Summary

The prologue is entirely narrated in the first person by Miguel Syjuco, the narrator of most of the novel. The prologue reveals that “the author,” Crispin Salvador, was close to completing a long-anticipated book before his sudden and unexpected death (3). Crispin is the narrator’s mentor, and the narrator appears to be the only person who believes that the author’s death was a murder, and likely a politically-motivated one. The police conclude that Crispin’s death was a suicide.

As the prologue continues, Miguel reflects on Crispin’s life and his literary accomplishments. Crispin was a very controversial author who had many enemies in the Philippine literary scene. His peers all appear to agree that he committed suicide.

At the end of the prologue, Miguel reveals that the purpose of the book he is planning to write, a biography of Crispin Salvador, is...