By Shayne Elizabeth T. Flores

By the end of June, National Artist for Literature F. Sionil José’s family decided to flip the page of a 60-year legacy by putting Solidaridad Bookshop up for sale. With one chapter ending, the José family and the store’s patrons remain hopeful that the bookstore’s story as a cultural trove of Filipiniana literature will continue in the hands of its new owners.

Known as the “best little bookstore in Asia,” Solidaridad Bookshop was established in 1965 at Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila. 

In an interview with FEU Advocate, F. Sionil José’s eldest son, Antonio ‘Tonet’ José, stated that his father’s vision for Solidaridad bookshop was to nurture readership among Filipinos, reflected in their specialization in Filipiniana.

“Ang vision niya was for more Filipinos to read… We specialize sa Filipiniana. We do have mga foreign titles, pero… we're known [as a Filipiniana bookshop],” he said.

After their parents died in 2022, Tonet took over managing the bookstore because his siblings all live abroad. 

However, their family decided to sell it due to the proprietor’s old age and a lack of successors. 

Family, patrons’ wish

While it is a painful decision to let go of the shop that was once their family’s bread and butter, Tonet said that he can only hope that its future owners will upkeep its operations.

“Ang gusto namin (What we want is), whoever gets this will continue it,” he stated.

With a legacy spanning nearly six decades, the news quickly garnered attention from readers online, who lamented the bookstore’s uncertain future. 

This included published author April Bewell, author of Marinduque is in the Heart, who expressed her sadness over Solidaridad bookshop’s change of ownership while acknowledging the José family’s rationale behind their decision.

“It’s heartbreaking, but also understandable. Times are hard, people read differently now, and maintaining an independent bookstore is tough. Still, it feels like the end of an era,” she stated in a separate online interview.

Nonetheless, similar to the owners, she underlined her hope for the bookshop’s future owners to preserve its original spirit as a distinguished local bookstore.

“I’d hope they protect its original spirit, to keep the emphasis on Filipiniana, on nurturing local writers, scholars, and readers. Maybe find ways to modernize without losing its soul,” Bewell said. 

Unique selection

Apart from preserving the legacy of his father with Solidaridad’s inventory of his published works, Tonet proudly talked about their collection of hard-to-find books by various Filipino writers, along with rare foreign titles—most of which were personally selected by F. Sionil himself.

“Maraming writers, Filipino writers, nandito ‘yung mga libro nila… Wala sa ibang bookstore… We're the only one who sells their book, who displays their book (Many books by Filipino writers are exclusively sold here. They are not available in other bookstores),” he claimed.

Truthfully, customers themselves attested to the bookstore’s one-of-a-kind range of books.

Being a stranger to Manila, Bewell first stumbled upon Solidaridad Bookshop during her high school years as she strolled around the city.

“I discovered Solidaridad back in high school (early 90s) when I was new to Manila. I used to skip classes and wander around Intramuros, Paco Park, Luneta until one day I ended up in Malate and walked into Solidaridad,” she recalled.

As a student with a tight budget, Bewell rarely bought from the bookstore. She mostly lurked in its premises to browse their selection and skim through various titles. 

Until now, she can still remember admiring the bookstore’s picture-filled coffee table books along with its stack of magazines.

Upon discovering Solidaridad Bookshop, Bewell felt as if she had unearthed a treasure trove of Philippine literature and history, a rare find for someone who emerged from a small town with a local library stocked mostly with English literature.

“That’s where I first encountered Jose Garcia Villa and F. Sionil Jose, of course. It was unapologetically serious about Philippine literature and history,” she noted.

As a result, compared to other bookstores at the time that primarily sold mass paperbacks or textbooks, Solidaridad was a breath of fresh air for high schooler Bewell, given its curated inventory—so deliberate that you could almost feel F. Sionil José’s presence, according to her.

Space for local voices

Through the bookshop’s unique and cultural spirit, Bewell realized that Filipinos could be the subject of serious writing like the anthology she once picked up from the shop, specifically the story ‘How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife’ by Ilokano writer Manuel Arguilla, which left a lasting impact.

In hindsight, as a local writer and poet herself, Bewell believes that her will to write may have started to bud when the bookstore’s essence made her realize that her own stories matter.

“I think it also quietly planted the idea that I could be a writer too, and that our own stories were worth telling…They hold space for our stories. Local bookstores like Solidaridad are cultural sites, memory keepers, small bulwarks against erasure. They remind us that local publishing and local voices matter,” she mused.

Aside from storing their published works, Solidaridad Bookshop also provides a venue for writers to convene and discuss on its third floor.

It also once served as the headquarters of the Philippine chapter of Poets, Essayists, Novelists, or PEN, an international organization of writers dedicated to promoting freedom of expression and literature.

“Itong round table na ito, if this could only talk, ang daming kuwento nito. It's not only mga writers. Politicians also come here, professors, researchers,” Tonet stated.

Setting aside the wishes of their family and patrons, he acknowledged the possibility for the future owners to discontinue Solidaridad Bookshop given the reality that it does not pay well.

“Most of them, sasabihin [they will] continue. But, the thing is, once it gets sold, wala na kaming say. So, if they find out mga two to three years after buying this, that it's not really a money-making business, they [may] plan to do something else. So, wala na kaming say doon,” Tonet said.

Tonet revealed that they are currently in negotiations with one buyer as of writing, but are still unable to disclose any specific plans for Solidaridad Bookshop.

Nevertheless, while its future remains vague, one thing is for certain: those who have browsed, bought, and gathered at Solidaridad bookshop will continue to remember it as a place that once nurtured stories about Filipinos’ lives, inspiring readers and writers alike.

(Photo courtesy of Solidaridad Bookshop Facebook page)