Biographers of Rizal PDF

Pamantasan ng lungsod ng Valenzuela Department of Social Studies Riz1 – Life and Works of Rizal Biographers of Rizal 1. WENCESLAO RETANA (1862-1924)...

Pamantasan ng lungsod ng Valenzuela Department of Social Studies Riz1 – Life and Works of Rizal Biographers of Rizal 1. WENCESLAO RETANA (1862-1924) o One of the contemporaries of Rizal and became one of the critics of Dr. Jose Rizal in his nationalistic passion o La Epoca – he attacked Rizal that the latter challenged him for a fist fight, Retana apologized and the two became friends o For Retana, Spain was wrong when they executed Rizal (Medina, 1998); he knew that Rizal’s execution had resulted to injustices among Filipinos o He is a credible eyewitness of the historical moment that has had the greatest impact on the Filipino consciousness, and how Rizal was transformed into a symbol 2. CARLOS QUIRINO (1910-1999) o He became Rizal’s biographer because of a writing contest about Rizal’s life o “The Great Malayan” that won 3rd Prize – one of the classical best in Rizal’s biography- a pocket- sized book o He described Rizal as ordinary person, being one person with feelings for his country, and his co- patriots o His analysis about Rizal is that he was a “product of his times” because of several factors (nature and nurture elements) o National Artist for Historical Literature 3. RAFAEL PALMA (1874-1939) o Biografia de Rizal (Biography of Rizal) o The work is with “charms and realistic view” o Through his charms in writing, the contents of his biography became more “serious” and “purely academic” o He was a senator from 1916 to 1921 o The 4th President of the University of the Philippines 4. AUSTIN COATES (1922-1997) o Known for his detailed work in Rizal’s biography o Rizal: Philippine Nationalist and Martyr (1968, Oxford University Press) o Though it lacks academic standards, Coates described Rizal as one of the greatest patriots ever generated in his time (19th century) o Wrote Rizal’s biography in the eyes of foreign counterpart o His work manifested details which are not present in college textbooks 5. LEON MARIA GUERRERO (1835-1935) o One of the most readable biographies of Rizal o The First Filipino o In his introductory statements, he then described the two types of Spain; one was great and the other was evil wherein the result was Rizal molded his nationalism o Described other connections in the 19th century wherein it is hard to be appreciated by an individual who does not know the history of Spain in the Philippines o One of the best sources and rich in the Rizaliana historiography, one of the finest after Palma’s work 6. AMBETH OCAMPO Uses telling a friend approach His journalistic pattern of writing earned as one of the best modern historians in our times “Rizal Without an Overcoat” He made or even remade Rizal as a person full of ambitions for his countrymen Shares his thoughts regarding the most updated details in history from physical evidence to historical analyses * words directly lifted from Valenzuela, E.E. (2014). Rizal and Other Heroes Their Relevance in Modern Filipino Nationalism. Unlimited Books Library Services & Publishing Inc.