Highlights
- Merlinda Bobis was recognised by the Philippine Embassy as one of today’s Filipino Australian women who make change in Australia.
- She is a proud Bicolana whose famous works include Locus Girl: A Love Song, Fish-Hair Woman and Banana Heart Summer.
- Dr Bobis is a Carlos Palanca and Christina Stead Prize awardee, whose latest project called “The Kindness of Birds” is an ode to everyone who helped in her lifetime.
As a Filipino Australian, her works are deeply connected with both cultures and literary landscapes. She tells compelling stories that will make her readers relate to the same experiences she had as a resilient migrant.
Merlinda’s journey to Australia
Before becoming a multi-awarded writer and an honorary Senior Lecturer at the Australian National University (ANU), Merlinda is a proud Bicolana from Legazpi city whose passion to write was evident in her younger years.
She attributes her formative years as a creative to the city she grew up in, the people, the storytelling culture of her elders, the food, the majestic Mount Mayon, and her loving family.
“Among the many things that inspired me to write was hearing my grandparents and parents tell stories. I know it’s a very Pinoy thing that when you meet someone on the street, you either invite them to eat with you or share stories. The orality of storytelling informed and influenced my writing,” she explained.
Her interest in words and love for language grew stronger because painting was an art form that her family can’t afford. As a child, she figured that she could paint with words and that she could draw images on the page. And with pen and paper, she expressed her creativity and wrote beautiful poems and short stories about her family.
“At 10 years old, I wrote my first poem in Filipino. But I can't find it anymore. It’s about the humble and hardworking ant: “Ang Langgam”. This work was really inspired by my father.”
Merlinda has so many fond memories of the Philippines. She believes that her art is deeply rooted from there and her creative umbilical cord is still linked to the foot of Mount Mayon, where she grew up.
Merlinda reciting a Christmas poem when she was in Grade 1 (7/8 yrs old) at St. Raphael Academy, Legazpi Source: Merlinda Bobis
Her first book was a collection of poems published in 1991, which she proudly shared with her friends and fellow writers. She realised back then that to write is a responsibility knowing that her work reaches a wider audience.
Besides writing, she also taught English and literature in Philippine universities such as Colegio de San Juan de Letran, University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle University where the opportunity to do her doctorate in Australia came about.
“My Head of Literature Department at De La Salle University and fellow writer, Rosario Lucero, mentioned about this Australian scholarship. I applied and got it, so at 31, I moved overseas for the first time.”
Dr Merlinda Bobis giving a poetry lecture at Bicol University Source: Merlinda Bobis
With a fully formed sensibility and own cultural context of stories and concept of storytelling, she had to adapt to the new literature landscape and be resilient.
She travelled to Australia in 1991 and completed her Doctorate of Creative Arts in Creative Writing at The University of Wollongong. She lived in Wollongong for 24 years. Eventually, she was asked to teach creative writing in the same university where she helped hone young creatives.
But after teaching for 31 years, Merlinda wanted to focus more on her writing and moved to Canberra. Although she misses the waters, she loves Canberra because of its parks and abundance of trees.
Merlinda when she first arrived in Wollongong in 1991 Source: Merlinda Bobis
In the Capital Hill, she decided to settle with her partner and continued her craft as a creative writer. In here, she penned wonderful works such as the Locust Girl: A Love Song and Accidents of Composition.
Her inspiration
Merlinda takes inspiration from all sorts of places - in the environment most specially. She believes that writing comes from the ground. The prolific writer has a profound love for nature and the planet. And as much as she could, she incorporates her love of the environment to her works.
“Many times, the incorporation is a natural progression. It is seamless. Because your writing is informed by your lived life – so besides my experiences in Australia and memories in the Philippines – my world view now is planetary.”
Her experiences and story as a migrant also influence her works. She insists that we should all live in a healthy planet. And us - as custodians - should take good care of it.
When asked for her most favourite piece among her portfolio, she laughed and said that she can’t really choose as each of her work is dear to her.
Her latest novel – The Kindness of Birds - is a homage to kindness across cultures and species which helped her survive during the difficult times. It’s her favourite work at the moment.
Photo of all Dr Bobis’ books including different editions and translation ('Fish-Hair Woman' was translated to Spanish) Source: Merlinda Bobis
“My new book, The Kindness of Birds, shuttles between the Philippines and Australia. I intended to write this to incorporate the 75th year anniversary of the Philippine and Australia diplomatic relations. It’s about my experiences and homes – including the planet.”
Venturing into filmmaking
Now that she has written so many novels, short stories and poems, Merlinda wants to venture into filmmaking. She reckons that her work is ready for the big screen.
“One of my dreams is to write a screenplay from the ground up and participate actively in the making of the film. In other words, I want to learn a new trade.”
As a performer herself, one of her renowned books - Banana Heart Summer - is currently being adapted as film in the Philippines. But the production was halted due to COVID-19. She hopes that it resumes soon.
At the moment, she has so many ideas floating in her mind from writing a screenplay about birds to the current pandemic. As she put it, “the creative never retires.” Her creative minds warrants an outlet. It will never stop thinking of things to write about or issues to champion in her written pieces.
Future of literature in Bobis’ lens
Merlinda has high yet considerate hopes for the future of Australian and Philippine literature. She is incredibly pleased to see that more local and young poets are writing in their indigenous language in the Philippines.
“Philippine literature is burgeoning. I love the young, Bicolano poets who are writing in the Bicol language. There is now a renaissance of Bicol literature. When I read their works, my heart just soars. I am a fan of these writers.”
According to her, it’s been a long time coming since the Philippines start to embrace the creative linguistics of the regions. In Bicol, local poets are now celebrated. They tell the stories of their communities and their works reflect the regions of their birth.
While in Australia, Merlinda hopes that Australians starts to reflect the diversity of culture and to open up to more voices. She wants more representation in the art scene - hoping that along with the appreciation of Indigenous voices, the stories of migrants are also heard.
“I am very pleased that the Australian literature has welcomed Indigenous voices. While it’s a rich literature, I reckon there’s a long way to go in terms of including other voices from other cultures.”
She feels that creatives from diverse background should keep pushing the closed gate to be opened so that other voices can be heard. It is one of the reasons why Merlinda loves to teach budding writers – to encourage them to break through and celebrate the connections across cultures despite the differences.
A collection of Merlinda’s literary accolades Source: Merlinda Bobis
Now that she’s retired from teaching, she missed being in a classroom. The seasoned writer has many fond memories with her students. She relishes the time when she can share knowledge about the craft that she’s so passionate about.
Love, discipline and connection are the top three things that Merlinda learned over the span of her lustrous career. These are the same lessons she would like to impart to budding writers.
“Love your language and source of stories. And when you love something, you practice discipline and take care of each word, punctuation and sentence. There's also the humility in knowing that you are not a wellspring of knowledge. Lastly, writing or any form of art is discovering connections.”
Her awards are tangible testaments of her dedication and passion to her craft. But the cornerstones of her works are her connections, experiences, kindness and kinship – these make Merlinda a celebrated creative.
And as she beautifully put it, “storytelling is the best strategy to find common ground.”
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