rice fields
chinelas - slippers
Convento - convent. The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country.
Merienda - a light meal or snack taken in the afternoon
Presidente - probably a local official, the mayor of a small village
Tienda - a neighborhood store
Tubigan - a game played by Filipino children. The ground is marked with lines made by pouring water (tubig), hence the name. I think this is the same game as Patintero.

I saw on my stats page that some visitors come here looking for a report or paper on the short story. If you are one of these students, please, read the story yourself and write your own report. It is a beautifully written story and you will be all the richer for reading it.

Plagiarism is wrong, whether or not you get caught.