Exploding Galaxies

Discover Philippine literature with Exploding Galaxies. Read more at

Exploding Galaxies rediscovers lost Philippine classics. We republish timeless titles of food and fiction. Get to know our books and authors at

OUT NOW: CANTICLES FOR DARK LOVERS We’re now shipping out Canticles for Dark Lovers to bookstores around the Philippines! Launched last Saturday, May 9, Canticles for Dark Lovers presents sixteen short stories that were initially published from 1955 to 1971 by Wilfrido D. Nolledo. Included in this collection are Nolledo’s most awarded short stories, previously uncollected writing, and a new foreword by Blanca D. Nolledo on her late husband’s life. You can also order Canticles for Dark Lovers on our website, ! Each order comes with a Canticle card designed by Kitty Jardenil! Free shipping until May 31!

Thank you to everyone, most especially the family, friends, former colleagues, and fans of Nolledo who came to the launch of Canticles for Dark Lovers last May 9! Thank you to Paolo Fabregas and Miren Alvarez-Fabregas for their performances on Nolledo’s short stories. Thank you to WHYNoT @whynot.mnl for collaborating with us. Canticles for Dark Lovers is now available on our website with free shipping until May 31! Order at and get a Canticle card designed by Kitty Jardenil with your book. We’re also bringing Canticles for Dark Lovers to your favorite bookstores soon!

“Never kami nagkasama na ang pinag-uusapan ay ang mga sulatin niya o ang mga pinipinta ko. Hindi namin kailangan ipaliwanag ito sa isa’t-isa.” Artist Danilo Dalena recalls his long-time friendship with Wilfrido D. Nolledo, whom he worked with at the Philippines Free Press. This video was recorded by Danilo’s daughter, Kiri Dalena, in September 2024. A version of this message was written and first read by Kiri’s sister, Sari during the launch of Nolledo’s But for the Lovers in 2023. Celebrate the life and work of Wilfrido D. Nolledo as we launch his short story collection, Canticles for Dark Lovers today, May 9! RSVP here: tinyurl.com/CDLBookLaunch. Pre-order the collection on our website . Free shipping!

May 9, doors open at 4:30pm In a collaboration that foregrounds Wilfrido Nolledo’s Canticles for Dark Lovers, thespians Paolo Fabregas and Miren Alvarez-Fabregas, together with sound artist Mudskipper create textural landscapes that thicken the air, conjuring a visceral space that suspends noise and voice into viscous utterances. produced by WHYNoT

“For Alonzo, Among the Alfalfa” is told through the perspective of a nameless protagonist who, drifting from one town in the Philippines to another, befriends a ragtag group of men in Esperanza. A writer, he chronicles his wanderings in his “cuadrilla” while waiting for the return of his beloved Lisa who is on tour for her studies. “For Alonzo, Among the Alfalfa” was initially published in 1965 by the Ateneo de Manila University’s Philippine Studies. This is one of the three limited-edition Canticle cards crafted by Kitty Jardenil @kittyjardenil and printed in RISO by Kristian Henson of @ipo_ipo_projects . You can get your cards at the launch of Canticles for Dark Lovers this Saturday May 9! RSVP to the event here: tinyurl.com/CDLBookLaunch. Pre-orders also come with a Canticle card! Pre-order Canticles for Dark Lovers now on our website, . Free shipping!

First published in 1959 by Comment magazine, “Because Your Eyes Are Deeper Than Conches” is a short story that follows a married school teacher who grapples with an intense loneliness caused by her dissatisfaction with her present life. This is one of the three limited-edition Canticle cards crafted by Kitty Jardenil @kittyjardenil and printed in RISO by Kristian Henson of @ipo_ipo_projects . You can get your cards at the launch of Canticles for Dark Lovers this Saturday, May 9! RSVP to the event here: tinyurl.com/CDLBookLaunch. Pre-orders also come with a Canticle card! Pre-order Canticles for Dark Lovers now on our website, . Free shipping!

