Noli & Fili: Translators’ favorites

Today, Nov. 30, is National Heroes Day and our acknowledged national hero is Dr. Jose Rizal. A column on his famous novels that led to the Philippine Revolution is in order.

Even a month or so after Buchmesse, my wife Neni Sta. Romana Cruz still talks of what to her were major highlights of the once in a lifetime event for the Philippine book industry.

“It has been long acknowledged that it was Jose Rizal’s connection with Germany as a student of ophthalmology at the University of Heidelberg that first linked the Philippines to Germany – a link we proudly carried all the way to the Philippines as Guest of Honor at this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse.

“At the grand opening ceremony, project visionary Sen. Loren Legarda highlighted Jose Rizal’s role, he who fought with his pen. ’ … And if one book written by a Filipino on German soil awakened a nation thousands of miles away long ago, imagine – just imagine – what we, together, can awaken today.’ At the end of the five-day Buchmesse, Legarda’s prescient words were realized, thanks to the caliber of the Philippine delegation.

“Many of our Philippine titles had German editions, but we are proudest of what we can our legacy editions, the latest German translations of the Noli and the Fili.

“These editions were significant enough for their book launches to deserve being held at the Philippine Pavilion, the only titles meriting that honor. And even launched on two occasions.

“It is not the first time for Noli Me Tangere to have a German edition. The 1987 edition, published a hundred years after the first Noli was printed, had long been out of print in the German market. The original publisher was Insel Verlag, now Suhrkamp Verlag represented by Sabine Erbrich. Because the translator of that edition had passed away, Suhrkamp had to buy the reprint rights from her estate: from the daughter of Annemarie del Cuerto Lopez-Morth. Her translation from Rizal’s Spanish text, though considered excellent, had been updated for today’s readers.

“This 2025 edition also contains the epilogue by Filomeno V. Aguilar Jr., Rizal scholar and one of our grantees present during the Buchmesse. He spoke during the launch especially in the context of his newly released title from the Ateneo Press, Jose Rizal, Nationhood and the Anticolonial Imagination.

“Knowing the significance of El Filibusterismo, Morio Verlag, an imprint of Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Roman Pliske knew it was important to publish this in German, especially with the Buchmesse focus on the Philippines. It has been entitled Rebellion.

“‘We published it because it is one of the most important books in Philippine literature and had never been accessible to German readers before. This is how we finally brought José Rizal back into the German book world.’

“A German edition of Fili was published by this publishing house in 2016. The translator died in 2014 and was unable to refine his translation, which his son submitted.

“Certified translator Thomas Löschner carefully revised this 2025 edition, clarifying many inconsistencies, refining the style and adapting some parts to today’s reading habits. He compared every sentence with the Spanish edition. In doing so, he noticed that entire sentences had not been translated. He has now also translated these, making this the first unabridged and complete translation of Fili. Thomas Löschner made a total of 13,538 corrections to the translation, which is now considered to be the best possible translation.

“Kyoto-based Filipino writer and scholar Caroline Hau wrote the intro for this edition.

“The Philippine consulate in Frankfurt has nine German editions, published in different years. There are many translations in different languages available on Amazon but may not have been from the original Spanish.

“At the launch, Rizal scholars Ambeth Ocampo and Filomeno Aguilar Jr. spoke, along with Sen. Loren and Rizal great-grand-niece Noelle Esperanza Sy-Quia, who is based in Barcelona. Excerpts from the English editions by Soledad Lacson Locsin were read by Nikki Briones-Carsi Cruz and Yvette Tan, both grantees.

“One launch featured a conversation between the two German publishers Sabine Erbrich of Suhrkamp Verlag and Roman Pliske of Morio Verlag. Professional storyteller Rudolf von Waldenfels performed the readings of German excerpts.

“Both books were sold out during the fair.

“Sy-Quia comments on the German and the continuing translations, ‘It gives me hope, that the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are now published in German. A bridge for children of the diaspora to meet their own history... Jose Rizal would be a blend of many things today: an academic, a writer, an artist,and yes, perhaps in the modern world, an online activist. He would challenge misinformation, amplify truths and inspire critical thought in a digital age starving for nuance.’

“How the interest in Rizal endures. A translation of the Noli in Bahasa is ongoing, while the Philippine embassy in Italy headed by poet-ambassador Neal Imperial has just launched an Italian edition of the Noli.

“But the challenge remains – for our students and more of us to actually read and appreciate these two novels. The novelist Rizal is a wonderful discovery.”

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I encourage everyone to attend today’s rally at the EDSA People Power Monument and to wear white. It is time that we, the people, express our outrage at the massive corruption that has become the primary cause of poverty in our country. We should demand that all the personalities responsible for this corruption be jailed.