History Literature / PoOn

* EvilColonialist: Hoo boy, the Spaniards (though in fairness, not all of them). The haughty, bigoted, celibacy-breaking Padre Zarraga and the implacable Capitán Gualberto of the Guardia Civil are just the most visible examples. Plus, though on a far milder scale, even Padre José has his prejudices and apprehensions against the Philippine Propaganda Movement, equating it with nefarious intent and "godless" Freemasonry (if only because, in RealLife, several of its members were Masons, and religious deists or agnostics besides).

** To Literature/TheBible: Istak suggests to his family to adopt the new surname Samson based on the Biblical long-haired hero. Their exodus south also recalls, well, the book of Exodus.

It is, however, a {{Prequel}} to the entire series. Set in the late 1800s, in particular covering the period 1880–1899, its historical background is tense and eventful throughout: bookended by the execution of martyr-priests [=GomBurZa=][[note]]Mariano '''Gom'''ez, José '''Bur'''gos, Jacinto '''Za'''mora—executed in 1872[[/note]] on one hand, and the Philippine Revolution on the other. After the proverbial 300 years of being in a Spanish convent, the Filipino people finally throw off their colonial masters and gain real freedom … or so they thought. [[MeetTheNewBoss Enter the]] ''[[MeetTheNewBoss American]]'' [[MeetTheNewBoss imperialists. Enter another 50+ years of Hollywood.]]

%% * AgeGapRomance: Ba-ac is in his seventies whilst his wife Mayang is just past 40.

In the far north, however, that simmering discontent remains background noise for Istak—until his one-armed father Ba-ac murders the young, new priest, in revenge for framing him for theft and ordering his amputation. Alarm bells sound throughout the town, forcing Istak and all his blood relations—Ba-ac, his mother Mayang, his brothers An-no and Bit-tik, plus his eventual wife Dalin, among others—in the tiny village of Po-on to flee south, pursued all the while by the colonial police, the Guardia Civil. It takes long months of crossing dangerous streams and dodging warrior tribes before the Salvadors settle in Pangasinan province, rename themselves the Samsons to escape detection, and start a new life and community. It's at that point where Istak eventually gets drawn into events on a national stage, as the Philippine Revolution brings its prime minister, [[HistoricalDomainCharacter Apolinario Mabini]], to Rosales, and thence in contact with Istak.

* MayDecemberRomance: Ba-ac is in his seventies whilst his wife Mayang is just past 40.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Apolinario Mabini, the chief intellect of the Philippine Revolution and Prime Minister of the First Philippine Republic, takes an extended stay in Rosales at the house of the town chief, Don Jacinto. He and Istak exchange long and enlightening discussions.

* AerithAndBob: On the one hand, polysyllabic Spanish/Catholic names (Eustaquio Salvador/Samson, (Capitán) Gualberto, (Don) Jacinto, etc.). On the other hand, staccato-sounding Ilocano names, which may or may not be derivatives or nicknames for Hispanic names (Ba-ac, Mayang, An-no, Bit-tik, Dalin, etc.). On the third hand, the occasional Anglo- or Irish-American name (mainly, Thomas Collins).

* LatinLand: Set in the late-Spanish-colonial northern Philippines, so of course—tropical climate, Hispanic names, [[ChristianityIsCatholic pervasive Catholicism]] (including friars of course), Spanish government authorities in the form of the Guardia Civil, GratuitousSpanish ([[GratuitousLatin and even more so Latin itself)]], the works.

* AltumVidetur: Istak frequently writes and speaks in (often-untranslated) Latin, usually for prayers but not exclusively so. Par for the course given Istak's extensive tutoring in Catholic doctrine and some classic Roman literature by Padre José.

* LatinLand: Set in the late-Spanish-colonial northern Philippines, so of course—tropical climate, Hispanic names, [[ChristianityIsCatholic pervasive Catholicism]] (including friars of course), Spanish government authorities in the form of the Guardia Civil, GratuitousSpanish ([[AltumVidetur and even more so Latin itself)]], the works.

