The book’s resonant brevity is a testament to the scholar’s agile imagining of Southeast Asian history - in this case Philippine history - but also to his quite inexhaustible potent subject in that history: the 19th-century Filipino novelist José Rizal, whose death in 1896 precipitated his country’s revolution against Spain. The book, at 94 pages, is a morsel in comparison to his other texts, but Anderson is incapable of insignificance. READING Benedict Anderson’s book Why Counting Counts (Ateneo de Manila Press) is like coming home to what you think is a quick merienda, a brief snack of pan de sal and mantikilya, only to find yourself replete, satisfied, and renewed, like a guest at some unexpectedly generous feast.
