ON JUNE 29, my latest memoir, “The (Almost) Fabulous” was published in the USA. I didn’t have COVID-19 in mind when I wrote the materials that eventually became the book. But as luck would have it, “…Fabulous” seems to be a perfect antidote to our anxious COVID times. Sure, the book wouldn’t cure COVID. But if you are worried about your mental health, maybe “…Fabulous” can help.
The book contains two introductions. Here’s the first of the two. (The other comes out on Friday.)
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THE FABULOUS PETER SOLIS NERY
by Jonell Segador Gregorio
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There’s a Peter Solis Nery in all of us.
Whether it is an incorrigible desire for sex (and more sex), irrepressible love with unattainable men (or women), insatiable thirst for adventures and compulsion for collectibles, readers will find that writer and demigod Peter Solis Nery is just like everyone else: perfectly imperfect.
Ilonggo literary great Peter Solis Nery comes down from his ivory tower in Maryland, USA to commune with his fans and readers in his latest book aptly entitled The (Almost) Fabulous: A Self-Portrait in Bits and Pieces. The book is an unabashed and unapologetic revelation of Nery’s life, all rolled into five chapters; each has its own quirks and highlights.
Recognized as the most prolific contemporary Hiligaynon writer of the new millennium, Palanca Hall of Fame awardee Peter Solis Nery, or PSN to his growing legion of fans and readers, churns out books after books, year after year, each one as provocative as the other, each one more revealing than the rest. This latest book in the dreadful COVID year 2020 is an autobiographical account of Nery’s childhood and growing up years, love life and sex life, family, marriage, and fame.
PSN is unequivocal as he is honest in this book. He calls his mother stubborn; and his brothers, irresponsible. He admits faking congratulatory messages to his rivals, and makes no qualms calling himself a “famewhore” and an avowed advocate of self-promotion in the age of social media. He never minces words, and this brutal honesty makes him, and this book, all the more endearing, relatable, and accessible to mortals. True to his nature, PSN comes off as a chatty, exuberant, and candid person who shares his life to a close friend.
Each page is a revelation — in one single paragraph. Sometimes shocking, often exciting. But like the tiny puto Calasiao, each page does not satiate; it only whets the appetite, goading the readers to consume each page with gusto, until every morsel of juicy tidbits has been all but eaten up, down to the last page. Only then does the real Peter Solis Nery is revealed, in bits and pieces. Thus, we come to know him — and his legend — in all his glory.
The book opens with the first chapter, Sex, Love, & Relationships, where PSN reveals the one mistake he keeps on repeating — falling in love with unattainable men. It is incredulous that there are men that a Peter Solis Nery could not have, but ever the romantic, he always wants to be in love. And the things he does for someone he likes!
At one point, he narrates he almost crashed his car to get drinks for a boy he likes. (Spoiler: he got the drinks. And the boy!)
In Neuroses, Compulsions, & Affectations, PSN is a patriotic person who cries reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, but whose phobia for earthworm remains unchanged. Here, PSN is a picture of a cheapskate, and a compulsive buyer; he prefers ordinary T-shirts and cheap shoes, but splurges on online shopping, diamond earrings, and a gold-painted three-story building in his hometown of Dumangas. Here, too, can we find the PSN who enjoys washing dishes at parties, a remnant of his years of rigid training in the seminary.
PSN loves his family, but confesses that he actually does not like them in Family, Friends, & Dysfunctions. Although a self-confessed momma’s boy, he is unapologetic in calling out his mom for her casino gambling habit. He admits he is as stubborn as his mother. He also picks fights with his sister for her broken English, but gives the best advice to other people. He writes, …one of the proudest pieces of advice that I have given to people in the last two years that really made a difference in their lives was about keeping a baby. A teenage girl got pregnant. I advised her to bring the baby to birth, and I convinced her spinster aunt to adopt the newborn. Three happy lives, right there.
Peter Solis Nery has been quite vocal about his adoration of Audrey Hepburn. In Films, Books, & Music, the fourth chapter of his book, he mentions that he has watched Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s 10 times or more. Not surprising for someone who owns a comprehensive Audrey Hepburn memorabilia. His penchant for collecting stuff started early, from stamps and coins to ref magnets, and DVD movies.
Few writers can boast of an extensive travel, but PSN is one of them. The last chapter on Time, Travel, & Whimsies takes readers to the countries and cities PSN has visited. In 2017, he visited 17 countries during his 90-day European Tour. This wanderlust never fears from getting lost in a foreign city; he relishes it. He admits to being a cheap traveler. How cheap, we ask? Well, PSN, though a writer-god, does not like staying in opulent hotels. He once slept in the streetside elevator!
Truly, the book offers more. One will find in here bits and pieces of the Peter Solis Nery that he has not written about nor spoken about in public. His simple language is both bold and brilliant. Indeed, Peter Solis Nery, the PSN, is fabulous and simple. There’s a part of him in every one of us through his stories, struggles, and triumphs. He resides in every one of us.
But the demigod that he is, he continues to awe us. And his flair and flamboyance will always be unparalleled.
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Jonell is from Altavas, Aklan. He teaches at Aklan State University./PN
