Bare Feet in the Palace is Agnes Newton Keith’s memoir chronicling her experiences and observations upon returning to the Philippines around the pivotal 1953 presidential election. The work is set against the backdrop of the newly independent Republic of the Philippines, which had achieved constitutional independence in 1946 following centuries of Spanish colonization and a period as a ward of the United States. Keith details the stark social and economic realities of the post-war country, noting widespread corruption, extreme poverty, and a growing divide between the social elite and the masses. The central motif is the Malacañan Palace, the seat of government, which historically served as a comfort for foreign rulers and a stage for the privileged few. Keith witnesses a transformation where the newly elected president, chosen by the people's vote, is now followed into the palace by the common Filipino. The book contrasts the opulence of the elite—who could afford extravagant parties and costly furnishings—with the millions of citizens who struggled with poverty and unemployment. The work provides a crucial, personal snapshot of the Philippines as a young nation struggling with its colonial legacy and finding its unique identity in a new era of democracy.
Bare feet in the palace