Rizal

Noli Me Tangere
Over a hundred years afterwards, the original manuscripts, which Dr. Jose Rizal himself has bound are in danger of irreversible obliteration because of decay. Some pages have accrued molds and tear. The manuscripts are in the custody of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section in the National Library where they keep them inside a vault with a cooling temperature of 18-20 degrees Celsius to prevent the papers from deteriorating. * commonly referred to by its shortened name Noli * written by Filipino writer and national hero José Rizal * originally written in Spanish * Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe‘s novel on the abuse of black slaves in America * written during the colonization of the country by Spain to expose the inequities of the Spanish Catholic priests and the ruling government * In a reunion of Filipinos at the house of his friend Pedro A. Paterno in Madrid on 2 January 1884, Rizal proposed the writing of a novel about the Philippines written by a group of Filipinos. * His proposal was unanimously approved by the Filipinos present at the party, among whom were Pedro, Maximino and Antonio Paterno, Graciano López Jaena, Evaristo Aguirre, Eduardo de Lete,Julio Llorente and Valentin Ventura. * Rizal even saw his companions spend more time gambling and flirting with Spanish women. Because of this, he pulled out of the plan of co-writing with others and decided to draft the novel alone. * he had written half of the novel in Madrid a fourth part in Paris, and only the remainder in Germany * published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany, publisher: Berliner Buchdruckerei-Aktiengesellschaft * The Social Cancer (1912), An Eagle Flight (1900) – English * Huwag Mo Akong Salingin – Tagalog * Noli Me Tangere - Latin , translated to English: Touch me not * most books published are using the original and Latin title: Noli Me Tangere * Rizal’s letter to his friend and Czech scientist Ferdinand Blumentritt, admitted that he obtained the title from the Bible. Rizal took the passage in John 20:17 where Jesus said to Mary Magdalene "don't touch Me!" when she recognizes him after his resurrection. The passage, when translated in Latin, is equivalent to noli me tangere. * John 20:17 in the Bible (King James Version) as Mary Magdalene tried to touch the newly risen Jesus, He said "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father." * noted by French writer D. Blumenstihl - “Noli me tangere” was a name used by ophthalmologists for cancer of the eyelids. That as an ophthalmologist himself Rizal was influenced by this fact * In 1956, the Congress of the Philippines passed the Republic Act 1425, more popularly known as the Rizal Law, which requires all levels of Philippine schools to teach the novel as part of their curriculum. Noli Me Tángere is being taught to third year secondary school students, while its sequel El filibusterismo is being taught for fourth year secondary school students.