Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not)

This review pertains to the Howard Augenbraum translation published by Penguin (2006). I'd been expecting this novel to be mainly of historical interest, but it turned out to be quite enjoyable as well. There's a surprising amount of satire and sarcasm, as well as red-hot indignation, that comes through in this translation. (And a day or two after I finished reading it I saw the Archbishop of the Philippines interviewed on the BBC, which brought home that there's a great deal in the novel that remains topical, too.) Of course you may encounter some slower patches: for me, these were mainly some detailed descriptions of religious festivals. And some plot elements, such as the central romance, may seem rather quaint. But the whole thing compares favourably to a good Sir Walter Scott novel -- with a lot more political spice, to boot.The Penguin edition includes numerous endnotes to explain many allusions to local foods and customs, Latin tags, etc. (though I think the translator was a little shaky in his French and Latin in a couple of places). My one very tiny criticism is that a glossary would have been a better idea for most of those entries, since some terms in Tagalog and other languages appear often in the text but are defined only in the endnote attached to their first appearance; moreover the endnotes depart from the format used in most other Penguin Classics by not identifying the bit of text to which each note refers, making it difficult to read the endnotes pro- or retrospectively. But all in all, a very diverting read even for a reader like me, who lacks any personal or professional connection to the Philippines; I'll definitely read the sequel.

a must for all freedom loving people. especially for the filipino youth. i dont know now, but during my time in a catholic school (from grade school to high school) this book was absent from our curiculum. i know about jose rizal, the author, i knew he wrote this novel but that was it. only when i transferred to another school in college when i read this novel. it was a very enlightening novel. i couldnt believe myself that a filipino could write a brilliant novel as noli even at that time. (when there was extreme censorship and not too many filipinos had access to higher education or maybe even to basic education). it was also full of satire/insult to the system and characters, depending who is reading it. i grew up in that catholic campus where we (students/kids) would meet the spanish priest in the afternoon doing their walks, smoking cigars, sometimes holding a rosary but they always had some candies for us kids and we would flock to them and they would tussle our hairs and asked us if we were behaving and being good students. and we would hang out in the seminary gym because of the olympic swimming pool, hardwood basketball court and played with them. so noli was an eye opener for me but i couldnt shake my fondness for those friars of my childhood. noli made me investigate more about the role of the church in the philippines. this novel is a perfect example of the pen is mightier than the sword. very well written, a classic. recommended even for non filipinos.

I thought I had ordered the Tagalog version. I am sure this book is as informative as in Tagalog. I would like to exchange it for the Tagalog version if it's available. If not, I would like to return it. Thank you.

The lyrical prose of Rizal is reminscent to that of Bulgakov and other European contemporaries. It is incredible that Noli Me Tangere was written in 1800's Asia. A pivotal piece of literature which influenced the Phillippines Revolution. A cultural icon.

A much better version or translation of the Noli in English. Although, Imiss reading the Tagalog version thatI read way back in the 60's and 70's.

Intelligently written.

I don't get this book. Is it a bad translation, or is the translation true to the writing, or does the reader need to have some higher understanding of Spanish or Filipino culture to understand it? A Westerner living in Hong Kong, I have neither, which could explain the lack of comprehension. There is some sign of narrative, but the book seems to sprawl everywhere, with many characters, that are somehow interlinked, the frustration being that that link seems to be assumed and never explained. It is difficult to understand or relate to the characters who can only be described as one-dimensional. A recurring aspect I found frustrating was the writer's desire to refer to classics and demonstrate a worldliness and wealth of knowledge, totally out of character with the book. The writing doesn't flow and makes for a frustrating read. I really gave it a shot but could not get through it.

Love it. I read the Tagalog version when I was in high school, that was ages ago. The footnotes at the back of the book is very good, especially for readers who does not know much about Philippines.

I am so glad this great book was translated to English. Every student of history, Filipino or not, who would like to know and understand Philippine history should at least read this book. The great Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal wrote it.The book gives an insight as to what life was like during the Spanish regime in the Philippines.

This semi-autobiographical novel is a MUST READ. It has the element of comedy, tragedy, and information of how people used to live during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. It depicts clearly how they live and survived or how their lives are broken by the conquistadores who force them to live like slaves and lower class citizen in their own country. The author gave up his life and risk those of his family to write this novel and enlightened the people about the harsh facts they were in, and how they can fight to have their freedom which now current Filipinos are enjoying.

I thought it will be in Tagalog. It’s in EnglishShort story. Finished reading it in one day

Book still in good condition although for someone like me who covers all my books in adhesive transparent cover, the dent on upper right side of front cover is not good.