By Anton Lutter.
In a few months a new and extended translation will be published in The Netherlands by Gerard Arp of Arpenco Publishers. It has been for over a century since Noli Mi Tangere has been translated into the Dutch language.
To date the only work of Rizal which has been translated into Dutch. The “Noli” is the first novel published by the Philippines national hero Jose Rizal and is considered one of the great literary legacies of the Philippines.
Originally it was written in Spanish and published in Berlin in 1887. The book was quickly banned by the Spanish authorities in The Philippines because of its critique on the colonial government.
This new translation includes the parts which has been left out in the original 1912 edition by Dr. A.A. Fokker and will be published both in paperback and an exclusive hardback subscribers edition. In the later the names of the subscribers will be included in the book.
Jose Rizal, who was executed in Manila December 30, 1896, was prolific writer and artist. He masterminded several languages during his stay in Europe where he studied medicine, specializing in ophthalmology. His works have been inspiring the people of the Philippines in the uprising against the Spanish. There are also plans in translating the sequel to the “Noli” titled El Filibusterismo which originally was published in the Spanish language in 1891.
