Monday, October 13, 2008

From F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Crazy Sunday"

I picked up this book at the sale section outside Bibliography Bookshop a couple days ago...



And while reading Crazy Sunday in the subway, I was pleasantly surprised to read this line...

Joel could not get to the dinner. Self-conscious in his silk hat against the unemployment, he waited for others in front of the Hollywood Theatre and watched the evening parade: obscure replicas of bright, particular picture stars, spavined men in polo coats, a stomping dervish with the beard and staff of an apostle, a pair of chic Filipinos in collegiate clothes, reminder that this corner of the Republic opened to the seven seas, a long fantastic carnival of young shouts which proved to be a fraternity initiation. The line split to pass two smart limousines that stopped at the curb.

This coming from the great F. Scott Fitzgerald at that! I can imagine though, at the time he wrote this story (the book is a collection of his short stories written between 1920-1937), Filipinos were really a stylish lot! I remember seeing pictures of my maternal grandpa Lolo Cesar, with his cousins and friends in the 1920s, wearing tennis whites (and to think they were living in Pila, a small town in Laguna!) or lounging about their living rooms in summer suits and two tone oxfords. Those were the days when people really dressed up and looked so chic and glamorous without even trying!

Oh, and Bibliography Bookshop was selling/accepting orders for hard bound editions of Candace Bushnell's new book One Fifth Avenue at 20% off! You all have got to read this! If only to derive amusement out of the crazy (but sadly all too real) characters in this story!

1 comment:

Giancinephile said...

Very surprising! haha

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