ROMANCES OF THE GENIUS

CYRIL VILLAS BARRERA

REPORTER

SEGUNDA KATIGBAK :RIZALS FIRST LOVE

Rizals Age: 16

Reason of Separation: Segunda was already

engaged to be married to her town mate,
Manuel Luz.

Where they met: Lipa, Batangas

Description: She was rather short, with
eyes that were eloquent and ardent at
times and languid at others, rosy-cheeked,
with an enchanting and provocative smile
that revealed very beautiful teeth, and
the air of a sylph; her entire self
diffused a mysterious charm. -Rizal

LEONOR VALENZUELA: PRIVATE LETTERS

Rizals Age: 17

Where they met: House of Dona Concha Leyva in Intamuros, as his

neighbor.
How Rizal courted her: Wrote letters using invisible ink. He then
taught her how to read the letters.

Reason of Separation: Leonor married another man.

LEONOR RIVERA: THE FIRST ENGAGEMENT

Rizals Age: 18

Description: Tender as a budding flower with kindly, wistful

eyes.

Reason of Separation: In the autumn of 1890, Rizal received a

letter from Leonor telling him of her coming marriage to a man whom
her mother chose to be her mate.

CONSUELO ORTIGA Y PEREZ:A SACRIFICE FOR FRIENDSHIP

Rizals Age: 21-22
Where they met: Rizal frequented to
the home of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey,
the former city Mayor of Manila.

Reason of Separation: Rizals romance

with Consuelo did not turn into a
serious affair; he decided to take a
step back for two reasons; First, he
was still engaged to Leonor Rivera;
Second, he was aware of his friends
affection to Consuelo.

Rizals Dedication to her: A La

Senorita C.O.y.P

O-SEI-SAN : LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Rizals Age: 27

Description: You have the color of

Camelia, its freshness, its elegance
Rizal

Where they met: Tokyo, Japan

Reason of Separation: Rizal was

offered a position at the Spanish
Legation during that time but he
already had set his insights on other
matters. He then decided to leave
Japan and forget his romance which
pained him gravely because he truly
loved O-Sei-San.

GERTRUDE BECKETT:A CHISELED BEAUTY

Rizals Age: 27
Date they Met: May 1888
Description: A blue-eyed and buxom
girl.

Where they met: Boarding house of the

Beckett Family in London.

Reason of Separation: Rizal withdrew

his feelings before having a
relationship with Gertrude, realizing
that he had a greater mission to
fulfill.

SUZANNE JACOBY : A LOVE UNREQUITED

Rizals Age: 29

Date they met: January 28, 1890

Place they met: Brussels, Belgium

How they met: Rizal boarded with Suzanne and her aunts during his
stay in Brussels.
Reason of Separation: Rizal realized that he could not deceive her.
Suzanne fell in love with Rizal and wept when he left for Madrid in
July 1890.

NELLIE BOUSTEAD: A FAILED PROPOSAL

Description: Mestiza daughter of a Filipina and a wealthy

French-English merchant whose house was frequented by Filipinos
in France.

Year they met: 1891

Where they met: Boustead familys winter residence, Villa Eliada

(Biarritz, France)

Reason of Separation: First, Nellie demanded that Rizal should

give up his Catholic faith and convert to Protestantism; Second,
Nellies mother did not approve of Rizal.

JOSEPHINE BRACKEN:TRUE LOVE IN EXILE

Description: an 18-year-old petite Irish girl, with bold blue eyes,

brown hair and a happy disposition.

Date they met: February 1895

Where they met: Dapitan

How it ended: Rizal regarded Josephine as her wife until his last
breath.

REFERENCE
http://www.joserizal.ph/lv01.html
http://
thelifeandworksofrizal.blogspot.com/2012/02/rizals-romances.h
tml