SONG OF TWO CITIES

• About the Author


  Lawrence Lacambra Ypil grew up in Cebu, Philippines, and has been involved in writing communities in Asia and the diaspora
• Lawrence Lacambra Ypil


  • Poet and essayist
  • His work explores the intersection of text and image and the role of material culture in the construction of cultural identity
  • In 2020, he was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards and on the longlist for The Believer Book Awards for The Experiment of the Tropics
  • His first book, The Highest Hiding Place, received the Madrigal Gonzalez Best First Book Award
• Education


  Received an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa and an MFA IN Creative Writing (Poetry) from the Washington University in St. Louis on a Fulbright Scholarship
• Rhythm and flows


  Features of urban life, the pacing, movement, and flows of activity in a city
• Present tense


  A distinct feature that Ypil uses to create a sense of immediacy to the experience
• Modernization


  This is a spatial production of modernity. Modernity is physicalized and concretized. The city is a magnanimity of rational thought
• Urbanization


  A movement to achieve the modern
• Modernism


  How intellectuals, philosophers, and artists respond to modernity; a way of characterizing a representing modern life
• The essay explores the following issues: The desire of a more simple lifestyle, The effects of urbanization in the society, The loss of connection in nature
• Significance of the title

  The title highlights the differences between the two cities and the experiences of their different residents. The song or music being referred to is not literal, but it points at the rhythm of the two cities. Rhythm meaning the daily activities, sounds and smells that occur within the city. The rhythm follows a different pacing, for example, cities having different "wake up" times, the traffic, and the forms of public transport.
• Message of the essay

  "The Song of Two Cities" is a thought-provoking essay that invites readers to reflect on the complexities of modern life and the contrasting experiences of urban and rural environments. It serves as a commentary on the rapid changes brought about by urbanization and the longing for a more balanced and harmonious existence.