[.ca] Noli Me Tangere / Touch Me Not (ISBN 8498160162)

noli me tangere:
the translation of the two novels by charles derbyshire is a lot better to me than this one, no offense to this author intended. so is his translation of Rizal's "mi ultimo adios". I would appreciate it very much if somebody can steer me to copies of these again. Thanks.

A Melodrama of betrayal for a Life Betrayed:
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.

meaningful and mysterious..:
this novel enchance my thoughts being a filipino. as we all know, Jose Rizal was our national hero in the Philippines, but his novel contains alot of significant deatils which entails a mysterious meaning behind all of his characters. the main purpose of his writings was to establish contact with his fellowmen that the spaniards are colonizing our land, which we could defend ourselves by having equal rights, but they continued to be superior. no wonder, the people, revolt. which s the good thing here. his novel captures alot of good and bad things in their time, presenting history itself and the abuses made by those...friars. this novel is so perfectly made by jose rizal.

Provocative and passionate--a must for history buffs.:
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.

A book that sparked a nation:
Noli Me Tangere has rightfully gained a place of national importance since it was completed in its original form - in Spanish - in 1887. Soledad Lacson-Locsin renews its spirit in this easy to read English language translation - complete with helpful footnotes and a warmth that only one close to the material can appreicate. "Noli" as it is affectionately called, forms part of the canon text in Filipino education. Translated into Tagalog, it brings a unique perspective to the life and times of colonial Philippines. Translated into English, it brings it to life for the rest of the world. As a simple introduction - without giving too much away - the story centers around two characters - Ibarra and Elias and the trials and tribulation surrounding their individual quests for happiness and justice. Standing between all this and the reason for all the discord is a power structure triad of the Church - mostly the Holy Orders; the State mechanism - the Civil Guards, the Alferez, etc.; and Culture - Imperial Culture to be more exact. Locked within this Discourse and the constraints applied on them by all these forces, Ibarra and Elias - forming both sides of Filipino existential angst and liberating spirit - are crushed beneath the wheel. Everyone is a victim. Rizal was by no means a seer of any kind. However, what rings true then, as it does now, is the way Filipinos create values. In a unique perspective as an emigre, Rizal completed this novel while he was in Spain - with all the joys and sense of perspective that was allowed. If we listen to him now as we listened to him then, perhaps we can transcend our human-all-too-humanes and become what we are capable of becoming. Written at about the same time as Nietzsche was writting, the message is almost similar yet also very different. While Noli was iconoclastic about the abuses of the church and the almost stunted sense of becoming, Nietzsche took it one step further and formed an indictment against the nihilism of Europe via the message of the church in general. What I am trying to say here is that Rizal and Nietzsche see a sense of becoming stunted by anti-humanist dogma. I salute both, who have gone to the great beyond ahead of us and read their messages of "becoming". If you wish to peek into the Filipino psyche - as a non -Filipino, there is no better avenue than Rizal's Noli - specially this version. As a Filipino at home as well as a Filipino abroad - we need to re-read Noli and heed its warning. We obviously did not learn about ourselves the way Rizal meant to teach us - the results are self evident. Once again, I have not read a finer translation than this one by Soledad Lacson-Locsin. As a metaphor for the Philippines, Maria Clara could not have looked more beautiful. Miguel Llora