Banned in China: Being labeled as subversive, the book was banned in the colonial Philippines.

The
Corrupt Church at that time did everything in their power to suppress its publication and distribution. It
is no longer the case in recent times.

Missing Chapter: Chapter 25 of the novel (entitled Elias and Salome) was discarded by Rizal either for
being deemed irrelevant to the story or to save on printing costs due to a tight budget. In it, Elias talks
with his Star-Crossed Love Interest who only appears in that chapter. The manuscript was later found,
and it is now being included in more recent editions of the novel, like in Philippine National Artist Virgilio
S. Almario's Filipino-language translation.

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Role Reprise: Joel Torre (Amigo) played Ibarra in a 1993 miniseries adaptation of the novel, and then in a
1998 Epic Film biopic of Rizal which interspersed scenes from his life with segments from the novel and
its sequel, culminating in Ibarra or rather Elias confronting Rizal in prison the night before he's executed.
(He also portrayed Rizal himself or rather portrayed a mere portrayal of Rizal in the 1999 lower-
budgeted but much more thought-provoking indie film Bayaning Third World (Third World Hero).)

Streisand Effect: Naturally, the ban made more Filipinos much more interested about the book.

What Could Have Been:

The story goes that Rizal threw the manuscript into a fireplace out of despair over the lack of funds to
get it published, and/or over the activist cause, etc. but rescued it in time, and later a financial backer
stepped in. But the same story is told about the sequel novel.

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Tagalog/Filipino translations (and translations in general) were published only after Rizal's death. But
during his lifetime, his older brother Paciano supposedly did a Tagalog translation which Rizal was
supposed to have revised and approved, but apparently the manuscript was lost and so this translation
has never seen the light of day.

Write Who You Know: Most major characters in Noli Me Tangere (as well as El Filibusterismo) are based
on people Rizal knew. Maria Clara was based on his fiancee Leonor Rivera, and Father Florentino was
based on Father Leoncio Lopez, the parish priest of his hometown.

The Social Cancer, original title Noli me tangere, novel by Filipino political activist and author José Rizal,
published in 1887. The book, written in Spanish, is a sweeping and passionate unmasking of the brutality
and corruption of Spanish rule in the Philippines (1565–1898).

In the novel’s dedication, Rizal explains that there was once a type of cancer so terrible that the sufferer
could not bear to be touched, and the disease was thus called noli me tangere (Latin: “do not touch
me”). He believed that his homeland was similarly afflicted. The novel offers both a panoramic view of
every level of society in the Philippines of the time and droll satire. Its description of the cruelty of
Spanish rule was a catalyst for the movement for independence in the country. It later came to be
regarded as a classic of Philippine literature, though it is more frequently read in English or Tagalog
translation than in its original Spanish.