Quote by Jessica Hagedorn: “The colonizer's language became our own, twisted, vibrant, full of defiant new meanings.”

This quote recognizes that while the language of colonizers was imposed, the colonized people made it their own, transforming it with new meanings and a defiant spirit, ultimately shaping it to express their unique experiences and assert their identity.

In 'Dogeaters,' Hagedorn masterfully blended English, Tagalog, and Spanish, demonstrating how postcolonial subjects appropriate and transform the languages of their colonizers, imbuing them with new, often rebellious, cultural significance and expression.

Filipino-American novelist, poet, and performance artist, born in Manila in 1949 and based in New York City. Her debut novel Dogeaters, shortlisted for the National Book Award in 1990, is a vivid portrait of Manila under the Marcos dictatorship, blending pop culture, history, and literary experiment.