Customer Reviews

Noli Me Tangere (Shaps Library of Translations)

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It's about time this book was reprinted. Written by one of the heroes of the Philippine revolution, this book is a semi-autobiographical account of Philippine society during its days as a Spanish colony. "Noli Me Tangere," roughly translated as "Touch Me Not," reflects the hypocrisy and corruption present in that time. Former translations have aptly titled it, "The Social Cancer." Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, the protagonist, returns to his country after being educated in Madrid, and seeks to marry Maria Clara, a young woman who had been betrothed to him when they were children. He tries to use his education to help the townspeople, but his efforts are thwarted by the clergy. It is these priests who prevent him from learning the true cause of his father's death, and he is eventually labeled as a heretic and is excommunicated from society. He escapes being assasinated and flees, vowing to revenge himself, his father, and Maria Clara. There is an incredible amount of detail in this novel, and the translation is superb. The characters are vivid -- who can forget Sisa's tragedy and the eerie Father Salvi? You don't have to be a historian or a student to enjoy this novel, and knowing nothing about that place or time period will not affect its intensity and pathos.

This is a must-read for those interested in South-East Asian or colonial history/literature. The story of the writing of this novel is just as fascinating as the novel itself. "Noli Me Tangere" was written by the brilliant Dr. Jose Rizal--physician, historian, poet educator, philosopher, naturalist, novelist, artist, and one of the first nationalists of Asia.

Rizal was a young Filipino student in Europe when he wrote "Noli," during the time that the Philippines was under Spanish rule. Rizal worked on the manuscript in between the hours he spent poring over his schoolbooks. He was only 26 when the book was published on borrowed money in Berlin in 1886. Unapologetically anticlerical, this satirical portrayal of 19th century colonial Philippines blended philosophy, irony, humor, and tragedy. The novel was banned from the Philippines because of its subversive content, but contraband copies found their way to Manila, awakening the disparate Philippine islands to unity and nationhood.

"Noli Me Tangere," its sequel "El Filibusterismo" (1891) and Rizal's other essays and poems were part of the core of nationalist literature that inspired both Rizal's co-reformers--a group of European-schooled young Filipinos--and the more militant revolutionaries. In 1896, the militant groups in the Filipinos launched a revolution against the Spanish crown, the first nationalist revolution in Asia. Rizal had no direct part in the insurrection; he had even advised the militant group that the country was not yet ready for an armed revolution and he had pushed instead for nonviolent reform. Nevertheless, the Spanish military arrested Rizal on sedition charges and brought him to trial. He was found guilty. On the evening of December 29, 1896, in his prison cell, Jose Rizal wrote his last poem, "Mi Ultimo Adios." The next morning, soldiers escorted him to a field where his sentence was meted: death by firing-squad. Rizal was only 35 years old.

Rizal's death further fueled the fires of the Philippine revolution, and it culminated on June 12, 1898, with the Filipinos proclaiming independence after more than 300 years of Spanish rule. Today Rizal is considered one of the most important figures in Asian history. He has been revered by many as "The Pride of the Malay Race," and he is the national hero of the Republic of the Philippines. The novel "Noli Me Tangere" appeared, in the years immediately following Rizal's death, in French and English. Since then it has also been translated into German, Chinese and Filipino.

From a historical vantage-point, "Noli Me Tangere" is one of the most important literary works from the period of Asian nationalism. As a novel, "Noli" is a fascinating read.

After reading "Noli Me Tangere," also read its much darker and more philosophical sequel, "El Filibusterismo." I think the latest English translation is by Leon Ma. Guerrero.

this book is amazing not only due to it's content, but the impact it had on the world. Unfortunately, virtually no Americans have ever even heard of Rizal. (I am an American who grew up in the Philippines) This book is nearly single-handedly responsible for the overthrow of the 500-year Spanish regime there. He merely stated the truth, and as a result was executed a few years later. This man has greatly influenced my life. I only wish America could claim as great a hero as Rizal. Filipinos are rightfully proud to call him the Father of Independent Philippines. His saying "There are no tyrants if there are no slaves" is a truth that I teach to my students. Get this book, read it, then find out about Filipino history and get a biography of Rizal (Austin Coates had a great one, but I can't find it.) You will be astounded!!!

The story of "Noli Me Tangere" is one of bitter ironies. It is the first major Filipino novel and one of the first novels in Asia written outside China and Japan. Yet it is written in a European language (Spanish). It is one of the first novels of anti-colonial rebellion, written by a man who was executed by the Spanish just as the country began its fight for independence. In many ways the Philippines more resembles Latin America than its Asian neighbors. Both colonial Philippines and colonial Latin America were dominated by a corrupt, bigoted and dogmatic Catholicism. Both were colonized (more or less) by Spain and both regions had the same tensions between Spaniards, Spaniards born in the colonies, "mixed blood" and the indigenous majority. Both had to suffer the cruelties of a foreign country who looked down at the colonies with contempt. But Spanish never became the vernacular of the Philippines and after the United States' brutal conquest, only a tiny portion of Filipinos can read the founding novel of their own literature. To make things worse, the translation of the novel has been cursed with political malice. As Benedict Anderson pointed out in "The Spectre of Comparisons" the main translation by Leon Guerrero was compromised in a variety of ways. For a start Guerrero, like most of the Filipino ruling class collaborated with the brutal Japanese invaders. Afterwards he was a player in the corrupt, clientele ridden dependent pseudo democracy of the post war years. Rather hostile to the United States, Guerrero's translation subtly and not so subtly bowdlerizes the novel, blunting not only its fierce anti-clericalism and contempt, but also mangling Rizal's unique, cutting tone.

