CHAPTER 19
EL FILIBUSTERISMO PUBLISHED IN GHENT (1891)
Days flew fast like fleeting arrows in Brussels. Rizal, unmindful of Suzanne Jacoby’s enticing
affection, was busy correcting and polishing his second novel- El Filibusterismo.
October, 1887- he begun writing it in Calamba.
1888- he made some changes in the plot and revised the chapter already written.
- He wrote more chapters in Paris, Madrid and Biarritz.
March 29, 1891- he finished the manuscript in Biarritz, after toiling on it for three years.
From Brussels, Rizal moved to Ghent, where printing was cheaper.
September 18, 1891- Eli filibusterismo, the sequel to the Noli, came to the press.
PRIVATION IN GHENT
July 5, 1891- Rizal left Brussels for Ghent.
Reasons:
- The cost of living was lower
- The price of printing was much cheaper than in Brussels
- To escape from the entrancing attraction of Petite Suzanne
Owning to his limited funds, Rizal lived in a cheap boarding house, with Jose Alejandro as room
mate.
They lived frugally in Ghent for three months- from july to September, 1891.
To economize further on their living expenses, they prepared their own breakfast.
THE PRINTING OF “ EL FILIBUSTERISMO”
Rizal searched for printing shop that could give him the lowest quotation for the publication of
his novel.
At last, he did find the publisher- F. MEYER-VAN LOO PRESS, No. 66 Viaanderen Street- who
was willing to print his book on installment basis.
He pawned his jewelry in order to pay the down payment and early partial payments during the
printing of the novel.
Rizal became desperate because his funds were running low.
He received some money from Basa and ₱200 from Rodrigues Arias for the copies of Morga’s
Sucesas sold in Manila but these funds were also used up.
July 1891- rizal wrote a letter to Basa saying that if no money comes he have to stop the El
Fili’s publication.
August 6- the printing had to be suspended, as Rizal feared, because he could no longer give
the necessary funds to the printer.
"El Filibusterismo" Comes Off the Press
• In his morbid moments of despair, Rizal almost
burned the manuscript of El Filibusterismo.
• When everything seemed lost, help came from
an unexpected source. Valentin Ventura heard
of Rizal's predicament and immediately sent the
amount needed to finish the publication of the
novel.
• September 18, 1891 - El Fili came off to press.
• Rizal immediately send 2 copies to Hongkong -
one for Basa and the other for Sixto Lopez
• He gratefully gave the original manuscript of El
Fili and a printed copy with his autograph to
Valentin Ventura.
• Filipino patriots praised the novel. The members
of the Filipino colony of Barcelona published a
tribute in La Publicidad, a Barcelona newspaper,
eulogizing the novel's original style.
• The liberal Madrid newspaper, El Nuevo
Regimen, serialized the novel in its issues of
October, 1891.
• All copies of the first edition (Ghent edition) of El
Fili were placed in wooden boxes and shipped to
Hong Kong, but almost all the boxes were
confiscated and the books were lost.
• The book immediately became rare and the few
available Ghent copies were sold at very high
prices, reaching as high as 400 pesetas per copy.
• Rizal, in all his studies, travels and labors in foreign lands, had not
forgotten the martyrdom of Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora,
which Paciano related to him when he was a mere lad in Calamba.
He dedicated El Fili to them.
• The Manuscript and the Book
- The original manuscript of El Fili in Rizal's own handwriting is now
preserved in the Filipiniana Division of the Bureau of Public Libraries,
Manila.
- Acquired from Valentin Ventura for P10,000.
- Consisting of 279 pages of long sheets of paper.
• 2 features that didn't appear in the printed book
-Foreword
-Warning
These two were not put into print, evidently, to save printing cost.
FOREWORF- appears just because before the dedicatory page in the
manuscript. It is for the Filipino people and the government.
