RIZAL’S LIFE, WORKS, AND WRITINGS

Nicolas, Doña Victorina was Doña Agustina Medel. The two brothers Basilio and Crispin were
the Crisostomo brothers of Hagonoy. Padre Damaso was typical of a domineering friar during
the days of Rizal, who was arrogant, supercilious, and anti-Filipino.
Rizal’s Friends Praise the “Noli.” The friends of Rizal hailed the novel, praising it in
glowing colors. As to be expected, Rizal’s enemy condemned it. Rizal anticipated the vitriolic
attacks of his enemies, who were sore to be told the truth of their evil ways. In Rizal’s own
words; “The government and the friars will probably attack the work, refuting my statements,
but I trust in the God of Truth and in the persons who have actually seen our sufferings.”
Copies of the Noli were sent by Rizal to Blumentritt, Regidor, Hidalgo, Mariano Ponce,
Graciano Lopez Jaena, Aguirre, and other friends. More copies were crated and sent to
Barcelona, Madrid, and Hongkong to be smuggled into the Philippines.
Of the numerous congratulatory letters received by Rizal from his friends about the Noli,
that from Blumentritt was significant. “First of all,” wrote Blumentritt, accept my cordial
congratulations for your beautiful novel about customs which interests me extraordinarily. Your
work, as we Germans say, has been written with the blood of the heart, and so the heart also
speaks. I continue reading it with much interest, and I shall beg to ask you now and then for an
explanation when I find words unknown to me; for instance, the word filibuster must have a
certain meaning in the Philippines that I do not find in the Spanish of the Peninsulars nor in that
of the Spanish peoples of America.”
“I know already,” continued Bluementritt, “that you were a man of extraordinary talent
(I had said it to Pardo de Tavera, and this could also be seen from the marvelous short time in
which you have acquired my difficult and rough mother tongue); but in spite of this, your work
has exceeded my hopes and I consider myself happy to have been honored with you
friendship.”