* PoliceBrutality: The Guardia Civil burn down Po-on, and Capitán Gualberto, at their head, actually shoots Istak point-blank. ''Miraculously, he survives.'' Also, five years earlier, acting on Padre Zarraga's accusation of theft, they hung Ba-ac from a tree by his right hand until it atrophied, requiring amputation.

* LatinLand: Set in the late-Spanish-colonial northern Philippines, so of course—tropical climate, Hispanic names, pervasive Catholicism (including friars of course), Spanish government authorities in the form of the Guardia Civil, GratuitousSpanish ([[AltumVidetur and even more so Latin itself]], the works.

* TimeSkip: Somewhat. Most of Part I takes place in the early 1880s. Part II is set after the Samsons have settled in Pangasinan, and most of the relevant action begins some years later, in the mid-1890s, with the Philippine Revolution well on its way to sparking.

''Po-on'' is a [[HistoricalFiction historical novel]]. Internationally released as ''Dusk'', and completed in 1983, it is the final novel, in terms of writing, of Filipino novelist F. Sionil José's award-winning ''Rosales Saga''—so-called for the rural Philippine town, in Pangasinan province, where he grew up.

Amidst this whirlwind of events, ''Po-on'' follows Eustaquio "Istak" Salvador—later Samson, grandfather of [[Literature/ThePretenders Antonio "Tony" Samson]] and great-grandfather of [[Literature/{{Mass}} José "Pepe" Samson]], introduced as an incredibly astute altar boy in Cabugaw parish, in the Ilocos region, mentored by the old but nurturing Spanish friar, Padre José Leon. By age 20, Istak's on his way to enter the seminary in Vigan and thence the priesthood, but Padre José is forced to retire, and his young successor is his exact opposite: a typical, bigoted, abusive friar, the exact sort that Filipino nationalists are now railing against, one of the major sparks of the Philippine Revolution.

Amidst this whirlwind of events, ''Po-on'' follows Eustaquio "Istak" Salvador—later Samson, grandfather of [[Literature/ThePretenders Antonio "Tony" Samson]] and great-grandfather of [[Literature/{{Mass}} José "Pepe" Samson]], introduced as an incredibly astute altar boy in Cabugaw parish, in the Ilocos region, mentored by the old but nurturing Spanish friar, Padre José Leon. By age 20, Istak's on his way to enter the seminary in Vigan and thence the priesthood, but Padre José is forced to retire, and his young successor is his exact opposite: a typical, bigoted, abusive friar, the exact sort that Filipino nationalists are now railing against, one of the major sparks of the Philippine Revolution.

* DoomedHometown: Ba-ac's murderous—but justifiable—act of vengeance against the young priest essentially dooms Po-on to be torched by the Guardia Civil in retaliation, forcing his entire clan to flee.

Amidst this whirlwind of events, ''Po-on'' follows Eustaquio "Istak" Salvador, grandfather of [[Literature/ThePretenders Antonio "Tony" Samson]] and great-grandfather of [[Literature/{{Mass}} José "Pepe" Samson]], introduced as an incredibly astute altar boy in Cabugaw parish, in the Ilocos region, mentored by the old but nurturing Spanish friar, Padre José Leon. By age 20, Istak's on his way to enter the seminary in Vigan and thence the priesthood, but Padre José is forced to retire, and his young successor is his exact opposite: a typical, bigoted, abusive friar, the exact sort that Filipino nationalists are now railing against, one of the major sparks of the Philippine Revolution.

Amidst this whirlwind of events, ''Po-on'' follows Eustaquio "Istak" Salvador, introduced as an incredibly astute altar boy in Cabugaw parish, in the Ilocos region, mentored by the old but nurturing Spanish friar, Padre José Leon. By age 20, Istak's on his way to enter the seminary in Vigan and thence the priesthood, but Padre José is forced to retire, and his young successor is his exact opposite: a typical, bigoted, abusive friar, the exact sort that Filipino nationalists are now railing against, one of the major sparks of the Philippine Revolution.