The Revolutionary Rizal

El Filibusterismo and other novel works

The Inspiration of the El Filibusterismo The Writing of El Filibusterismo Ghent, Belgium

◦ Alejandro on Rizal◦ The Printing of El Filibusterismo◦ Rizal’s Woe◦ Off the Press◦ Rizal’s Dedication◦ Some Clarifications

A Third Novel?◦ What language?◦ Makamisa

Contents of the Makamisa◦ Dapitan

New Orthography of Tagalog Language Adelina & Nellie Boustead

◦ Why the proposal never happened?

Table of Contents

Rizal’s main inspiration for his second novel, El Filibusterismo, was from Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo.

It is primarily concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy and forgiveness and is told in the style of an adventure story.

In this novel, Edmond Dantes suffered misfortunes at the hands of his hidden enemies and was imprisoned at Chateau D’If.

Later he escaped and seeks the treasures in the island of Monte Cristo. After finding it, he fashioned himself as the Count of Monte Cristo.

One by one, he planned and executed his revenges against his enemies using his wealth and intellect.

The Inspiration of the El Filibusterismo

The Count of Monte Cristo

Cover by Penguin Classics

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Starring Jim Caviezel and Richard Harris

Rizal actually started writing El Filibusterismo while he was in Calamba. He started writing the novel on October 1887.

He will write most of it upon his return to Europe and will finish it in Biarritz, Belgium on March 29, 1891.

The Writing of El Filibusterismo

Rizal chose the F. Meyer-Van Loo Press located at 66 Viaanderen St.

This printing house accepts installments due to Rizal’s low funds.

To further finance his novel, Rizal pawned most of his jewels as down payment and partial payment.

His friends, who promised to fund his novel, delayed in their sending of money thus, aggravating Rizal’s financial woes.

The Printing of El Filibusterismo

August 6, 1891◦ Because of his short of funds, Rizal was

forced to stop the printing of El Filibusterismo.

◦ Like his predicament in Berlin, Rizal almost threw his novel to the fire in desperation and despair.

◦ Valentin Ventura, who was in Paris, heard of Rizal’s financial woes and immediately send the money he needs to finish the printing of his novel.

Printing (cont.)

Rizal’s WoeAs I have not received a cent for three months, I have pawned all I have in order to print this work and I will continue printing it as long as I can, and when I no longer have anything to pawn, then I will stop, and I will return to your side.  I am tired of believing in our countrymen; they all seem to have joined together to embitter my life; they have been preventing my return, promising to send me an allowance, and after having done it one month, they have not remembered me again.”

– 32 Rue de FlandreGhent, 9 July 1891

“All my jewels are now pawned; I live in a small room; I eat in a very modest restaurant to economize and be able to publish my work.  Shortly I will have to stop it if I do not receive any money . . . Ah! I tell you that if it were not for you, if I did not believe that there are still good Filipinos, I feel like sending to the devil, countrymen and everything!  For whom have they taken me?  Precisely when one needs to have his mind at peace and his imagination free, he gets deceit and meanness!”

- 32 Rue de FlandreGhent, 9 July 1891

“I do not know.  If the funds I am expecting do not arrive by the next mail, I will give up book and all, and I will embark to live and work for myself . . . At times I feel like burning my manuscript, but I think of you, and I know that there are many good men, any who truly love their country.”

“Thank you for your kindness for having sent me passage-money, I send you a fraternal embrace.”

- 32 Rue de FlandreGhent, 9 July 1891

“As you will see in the enclosed clipping, the printing of the second part is advancing, and I am now on page 112.  But, if I do not receive money and I owe everybody and I’m pawned, I shall have to suspend the publication and leave the work in the middle.  It is a pity, because it seems to me that this second part is more important than the first, and if I do not finish it here, it will never be finished.”

“But the fault will not be mine or yours; the fault will be of the others.  You cannot do more for me than what you have done, and I cannot write, study, and earn my living . . . My Morga did not yield me more than what you sent me and the 200 pesos from Arias Rodríguez; my Noli, nothing, and it is all the contrary.  With the proceeds of this work I hoped to pay you and my other creditors.”

- 9 Rue de HainautGhent, 6 August 1891

Sept. 18, 1891◦ The El Filibusterismo was finally finished printing.◦ Rizal immediately send copies to his friends in

Europe, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.◦ Like Viola, Ventura will get the original manuscript

of the novel, with an autographed pen, as a token of gratitude.