WARNING- found on the other side of the dedication
The title page of El Fili contains an inscription written by Ferdinand
Blumentritt
SYNOPSIS OF EL
FILIBUSTERISMO
Characters of El Filibusterismo
Simoun-rich jeweler
Doňa Victorina-ridiculously pro-Spanish native woman
Tiburcio de Espadaña - husband of Doña Victorina
Paulita Gomez-beautiful niece of Doña Victorina
Ben-Zayb - Spanish journalist, who writes silly articles about Filipinos
Padre Sibyla - Vice-Rector of the University of Santo Tomas
Padre Camorra-Parish priest of the town of Tiani
Don Custodio - a pro-Spanish Filipino holding a high position in the
government
Padre Salvi-thin Franciscan friar and former cura of San Diego
Padre Irene - a kind friar who was a friend of the Filipino students
Padre Florentino - a retired scholarly and patriotic Filipino priest
Isagani-a poet nephew of Padre Florentino and a lover of Paulita Gomez
Basilio - son of Sisa and promising medical student
Capitan Tiago-patron of Basilio
Quiroga-rich Chinese merchant
Cabesang Tales-Father of Juli who is dispossessed of his land in Tiani by
the friars
Juli-sweetheart of basilio
Makaraig- a rich student and leader of the Filipino students in their
movement to have an academy where they could learn Spanish
Padre Millon-who teaches Physics in UST without scientific experiments
Placido Penitente-student of Padre Millon who becomes discontented
with the poor method of instruction in the university
Señor Pasta-old Filipino lawyer who refuses to help the Filipino students
in their petition to the government for educational reforms
Tandang Selo-grandfather of Juli
- Mr. American- who owned the sideshow at the feria of
Quiapo exhibiting an Egyptian mummy.
- Sandoval- a Spanish student who support the cause of
the Filipino student to propagate the teaching of
Spanish.
- Cabesana Andang- the mother of Placido Penitente
- Pepay- the pretty dancer and mistress of Don Custodio
- Padre Fernandez- a good Dominican friar and friend of
Isagani
- Don Timoteo- the father of Juanito Pelaez
- Tano- son of Cabesang Tales and brother of Juli
- Chichay- the silversmith who made the bridal earrings
for Paulita Gomez
Characters from El Filibusterismo were drawn by Rizal
from real Life
- Padre Florentino- was father Leoncio Lopez
- Isagani- was Vicente Ilustre
- Paulita Gomez- was Leonor Rivera
NOLI FILI
- Romantic novel - Political novel
- Work of the heart - Work of the head
- A book of feeling - A book of thought
- It has freshness, color, humor, - It contains bitterness, hatred. Pain,
lightness, and wit violence, and sorrow
- 64 chapters - 38 chapters
The issue of which is the superior novel- Noli or the Fili- is purely academic.
Both are good novels from the point of view of history
Both depict with realistic colors the actual conditions of the Philippines and the Filipinos during the
decadent days of Spanish Rule.
Both are instrumental in awakening the spirit of Filipino nationalism
Both are responsible in paving the ground for the Philippine Revolution that brought about the downfall of
Spain.
El Fili is a true twin of Noli
RIZAL’S UNFINISHED 3RD NOVEL
September 22, 1891- four days after the Fili came off the press, he wrote to Blumentritt saying that he’s
thinking of writing a third novel where ethics will play the principal role.
October 18, 1891- Rizal boarded the steamer Melbourne in Marseilles bound for Hong Kong.
During the voyage he wrote the 3rd novel in tagalog which he intended for tagalog reader.
In Hong Kong he continued it, but did not finish it because his Tagalog was inadequate for literary
purposes.
The unfinished 3rd novel has no title.
It consists of 44 pages in Rizal’s handwriting.
The manuscript is still preserved in the Bureau of Public Libraries (formerly National
Library)
The hero of the novel was Kamandagan, a descendant of Lakan-Dula, last king of
Tondo. He plotted to regain the lost freedom of his father.
It is said that Rizal was fortunate not to finish this novel, because it would have caused
greater scandal and more Spanish vengeance on him.
OTHER UNFINISHED NOVELS
Makamisa
- a tagalog novel
- Written in light sarcastic style
- Incomplete with only 2 chapters
- Consist of only 20 pages
Dapitan
- Written in Ironic Spanish
- He wrote it while in Dapitan to depict the town life and customs
- Consist of 8 pages
A novel in Spanish about the life in Pili, a town in Laguna
- Consist of 147 pages
- Without title
Another unfinished novel Rizal, also without title, is about Cristobal, a youthful Filipino
student who has returned from Europe.
- Consist of 34 pages.
The beginning of another novel are contained in two notebook- the first notebook contains
31 written pages while the second contains 12 written pages.
- Written in Spanish and the style is ironic.