This translation is an improvement, though as Anderson points out, it is by no means perfect. As such one cannot be sure one appreciates Rizal's cunning, knowing, almost proto-modernist attitude towards the reader. As a result what we have may look a lot like a melodrama, as Juan Crisostomo Ibarra confronts grotesque injustices while he is falsely accused and cheated out of his love. Certainly we do not have an exemplar of realism like Rizal's contemporary, Benito Perez Galdos. One might think that the critique of Catholicism is very, very broad. The priests and laity are fanatical about Purgatory, and exploit the inhabitants for money for indulgences that reminds me of the endless loyalty oath campaigns in "Catch-22." They denounce modern education and hamper the building of a necessary school, they are so cruel to Ibarra's father that his corpse ends up dumped in a river, they chortle smugly over the damnation of their enemies. But there is a more cutting satire. Learning of a pogrom against the Chinese population, one character notes that they gave such good gifts for Christmas. If only they could have been killed after New Years. There are elaborate discussions of the many festivals and rituals of the Church that show a real talent for description. There are some fine scenes about being hampered and cursed by a callous bureaucracy and police. This is a novel that deserves a bigger audience and a better translation.

Being 16, Filipino, in the US, and interested in my culture, I found turning to a novel by Jose Rizal a natural place to being my study. I already consider myself to have a good knowledge of Spanish occupation within the Philippine Islands, but I did not the severity of the wrongs which Spain and the clergy commited toward the Philippines. Reading Noli Me Tangere truly opened my eyes and has made my admiration for Rizal sky-rocket. The Noli is an amazing book, I didn't expect to be so absorbed in it. The aspects of Philippine life portrayed are really enlightening; and the story of each character's *confusing past* make the novel a great read! EVERY Filipino should read it, especially if you are a teen growing up outside the Philippines! Reading it will give you a lot of insight into our culture. It's simply an awesome book! I love it! Now I'm trying to get a copy of El Filibusterismo (sp?) to read!

It's about time this book was reprinted. Written by one of the heroes of the Philippine revolution, this book is a semi-autobiographical account of Philippine society during its days as a Spanish colony. Noli Me Tangere, roughly translated as "Touch Me Not," reflects the hypocrisy and corruption present in that time. Former translations have aptly titled it, "The Social Cancer."

Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, the protagonist, returns to his country after being educated in Madrid, and seeks to marry Maria Clara, a young woman who had been betrothed to him when they were children. He tries to use his education to help the townspeople, but his efforts are thwarted by the clergy. It is these priests who prevent him from learning the true cause of his father's death, and he is eventually labeled as a heretic and is excommunicated from society. He escapes being assasinated and flees, vowing to revenge himself, his father, and Maria Clara.

There is an incredible amount of detail in this novel, and the translation is superb. The characters are vivid -- who can forget Sisa's tragedy and the eerie Father Salvi? You don't have to be a historian or a student to enjoy this novel, and knowing nothing about that place or time period will not affect its intensity and pathos.

Please note that this is a completely new translation of the Philippines' most important novel. The search inside the book section and the other customer reviews refer to an older translation.

Being one of the most highly regarded figures in the Philippines, Dr. Jose Rizal is admired as a symbol of Filipinos. His books are well-read in the Philippines, and have been very influential in the history of the Philippines. If nothing else, this book should be read for the historical impact is had and is having on the country. Here are some thoughts on the book.

(1) Though it was written over a century ago, I think the society and mindset of the individual has changed little. Having only lived in the Philippines for about a month, I still recognized many things in the book that seem to be true today. The love of the cockfight, the importance of the family, the corruption of the government, the friendliness of the people, the syncretism of religion, the superstition, and the importance of social status all still appear to be significant parts of the culture today.

(2) Being such a highly esteemed book in the Philippines, it surprised me that it was so anti-Catholic. I truly don't understand or know about the Catholic church today in the Philippines, but this novel expressed a deep resentment toward this religious institution that apparently abused and took advantage of the people of the Philippines. If this was really true, how has Catholicism survived in the Philippines?

(3) The story was great! The plot was interesting, the two heroes of the story (Iberra and Elias) were fun to root for, and the villains of the story were easy to hate (basically the Catholic church).

(4) There were too many characters. I was constantly confusing the different residents of San Diego, and these characters were not well developed. In the first part of the book, I could not keep the different Fathers strait. And in the last part of the book I could not keep the majors and the old women strait.

The book was great and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Philippines. I think it paints a picture of the culture that can only be painted in narrative. A culture book, or an anthropology book cannot express what Jose Rizal expressed in this novel. I can't wait to read El Filebustermo!

Unfortunately growing up in the American South, I was never informed of this man or the revolution he started. In world history the Philipines were never even mentioned until we began studying WWII. It wasn't until after I joined the Navy and began talking with some of my shipmates that I became aware of him and in an attempt to learn more about filipeno culture I read his book. It is by far one of the best I have ever read and I am indebted to the friend who recommended it to me as it is most certainly the finest novel to emerge from the troubled times that produced it.

Looking for a book that has elements of romance, religion, tragedy, and the like? I highly suggest this book! Having read Rizal's masterpiece as a high school student, I soon realized the brilliance of this authors work for having helped initialize the revolutionary minds behind the Katipuneros struggle against what seemed to be an overwhelming force. It acts as an accurate expose of what the Philippines was subjected through during Spain's colonial period in the Pacific. It isn't an easy read, but if you want to get a glimpse of what Spanish colonialism in the latter half of the 19th century was like, read this book. Ibarra, the main character is rumored to be the pseudonym of the author, which eventually got this and his other works banned by the colonial administration. Try also checking out El Filibusterismo, a follow up to Noli Me Tangere.