Rediscovering the 1899 French Translation of the Noli Me Tangere

Not long ago, a friend recommended a book to me that sat idle on a European auction site with no bids—a simple gesture I took for granted. I barely glanced at its cover, dismissing it as just another volume, unaware of the weight it carried. As I flipped through the photos, the name "Dr. Jose Rizal" leaped out from the title page, and in that instant, the air seemed to shift. My heart raced as I realized that what my friend had shown me was no ordinary book—it was a gateway to history, a vessel of Rizal’s legacy, and the beginning of an important discovery.

For the serious Filipiniana collector, the pursuit of Dr. José Rizal’s works is often a journey toward the "Holy Grail"—the 1887 Berlin first edition. Yet there is a “sleeper hit” in the world of rare Rizaliana books that, while not carrying as much historical weight as the 1887 grail, is a step above most translations that have come out, and for good reason. This is the 1899 French translation, “Au Pays des Moines” (In the Country of the Monks), the very first translation of the original Berlin edition of 1887 and the later 1899 Manila edition published by Chofré y Compañía. There are discussions about an edition by Blumentritt, but that remains to be confirmed.

Published in Paris by P.-V. Stock, this abridged translation by Henri Lucas and Ramon Sempau is more than a book; it is the bridge that carried Rizal’s cry for freedom from the localized struggle in the Philippines to the grand stage of European intellectual life. It was also the first translation of the original Spanish text.

The story behind this edition is as dramatic as the novel itself. One of its translators, Ramon Sempau, was a Spanish anarchist who attempted to assassinate Narciso Portas, a Civil Guard

lieutenant and a notorious figure known as the "Executioner of Montjuïc" for torturing anarchist prisoners after a bomb attack in Barcelona. The assassination attempt failed, and Sempau was imprisoned at Montjuïc Castle in Barcelona. While there, he met Isabelo de los Reyes, a prominent Filipino patriot, politician, writer, journalist, and labor activist, who was held at the Castle for six months before being released under the terms of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. De los Reyes was a major influence on Sempau, who helped him decide to translate Noli Me Tangere. It is safe to say that if De los Reyes had not been at Montjuïc at the same time as Sempau, we wouldn’t have the translation we have today. Sempau reportedly began the translation while imprisoned, seeing in Rizal a kindred spirit—a fellow martyr for liberty.

By retitling the work “Au Pays des Moines”, the translators signaled a specific intent: to highlight Rizal’s damaging critique of the friar-led colonial government. Published during the height of the Philippine-American War, this 1^st international translated edition served as propaganda to garner international sympathy for Filipino aspirations.

It is an interesting historical footnote that the first translation of Noli Me Tangere was into French. According to Rizal's close friend Maximo Viola, Rizal considered writing his second novel in French if the Noli failed to gain traction among Filipinos. At the time, French was the primary language of global literary culture, while Spanish was viewed by many as a secondary literary tongue. By translating Rizal’s ideas into French—the international “lingua franca” of diplomacy and high culture—the Noli was positioned alongside the era’s greats—Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, and Eugène Sue. This translation recast Rizal’s message, from a colonial grievance to a serious sociological study of oppression, and placed it within P.-V. Stock’s prestigious Bibliothèque Sociologique.

While many collectors focus on 20th-century English editions, the 1899 French edition is far scarcer. To understand its value, one must examine the "genealogy" of Rizal’s translations: The translation history of José Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere underscores its global impact and evolving significance. It began with this 1899 French edition, widely regarded as the first translation and source text. Subsequent versions include the 1900 English adaptation, “An Eagle Flight,” based on the French translation; the 1902 American-era translation, “Friars and Filipinos,” by Frank Ernest Gannet; the widely reprinted 1912 version, “The Social Cancer,” by Charles Derbyshire; and the 1961 edition, “The Lost Eden,” by Leon Ma. Guerrero, who modernized the prose for new readers. Each translation reflects shifting political contexts and literary priorities, tracing the journey of Rizal’s work from a colonial critique to an enduring sociological study.