“Of Things Guadalupe” is the first short story featured in Canticles for Dark Lovers by Wilfrido D. Nolledo. The story follows a Filipino guerilla, an American runaway, and a Japanese soldier navigating their way to the Adriatic in a bid to escape their respective fates. Initially published in 1960 by the Philippines Free Press, the story appears to be an early version of the prologue of Nolledo’s novel, But For The Lovers (1970). This is one of the three limited-edition Canticle cards crafted by Kitty Jardenil @kittyjardenil and printed in RISO by Kristian Henson of @ipo_ipo_projects . You can get your cards at the launch of Canticles for Dark Lovers this Saturday May 9! RSVP to the event here: tinyurl.com/CDLBookLaunch. Pre-orders also come with a Canticle card! Pre-order Canticles for Dark Lovers now on our website, . Free shipping!

Today is Nick Joaquin’s birthday. He’d have turned 109 today! Over dinner this evening, Nolledo’s daughters, Lia and Mimi, recalled their uncle Nick — “his coffee was beer!” The Castillos also reminded us that it was his birthday too. As we get ready to launch Nolledo’s short stories this weekend, we think of how Nick Joaquin’s acclaim for these writers continues to resonate, like in his contemplations of But for the Lovers (“Nolledo has deepened the language of fiction to a near-apocalyptic density”) and of The Firewalkers (“An epic of Cavite Heroics, in the days of the Gringo, the Scout, the patriot ‘Bandidos’—and ‘civilize ‘em with a Krag!’”). It seems that, throughout our republications, Nick Joaquin often surfaces. And so, here’s a little post shared by Marra Lanot in memory of Nick Joaquin in the Philippines Graphic: “If there was nothing to listen to, Nick would sing his cherished Cole Porter song, ‘You’re the Top.’ He would even improvise lyrics, thus: You’re the top You’re Mayon Volcano You’re the top You’re Virgie Moreno You’re the sob and sigh Of Kabayao’s violin You’re lechon de leche You’re escabeche You’re Nick Joaquin!”

Wilfrido D. Nolledo joined the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1966 after being awarded a Fulbright-Hays grant. There, Nolledo wrote his masterpiece novel “But for the Lovers”. Nolledo began writing “But for the Lovers” in his first year at Iowa when his collaboration with Stephen Gray caught the attention of his co-writer’s literary agent, John Hawkins. According to the Philippine Free Press, Nolledo struggled to finish his novel, being surrounded by writers in similar straits. But things started to look up for Nolledo once his wife, Blanca and their children moved to the U.S. The novel was finally published in New York in 1970. After returning to the Philippines, Nolledo also wrote two unpublished novels, “Sangria Tomorrow” (1981) and “Vaya Con Virgo” (1984), both of which won the Grand Prize at the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards. Celebrate the life and work of Wilfrido D. Nolledo as we launch his short story collection, Canticles for Dark Lovers on May 9! RSVP here: tinyurl.com/CDLBookLaunch. Pre-order the collection on our website . Free shipping for pre-orders!

From 1963 to 1966, Wilfrido D. Nolledo worked as a staff member for the Philippine Free Press, where many of his short stories first appeared and his cult following began. At the Philippine Free Press, Nolledo served as a feature writer, film reviewer, and editor. He worked alongside writers Nick Joaquin, Greg Brillantes, and Pete Lacaba. “Like Nick, Ding Nolledo savored the elbow-bending with young writers. Even as he knew that we looked up to him for his trailblazing literary worth, he championed our petty little causes and was quick to offer encouragement,” writer Alfred A. Yuson, who was also on staff, said. Among Nolledo’s stories published in the Philippine Free Press was “Rice Wine,” his most anthologized story, which won the Third Prize at the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards in 1962. “Rice Wine” follows a father who struggles to accept the failed revolution and its repercussions on his daughter. Read “Rice Wine” in Canticles for Dark Lovers. Pre-order now on our website . Free shipping for pre-orders! Launching May 9. RSVP to the launch here: tinyurl.com/CDLBookLaunch