The Quiet Ones
2017
Ateneo de Manila University Press
About the author:
Glenn Diaz’s first book The Quiet Ones (2017) won the Palanca Grand Prize and the Philippine
National Book Award. His second novel “Yñiga” (2022) was shortlisted for the 2020 Novel Prize. His
writing has appeared in The New York Times, Rosa Mercedes, Liminal, The Johannesburg Review of
Books, and others. He is a recipient of residencies in Bangalore, New York, Hong Kong, and Jakarta.
He teaches literature and creative writing at the Ateneo de Manila University and holds a PhD from
the University of Adelaide. He lives in Quezon City.
About the book:
The Quiet Ones: A Novel
Author: Glenn Diaz
Publication year: 2017
Content tags: Novel, Contemporary
ISBN: 9789715508346
Original Language: English
Awards won: 2017 Palanca Grand Prize Winner, 2018 National Book Award Winner for Novel in
English, Madrigal Gonzales First Book Award
Synopsis:
During a regular shift at the call center, Alvin Estrada discovers a way to embezzle money from the
American telecom giant for which he mans the phones. Soon a couple of friends join in, and the
operation proceeds smoothly up until they quit, vowing to take the secret to their graves. A month
later, a phone call at 4 in the morning tells Alvin that the police are on their way.
At once a workplace novel and a meditation on history and globalization, The Quiet Ones is a grimly
humorous take on a soul-sapping, multi-billion-dollar industry. In interlocking narratives, it explores
lives rendered mute by irate callers, scripted apologies, and life’s menial violence, but which manage to
talk back every now and then, just as long as the Mute button is firmly pressed.
For further information please contact:
Dr Rica Bolipata-Santos
Director Ateneo de Manila University Press
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: Ateneo de Manila University Press