◦ Most copies that will be sent to the Philippines was confiscated and got lost in Hong Kong. This caused the book to be priced at 400 pesos.

◦ El Nuevo Resumen, a liberal newspaper in Madrid, will serialize the novel on October 1891.

Off the Press

Rizal’s Dedication““To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez (85 years old), Don José Burgos (30 years old), and Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old). Executed in Bagumbayan Field on the 28th of February, 1872.

“The Church, by refusing to degrade you, has placed in doubt the crime that has been imputed to you; the Government, by surrounding your trials with mystery and shadows, causes the belief that there was some error, committed in fatal moments; and all the Philippines, by worshiping your memory and calling you martyrs, in no sense recognizes your culpability. In so far, therefore, as your complicity in the Cavite mutiny is not clearly proved, as you may or may not have been patriots, and as you may or may not have cherished sentiments for justice and for liberty, I have the right to dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to combat. And while we await expectantly upon Spain some day to restore your good name and cease to be answerable for your death, let these pages serve as a tardy wreath of dried leaves over your unknown tombs, and let it be understood that every one who without clear proofs attacks your memory stains his hands in your blood!”

Rizal, once again, committed some error in regards to the age of the GomBurZa.◦ Gomez – 73 years old◦ Burgos – 35 years old◦ Zamora – 37 years old

Also, their execution was on Feb. 17, 1872.

Some Clarifications

El Filibusterismo Cover

First page of El Filibusterismo

Pancho Magalona as

Simoun

El Filibusterismo

(1962)

Rizal wants to write another novel but this time it is more of the customs and traditions in the Philippines that will be his theme.

Rizal intended it to be full of emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, and cry in this third novel.

Also, he wants this third novel to be light and full of satirical wits.

A Third Novel?

Rizal wants the third novel to be written entirely in Tagalog.

But because of his continual writing in Spanish, Rizal’s Tagalog became rusty and he could not write better in Tagalog anymore.

According to his biographers, it is fortunate he did not finish this third novel as it might infuriate more the Spaniards, particularly the friars in the Philippines.

What language?

This novel was an attempt by Rizal to write in Tagalog.

There were two versions of his draft manuscript: one in Tagalog and one in Spanish.

In 1987, Ambeth Ocampo, working as a consultant at the National Library, found this manuscripts.

At first, it was thought to be a missing chapter to the Noli me Tangere, but later they deduced its an entirely different novel.

Makamisa

The title “Makamisa” could be the working title of the novel or simply the name of a chapter.

According to Ambeth, the novel began during a mass, officiated by Father Agaton, in a town of Tulig.

Among the characters of this novel are Don Segundo, Teniente Tato, Marcela, Kapitan Tibo, Kapitan Lucas and Aleng Anday.

Contents of the Makamisa

Written by Rizal during his exile years in Dapitan, Zamboanga.

From the title, it is all about Dapitan and its customs and traditions.

This novel is about 8 pages long written in a paper measuring 23 cm x 16 cm.

Like Makamisa, this novel was never finished.

Dapitan

Published in La Solidaridad on April 15, 1890 as “Sobre la Nueva Ortografia de la Lengua Tagala”.

Despite his rusty Tagalog, Rizal still loves the Tagalog language.

He proposed to Filipinized the orthography of the Tagalog language which is based on Spanish orthography.

Also, this was to simplify the Tagalog language so that the majority can write it in a more simplified way.

Rizal applied this new orthography in his Tagalog translation of William Tell and Andersen’s fairy tales.

New Orthography of Tagalog Language

Rizal credited Trinidad Pardo de Tavera as the pioneer of Filipinizing the Tagalog orthography.

Rizal, probably using Baybayin, decided to use it to replace other Latin alphabets.◦ For example, letter K can replace the letters C

and Q, letter W for letter O, letter H with letter J, letter Y with letter I etc.

How does the new orthography works?

Old Orthography New Orthography

Salacot Salakot

Arao Araw

Buan Buwan

Quezo Keso

Jamon Hamon

Cavite Kabite

Bulacan Bulakan

Piña Pinya

Manga Mga

Nang ng

Yndang Indang

Uica Wika