Because it predates the American colonial educational system's mass printing of Rizal's works, surviving copies of this 1899 French translation in "great condition" are exceptionally rare. Finding a copy with clean typography and clear provenance (such as library markings or private collection stamps), like this one, is a major coup for any collector. In the current Philippine auction market, this edition is highly sought after precisely because it embodies the "story-driven" aspect of collecting—it is a tangible link to the Propaganda Movement in Europe.

Owning a copy of Au Pays des Moines acknowledges Rizal’s true target audience: not only his countrymen but also the "friend or foe" within the global community. This book marks the moment when Rizal’s message became universal. It reminds us that before the Noli was a required textbook in Philippine high schools, it was a dangerous, revolutionary text read in Parisian cafes and European salons. For a collector, this edition is not merely a book; it is the physical manifestation of a hero's aspiration to make the world witness his country's struggle for dignity.

The journey of this copy of Au Pays des Moines feels less like a coincidence and more like “historical poetry.” Once resting on the quiet shelves of a French library, this volume has finally

Translation: "The translators and the publisher declare that they reserve their translation and reproduction rights for all countries, including Sweden and Norway. This work was deposited at the Ministry of the Interior (book trade section) in July 1899.

crossed oceans to settle in a tiny book collection in Makati City, Philippines—the very soil Dr. José Rizal loved, fought for, and ultimately died to liberate. There is a profound irony, and perhaps a bit of cosmic justice, in the fact that a book once used to explain our plight to the elite salons of Paris has now come home to be cherished by the descendants of those it sought to free. Yet the timing of its arrival carries a heavy, almost cynical irony. This silent witness to our revolution arrived on our shores at the exact moment a modern mockery was unfolding in the halls of our own Senate. One cannot help but wonder how Rizal, a man who weaponized his sharp wit against the absurdities of colonial governance, would react if he were sitting in the Senate gallery that day. He would likely recognize the political theater all too well, perhaps noting that while the actors have traded their friar robes for sleek modern suits or even cheaply designed barong tagalogs, the comedy remains tragically the same.

For pulling me into this whirlwind of historical reflection, I owe an immense debt of gratitude to the friend who nonchalantly pointed me toward this masterpiece; what began as a casual recommendation has left me with a staggering favor to return. Through his keen eye, we have done more than add a scarce volume to a shelf; we have brought home a piece of our national soul, reminding us that while our institutions may falter, the enduring brilliance of Rizal’s truth remains unshakable.

Sources:

1. https://www.enciclopedia.cat/gran-enciclopedia-catalana/narciso-portas-ascanio

2. Rizal, José. Au Pays des Moines (Noli Me Tangere). Translated by Henri Lucas and Ramon Sempau. Paris: P.-V. Stock, 1899. (The definitive first French translation).

3. Rizal, José. An Eagle Flight: A Filipino Novel. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co., 1900. (The first English adaptation, directly based on the Lucas and Sempau French translation).

4. Rizal, José. Friars and Filipinos. Translated by Frank Ernest Gannett. New York: Lewis, Scribner & Co., 1902.

5. Rizal, José. The Social Cancer, Translated by Charles Derbyshire. Manila: Philippine Education Co., 1912.

6. Anderson, Benedict R. O'G. (2008). Why Counting Counts: A Study of Forms of Consciousness and Problems of Language in Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press. Note: This source details the "linguistic hierarchy" of the late 19th century and Rizal's contemplation of writing in French to reach a global "literary world stage.”

7. Testa-de Ocampo, Anna Melinda (2011)."The Afterlives of the *Noli Me Tangere." Philippine Studies, Vol. 59, No. 4. Note: Provides the "genealogy" of translations and discusses how the 1899 French version refashioned the novel for a European audience.

8. Viola, Maximo. (My Travels with Dr. Rizal). Note: Memoirs detailing the printing of the 1887 Berlin edition and Rizal's private thoughts on the future of his novels in other languages.

9. Craig, Austin (1933). Cited in the Basa and Benitez translation of Noli Me Tangere. Note: Craig notes that the 1899 French translation was so impactful it "passed through four editions" in its first year of publication.

10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabelo_de_los_Reyes

11. National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA): Historical bulletins regarding the "Propaganda Movement" ephemera and the role of European publishers in the Philippine Revolution.