Winner of the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize

‘A masterpiece’ – Alberto Manguel, El País

‘Miguel Syjuco is his country’s most original and unflinching literary voice’ – Salman Rushdie

Murder mystery. Literary puzzle. Bildungsroman. A tightrope taut between fact and fiction. An accusation and act of contrition. A society satirized in a shattered mirror. Ilustrado is a modern classic that defies classification.

Bold, demanding, but famously rewarding to intrepid readers, the novel starts with the waterlogged corpse of the great Filipino writer Crispin Salvador — then sweeps backwards and forwards through eras, genres, and narrative threads: weaving together generations of a complex history dictated by the once and future vainglories of the Philippine ruling class.

Now part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the very best of modern literature. This edition features a new introduction by Robert Butcher.

"Bristling with comic verve, metafictional playfulness, and an undertone of expatriate nostalgia . . . an impressive, vibrant mix of Borgesian literary labyrinth and acerbic émigré comedy" - The Sunday Times

"A seethingly ambitious debut . . . US critics have cited Bolaño as an obvious comparison; others may think of Midnight’s Children-era Rushdie" - Independent

"A big, bold, cunning, impassioned, plangent and very funny book" - The Scotsman