Writing in protest : 1972-1985 / Alfredo Navarro Salonga.

This special issue on new writing at once raises initial questions. First is the question of time frame. 'New' being a flexible word, it could cover a limited span such as last year's production or else it could be applied to works of the past ten years or so, which is indeed the case in this present collection. The second question involves the choice of 1972 as the starting point for the selection. Surely, 1972 as the year of the declaration of martial law is not only a historical significant date. It is also of inescapable political import - a fact which this anthology cannot possibly ignore. Such observations as these inevitably lead to the problem of the relationship between literature, art, and culture on the one hand, and political, social, and economic forces on the other.