Maria Karina Bolasco looks back on her illustrious publishing career

The freshly-retired former Director of the Ateneo University Press, Maria Karina Bolasco, has set her sights on her next journey.

A writer, editor, publisher, and icon, Bolasco has been a stalwart of the Philippine publishing industry for more than 40 years. She’s published over 3,000 titles throughout her multi-decade career, shepherded some of the most talented and incisive writers in the country, and played a big role in promoting a love for books and reading in a nation that has always deserved it.

Beginning her career in the 1970s as an editorial assistant in one of the fastest-growing book chains in the Philippines at the time—National Book Store—Karina was open to anything and everything that was asked of her. It was during her time at National where she was first able to hone and sharpen her skills and eye for editing and publishing. She wanted a better approach to producing local textbooks, because she knew how important textbooks were to forming the reading habits and tastes of children.

After a decade in National Book Store, Karina would go on to found Anvil Publishing, the book chain’s publishing arm. Its mandate, according to Karina, was to produce “as many local books” as possible. It was in this time that Karina built up most of her stunning portfolio: nurturing talented writers, publishing culturally important books, and championing Filipino literature. Some of the first books she handled were Nick Joaquin’s Cave and Shadows and Ninotchka Rosca’s State of War—two texts that, aside from being memorable to Karina, would also be valuable and indispensable to Filipino storytelling and identity-making.

Karina came to the Ateneo University Press in 2016 after almost thirty years in Anvil Publishing. Under her direction, the Press would be awarded Publisher of the Year five years in a row. She brought with her years of experience and expertise, transforming the Press into a highly revered publishing house, producing titles not just for the world of the academe, but also for the ordinary Filipino reader. 

This year, she was also conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Book Development Board for her work in the industry and for encouraging writers, both unknown and established, to keep writing and publishing. Meanwhile, at the recently concluded Manila International Book Fair, it was announced that books published during her time at the Press won big at the Gintong Aklat Awards.

What’s next for her after retirement? A book of her very own, hopefully. “When I was small, I wanted to be a writer, a poet—but what took me away from that was publishing the best and the brightest,” she said. “When you see how good they are at their craft, parang na-intimidate ka na. I thought that the next best thing for me, as a writer, was to publish the best and the brightest, but now I am giving myself a chance.”