Noli Me Tangere. Illustrated

José Rizal, Charles Derbyshire

• Publisher: Asimis Books
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN:
  9786178787943
• Subtopic: Classics

First published in 1887, Noli Me Tangere is the landmark novel of José Rizal, widely regarded as the foundational work of modern Filipino literature. Written as a powerful indictment of colonial injustice, the novel exposes the social, political, and moral abuses that marked life in the Philippines under Spanish rule. Charles Derbyshire's classic English translation helped introduce Rizal's work to a global readership and remains one of the most influential renderings of the text. The story follows Crisóstomo Ibarra, a young Filipino intellectual who returns home after studying in Europe, inspired by ideals of progress, education, and reform. His hopes quickly collide with a society dominated by corruption, clerical authority, and entrenched inequality. Through Ibarra's experiences, Rizal dramatizes the tragic conflict between enlightened aspirations and oppressive reality. Populated by vividly drawn characters—from idealists and reformers to tyrannical officials and silent victims—Noli Me Tangere offers a sweeping portrait of a colonized society. Rizal employs realism, satire, and irony to reveal the moral decay of institutions that claim to uphold order and faith, while exposing the suffering of ordinary people. Beyond its political significance, the novel is a deeply human story of love, loss, and disillusionment. Its emotional core gives lasting power to its social critique, ensuring that the narrative resonates beyond its historical setting. In Derbyshire's translation, Noli Me Tangere stands as both a literary classic and a document of historical conscience—a work that continues to speak to readers about dignity, justice, and the enduring struggle for national and personal freedom.

Table of contents

• Translator’s Introduction
• Author’s Dedication
• Chapter I. A Social Gathering
• Chapter II. Crisostomo Ibarra
• Chapter III. The Dinner
• Chapter IV. Heretic and Filibuster
• Chapter V. A Star in a Dark Night
• Chapter VI. Capitan Tiago
• Chapter VII. An Idyl on an Azotea
• Chapter VIII. Recollections
• Chapter IX. Local Affairs
• Chapter X. The Town
• Chapter XI. The Rulers
• Chapter XII. All Saints
• Chapter XIII. Signs of Storm
• Chapter XIV. Tasio: Lunatic or Sage
• Chapter XV. The Sacristans
• Chapter XVI. Sisa
• Chapter XVII. Basilio
• Chapter XVIII. Souls in Torment
• Chapter XIX. A Schoolmaster’s Difficulties
• Chapter XX. The Meeting in the Town Hall
• Chapter XXI. The Story of a Mother
• Chapter XXII. Lights and Shadows
• Chapter XXIII. Fishing
• Chapter XXIV. In the Wood
• Chapter XXV. In the House of the Sage
• Chapter XXVI. The Eve of the Fiesta
• Chapter XXVII. In the Twilight
• Chapter XXVIII. Correspondence
• Chapter XXIX. The Morning
• Chapter XXX. In the Church
• Chapter XXXI. The Sermon
• Chapter XXXII. The Derrick
• Chapter XXXIII. Free Thought
• Chapter XXXIV. The Dinner
• Chapter XXXV. Comments
• Chapter XXXVI. The First Cloud
• Chapter XXXVII. His Excellency
• Chapter XXXVIII. The Procession
• Chapter XXXIX. Doña Consolacion
• Chapter XL. Right and Might
• Chapter XLI. Two Visits
• Chapter XLII. The Espadañas
• Chapter XLIII. Plans
• Chapter XLIV. An Examination of Conscience
• Chapter XLV. The Hunted
• Chapter XLVI. The Cockpit
• Chapter XLVII. The Two Señoras
• Chapter XLVIII. The Enigma
• Chapter XLIX. The Voice of the Hunted
• Chapter L. Elias’s Story
• Chapter LI. Exchanges
• Chapter LII. The Cards of the Dead and the Shadows
• Chapter LIII. Il Buon Dí Si Conosce Da Mattina [137]
• Chapter LIV. Revelations
• Chapter LV. The Catastrophe
• Chapter LVI. Rumors and Beliefs
• Chapter LVII. Vae Victis!
• Chapter LVIII. The Accursed
• Chapter LIX. Patriotism and Private Interests
• Chapter LX. Maria Clara Weds
• Chapter LXI. The Chase on the Lake
• Chapter LXII. Padre Damaso Explains
• Chapter LXIII. Christmas Eve
• Epilogue