Villa Magdalena is Bienvenido N. Santos’ first novel and it was first published by Erehwon in 1965. The foreword of the book describes the story as “ideal for film because of its rich visual scenes and realistic portrayal of Philippine society…[I]t was in a large sense way ahead of its time. Critics called it the first Filipino novel to deal with the wealthy and landed class of Philippine society, and the first to explore sex and human passion as a theme for Philippine fiction. .. [Villa Magdalena] appears to be the least read of Santos’ novels…”
