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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Provocative and passionate--a must for history buffs., September 15, 2001
By A Customer
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.
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