AGOS: Modern European Writers in Filipino (Anvil Publishing; 272 pages; 2018) contends that while we have long been freed from our European colonial masters, we remain tethered to an image of a continent of kings and queens, of knights, and of demigods. It is an image hijacked by the literature of old and made famous the world over. Think Don Quixote, Beowulf, and Hamlet. Thus, the title of this collection of 14 short stories is a declaration that Europe has sailed the tides—agos in Filipino—of time and literature.

Chosen by Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Jaroslav Olša Jr. and translated into Filipino by Susana B. Borrero, these stories from 12 European countries give us an image of a continent unhinged by the, er, tides that traverse the collection. To swim against the tides or to ride them—either may lead to desolation. But it may also bring one to grudging acceptance and, best of all, liberation.