Axel Timo Purr talks to author and journalist Jessica Zafra about her journey from legendary newspaper columns to a novel. It was only when she gave up writing columns that she found the space for her literary debut - shaped by the years of martial law, which she experienced as a "martial law baby". Zafra talks about her origins in the aspiring middle class, the inertia of the elites and the alarming trend of celebrities moving from the film world into politics. She talks about her new, as yet unpublished historical novel about José Rizal and his friends in 19th century Europe, for which the film rights have already been sold. And she comments on the topic of language: most Filipino authors write in English - a legacy of colonialism that Zafra herself knows only too well.

Language: English

Place/Date: Manila, August 21, 2025

This podcast is part of the report Literary Travel in the Philippines.

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