Rare Jose Rizal letter discovered in Austria
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VIENNA, Austria—A handwritten letter sent by Jose Rizal to an Austrian journalist in June 1887 has been discovered in the Vienna City Library archives.
Rizal's five-page note to journalist Johannes Nordmann has provided insights into the national hero's itinerary in Europe after the printing of his famed classic novel, Noli Me Tangere.
The letter was presented to the public during the lecture of Austrian cultural anthropologist Dr. Johann Stockinger, vice president of the Austro-Philippine Society, on Friday, January 24, 2025. He came across the extraordinary document in September 2023 while inspecting historical letters addressed to Nordmann for his research.
"The first letter that appeared [from the search results] was from 'Jose Kisz'. When I looked at the first page, I didn't find anything special. And on the second page, suddenly the message was, 'In my novel, Noli Me Tangere…' When I got to the end of the letter, I realized it must be an original," Stockinger said.
According to Gerhard Murauer, who is part of Vienna City Library's public relations team, their librarians "didn't know anything about this letter" until Stockinger's discovery.
"Our librarian colleagues saw the signature, but it was very difficult to read," Murauer said, explaining why the letter was accidentally mislabeled as "José Kisz."
Stockinger announced the Vienna City Library has already amended the letter's metadata. It can now also be accessed through the library's website.
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Philippine Ambassador to Austria Evangelina Lourdes Bernas expressed her gratitude to Stockinger for this "singular find" and shared the backstory that sparked Stockinger's research.
"He (Stockinger) found out more about his own history and countryman, [Austrian writer and teacher Ferdinand] Blumentritt, from visiting the Philippines and seeing a sign that says, 'Blumentritt Avenue'. From there, his body of research on Blumentritt and Rizal blossomed. I hope we can bring his writings in German to a greater audience by looking for a Filipino or an English translator to publish [them]."
What Rizal wrote
In the letter, Rizal commented on the "delightful novel" given to him by Nordmann before he traveled to Chamonix, a commune in southwestern France.
"Until now, it wasn't known that Rizal visited Chamonix," Stockinger said. The resort town, situated close to Mont Blanc, was the site of the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924.
Stockinger also surmised that Rizal must have read the third edition of Nordmann's Frühlingsnächte in Salamanca (Spring Nights in Salamanca), based on the hero's comments on a chapter that detailed Nordmann's difficulties in publishing the book.
The novel, first published in 1853, is about a monk who falls in love with the wife of a count. It also alluded to the Concordat, an agreement between a state and the Roman Catholic Church that gave clergy control over marriage laws and the school system.
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Rizal wrote that the chapter, "[has] not only entertained me delightfully and amused me, but also gave me a taste of my fatherland".
He also referenced the Austrian officials who censored Nordmann, saying that if they were to be "rougher," "smarter," and "even more ridiculous and arrogant," they would be similar to Spanish authorities "who are preparing a much worse fate for me because of my novel."
"You have written an excellent description of the past of the monasteries and yet you suffered so much. What will I suffer for having written about the present situation of our monasteries in a mediocre novel?" Rizal asked.
Rizal also told Nordmann in his 1887 letter that he would travel to Italy on June 20 and leave Marseille on a steamboat on July 3.
The hero arrived in Manila on August 5. Two weeks later, he received a postcard from Blumentritt, who shared that Nordmann died on August 20.
Rizal's connection
In the lecture, Stockinger traced Rizal's itinerary from Berlin to Vienna through the hero's correspondence with Blumentritt. He highlighted several records which have mistranslations that make it challenging to corroborate details.
From an anthropologist's perspective, the discovery not only expands the academic investigation into Rizal's activities in Europe, but emphasizes the importance of tracking original sources.
"Books can be translated, but it is really important to examine and read sources because [mistranslations] are often copied and passed on," Stockinger told GMA News Online.
Meanwhile, many in the audience expressed appreciation for Stockinger's additional context. His Filipino wife, Letty, who was among the first people to see the rare letter, believes this historical record also showed Rizal's personality.
"In that letter, Rizal was polite. For me, in all of his greatness, he was a humble Filipino," Mrs. Stockinger shared. "It also shows that Rizal has very good knowledge of German literature and other countries."
Ambassador Bernas told the audience that the Philippine Embassy in Vienna hopes to hold more collaborative events to "bring this kind of connection to the knowledge, information, and awareness of our Austrian friends."
Rizal's letter can be viewed here:
https://digital.wienbibliothek.at/urn/urn:nbn:at:AT-WBR-937397
— VDV, GMA Integrated News