Dan Brown calls Manila 'gates of hell' in novel

[Monseratto]

I could see this book getting banned and blacklisted even if it's a work of fiction... daming onion-skinned groups ayaw aminin na it's not so Fun In the Philippines...Paano pag ginawa itong movie? hehehe.

Dan Brown calls Manila 'gates of hell' in novel | ABS-CBN News

By Ira Pedrasa, ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 05/21/2013 9:42 PM | Updated as of 05/22/2013 11:16 AM
Dan Brown's "Inferno"
MANILA, Philippines -- While travel magazines have recently been citing the Philippines as a tropical paradise, American author Dan Brown seems to think otherwise based on his much-anticipated new novel.

In "Inferno," the fourth part in Harvard art professor Robert Langdon’s adventures, one of the characters goes through "the gates of hell" in Manila.

The description of the city is from the first-hand account of one of the fictional characters, the messianic Dr. Sienna Brooks.

Brooks, who has been working with humanitarian groups, went to the Philippines for a mission to supposedly feed poor fishermen and farmers on the countryside.

She expected the Philippines to be a “wonderland of geological beauty, with vibrant seabeds and dazzling plains.”

Upon setting foot in Manila, however, Brooks could only "gape in horror" as "she had never seen poverty on this scale."

She said her “dark depression” flooded back, with pictures of poverty and crime flashing through her eyes.

“For every one person Sienna fed, there were hundreds more who gazed at her with desolate eyes,” the book read.

One after the other, the book described chaotic Manila: "six-hour traffic jams, suffocating pollution, horrifying *** trade."

The book described the *** industry as consisting mostly of young children “many of whom had been sold to pimps by parents who took solace in knowing that at least their children would be fed.”

“All around her, she could see humanity overrun by its primal instinct for survival…When they face desperation…human beings become animals,” the book read.

The book went on to detail a turning point in Brooks’ life. “I’ve run through the gates of hell,” she said.

Traumatized, Brooks “left the Philippines at once, without even saying goodbye to the other members of the group.”

This is not the first time that the Philippines’ so-called ugly side was described in novels and movies.

Hollywood actress Claire Danes got a lot of bad press when she shot her 1999 movie "Brokedown Palace" in the Philippines. She described Manila as smelling "of cockroaches. There’s no sewage system in Manila, and people have nothing there. People with, like, no arms, no legs, no eyes, no teeth.”

She was later declared persona non grata.

Last year, actor Taylor Kitsch created a controversy when he described his “airport nightmare” supposedly in the Philippines to TV talk show host David Letterman, claiming an immigration officer even tried to take his iPhone. It turned out that Kitsch was actually talking about Indonesia but did not bother to correct his statement despite the social media backlash.

Tourism officials have been trying to bring to boost the image of the Philippines with its catchy phrase, “More Fun in the Philippines.” The Department of Tourism reported an increase in tourist arrivals last year.

The Philippines also had its fair share of praise from Hollywood when stars Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz spoke about their experiences shooting "The Bourne Legacy" in the country last year.

Just last week, Vin Diesel was seen roaming around town in a jeepney.

The impact of Dan Brown’s "Inferno" remains to be seen. While a work of fiction, Brown again provides an introduction that confuses the ordinary reader about what's true and what's not -- just like in his popular novel "The Da Vinci Code."

“Inferno” is his take on Dante Alighieri’s "The Divine Comedy."

[shadow]

Ayan na sawsaw suka!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2

[yebo]

issue na naman! di ba nila alam ang meaning ng "FICTION"? palibhasa yung mga ilusyones nila e akala nila tutuo kaya ganyan di na nila alam ang pagkaiba ng kathang isip sa katotohanan.

[_Qwerty_]

ano kaya problema nila.. eh totoo naman yung sinabi ni Dan Brown.. based sa experience nya.. at nangyayari naman talaga yun..

[vinj]

Truth hurts eh.

So, when will the aktibistas and Congressmen call for abolition of VFA and declare Dan Brown persona non grata? :D

"Inaccurate portrayal of our beloved metropolis"? What rock has the MMDA Chairman been hiding under??? I agree it sucks to be portrayed negatively but heck there is truth to what is described.

[stickers]

Ayan na sawsaw suka!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2

should have put the letterhead in english too....


If it's real, well Tolentino should roam around Manila para makita nya yung tinutukoy ni Dan Brown... magbilad nga lang sya sa labas from 12 noon to 3pm tignan ko kung di nya sabihing gates of hell ang Manila.

[boybi]

Available na ba yung book sa local bookstores?

[CVT]

Available na ba yung book sa local bookstores?

It should be bro.,- the ebook is now available (actually since a few weeks ago)....

If indeed it is, i.e., "Manila as the Gate of Hell",- may I ask everyone here, who do you think should be the:

1. GateKeeper?
2. KeyMaster?
[3. ***Master?]

And why?

19.2K:book:

[niky]

It's already being advertised at National Bookstore.

-

If we had to ban every book that showed the seamy side of the Philippines, even the works of the late Doctor Jose Rizal would be banned.

[uls]

“All around her, she could see humanity overrun by its primal instinct for survival…When they face desperation…human beings become animals,” the book read.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPg5IH4O7lM]Pagpag for sale - YouTube[/ame]

[Monseratto]

Mga Catholic NGOs mismo nagsabi may *** trafficking problem....

The book described the *** industry as consisting mostly of young children “many of whom had been sold to pimps by parents who took solace in knowing that at least their children would be fed.”

[viper888]

I just got the ebook version.... Ill comment here once Ive read it

But I agree its a farce if we block the book and our politician go wacko for attention

[lowslowbenz]

The truth hurts talaga!

Even if its just written inside a fictional book.


Me? I don't give a hijo de tupa.

[_Cathy_]

Another sub human condition that my ex and I saw on TV were people catching CITY rats for food!

Dagang bukid is a delicacy in some provinces but city rats are a different story!

[Phoenix67]

Ano ba ang hirap sa pag intindi na FICTION ang story?!?

[CVT]

Another sub human condition that my ex and I saw on TV were people catching CITY rats for food!

Dagang bukid is a delicacy in some provinces but city rats are a different story!

Dagang bukid sa taniman ng tubuhan... (alam ito ni LSB).... Masarap iyan!!! (nuong malaman ko after eating, kamuntik na akong mapasuka,- e lasing pa naman ako nuon.... many years ago na ito and during one of our vacations with friends from Pangasinan.... )

19.2K:book:

[falken]

I won't be surprised if some imbecile would want to declare Dan Brown "persona non grata".

[lowslowbenz]

[COLOR="#008080"]

Dagang bukid sa taniman ng tubuhan... (alam ito ni LSB)..

OT:

Our workers cook them adobo style, lots of onions, bay leaf, garlic, toyo, vinegar, peppers, chili, etc.

I buy the Emperador.

[victorevolution]

Another sub human condition that my ex and I saw on TV were people catching CITY rats for food!

Dagang bukid is a delicacy in some provinces but city rats are a different story!

which city? only saw that on a stalone movie where rats were turned into hamburgers

[_Cathy_]

It's a local documentary. I don't remember if it was I-witness or Imbestigador. It's somewhere in the slums of Metro Manila.