li Me Tángere (1887)—which translates to “Touch Me Not” in Latin—is a

novel written by Filipino writer José Rizal. The novel tells the story of Don
Crisóstomo Ibarra, a young man of Filipino and Spanish descent who
returns to the Philippines after a seven-year trip to Europe. Upon his return,
and because he is now old enough to better understand the world, Ibarra
sees the oppression wrought on the Indigenous population by Spanish
colonialism. As Ibarra attempts to do something about this, he finds himself
confronting forces that view him as a direct threat to their power—and who
will do whatever it takes to retain it.
Noli Me Tángere is predominantly narrated in the third person, with
occasional shifts to first-person plural. The narrative follows a generally
linear plot with occasional shifts that provide historical context. It also
tends toward the satirical, especially when the narrator describes members
of the wealthy ruling class. At times, the novel depicts the brutality of
oppression realistically, hence it is sometimes graphic.