CHAPTER 17: BIARRITZ VACATION AND ROMANCE WITH NELLIE BOUSTEAD

(1891)
• INTRODUCTION
Rizal having lost Leonor Rivera, entertained the thought of courting other ladies. While a guest
of the Boustead family at their residence in the resort city of Biarritz- Villa Eliada, he had
befriended the two pretty daughters of his host, Eduardo Boustead. Rizal used to fence with the
sisters at the studio of Juan Luna. It was Biarritz where he had a serious romance with Nellie and
finished the last chapter of his second novel, El Filibusterismo.
• WITH THE BOUSTEADS IN BIARRITZ
• The one-month vacation in Biarritz worked wonders for Rizal. His sorrowing heart began
to sing once more with joy and his health improved with remarkable swiftness.
• From Biarritz, he wrote Mariano Ponce on February 11, 1891 he said “I have put on
much weight since I arrived here, my cheeks are no longer shrunken as before for the
reason that I go to bed early and I have no care’.
• Rizal’s European experience was complete with hanging out in bistros and cafes, sharing
beer at country inns, and dressing for elegant balls, masked or otherwise. Photo shows
Rizal (Left) be-turbaned for a party with friends Paz Pardo de Tavera, Luna, Nelly
Boustead, Felix Resurrection Hidalgo and two unidentified ladies,”
• Rizal in Juan Luna’s studio in Paris.
• Rizal fencing with A. Luna in Paris.
• ROMANCE WITH NELLIE BOUSTEAD
• Biarritz, with its romantic gardens, delightful villas, and panoramic beauties, is an ideal
setting for romance. Rizal having lost his beloved Leonor, came to entertain considerable
affection for Nellie, the prettier and younger daughter of his host. He found her a real
Filipina, highly intelligent, vivacious in temperament and morally upright. He wrote to
his intimate friends, except Prof. Blumentritt, of his love for Nellie, also called Nelly, and
his intention to propose marriage to her
• As early as on February 4, 1891 M.H. del Pilar teased him about changing the “o” in Noli
to an “e”, which means Noli to Nellie.
• Antonio Luna, Juan’s brother and also frequent visitor of the Bousteads, courted Nellie
but she was deeply infatuated with Rizal. In a party held by Filipinos in Madrid, a
drunken Antonio Luna uttered unsavoury remarks against Nellie Boustead. This
prompted Rizal to challenge Luna into a duel. Fortunately, Luna apologized to Rizal, thus
averting tragedy for the compatriots.
• Their love affair unfortunately did not end in marriage. It failed because Rizal refuse to
be converted to the Protestant faith, as Nellie demanded and Nellie’s mother did not like a
physician without enough paying clientele to be a son-in-law. The lovers, however, parted
as good friends when Rizal left Europe.
• TO PARIS AND BACK TO BRUSSELS
• Rizal bade farewell to the hospitable and friendly Bousteads on March 30, 1891 and
proceeded to Paris by train. He stayed at the home of his friend, Valentin Ventura, on 4
rue de chateaudum
• From Paris, he wrote to his friend, Jose Ma. Basa, in Hong Kong, On April 4, expressing
his desire to go to that British colony and practice ophthalmology in order to earn his
living.
• By the middle of April, 1891, Rizal was back in Brussels, where he was happily received
by Marie and Suzanne Jacoby.

• Jose Ma. Basa

• Valentin Ventura

• RETIREMENT FROM THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT

• Since abdicating his leadership in Madrid in January, 1891, owing to the intrigues of his
jealous compatriots, Rizal retired from Propaganda Movement, or reform crusade. He
desired to publish his second novel, to practice his medical profession, and later, when he
became financially independent, he expected to make a more vigorous campaign for his
country’s redemption.
• From Brussels, on May 1, 1891, he noticed the propaganda authorities in manila to cancel
his monthly allowance and devote the money to some better cause, such as education of a
young Filipino student in Europe.
• RIZAL STOPPED WRITING FOR LA SOLIDARIDAD
• Rizal cased writing articles for La Solidaridad. Many of his friend in Spain urged him to
continue writing for the patriotic periodical, because his articles always attracted
considerable attention in European countries.
• 3 Reason why rizal stopped writing for La Solidaridad:
• He need time to work on his book.
• He wanted other Filipinos to work also;
• He considered it very important to the party that there be unity in the work.
• REVISING THE FILI FOR PUBLICATION
• In Brussels Rizal Worked day after day revising the finished manuscript of El
Filibusterismo and readied it for printing. Apparently, the revision was mostly completed
on May 30, 1891. On the letter, he told Jose Ma. Basa that his book is now ready on press
 and the first 20 chapters are already corrected and can be printed. If he received a money,
he will surely have a copy in July.;

CHAPTER 18: EL FILIBUSTERISMO PUBLISHED IN GHENT, 1891

I. INTRODUCTION
Days flew fast like fleeting arrows in Brussels. Rizal, unmindful of Suzanne Jacoby’s enticing
affection, was busy correcting and polishing his second novel – El Filibusterismo.
• October, 1887 – he began writing it in Calamba
• 1888 – he made some changes in the plot and revised the chapter already written
• He wrote more chapters in Paris, Madrid and Biarritz
• March 29, 1891 – he finished the manuscript in Biarritz, after toiling on it for three years
From Brussels, Rizal moved to Ghent, where printing was cheaper
• September 18, 1891 – El Filibusterismo, the sequel to the Noli, came of the press
II. PRIVATIONS IN GHENT
• July 5, 1891 – Rizal left Brussels for Ghent
• Reasons:
• The cost of living was lower
• The price of printing was much cheaper than in Brussels
• To escape from the enticing attraction of Petite Suzanne
• Owing to his limited funds, Rizal lived in a cheap boarding house, with Jose Alejandro as
roommate
• They lived frugally in Ghent for three months – from July to September, 1891
• To economize further on their living expenses, they prepared their own breakfast
III. THE PRINTING OF EL FILIBUSTERISMO
• Rizal searched for a printing shop that could give him the lowest quotation for the
publication of his novel
• At last, he did find a publisher – F. Meyer-Van Loo Press, No. 66 Viaanderen
Street – who was willing to print his book on instalment basis.
 • He pawned his jewels in order to pay the down payment and early partial
payments during the printing of the novel.
• Rizal became desperate because his funds were running low
• He received some money from Basa and P200 from Rodriguez Arias for the
copies of Morga’s Sucesos sold in Manila but these funds were also used up
• July 1891 – Rizal wrote a letter to Basa saying that if no money comes he have to
stop the El Fili’s publication
• August 6 – The printing had to be suspended, as Rizal feared, because he could no
longer give the necessary funds to the printer
IV. EL FILIBUSTERISMO COMES OFF THE PRESS
• In his morbid moments of despair, Rizal almost burned the manuscript of El
Filibusterismo
• When everything seemed lost, help came from an unexpected source. Valentin
Ventura heard of Rizal’s predicament and immediately sent the amount needed to
finish the publication of the novel
• September 18, 1891 – El Fili came off the press
• Rizal immediately sent 2 copies to Hongkong – one for Basa and the other for Sixto
Lopez
• He gratefully gave the original manuscript of El Fili and a printed copy with his
autograph to Valentin Ventura
• Filipino patriots praised the novel. The members of the Filipino colony of Barcelona
published a tribute in La Publicidad, a Barcelona newspaper, eulogizing the novel’s
original style
• The liberal Madrid newspaper, El Nuevo Regimen, serialized the novel in its issues of
October, 1891
• All copies of the first edition (Ghent edition) of El Fili were placed in wooden boxes
and shipped to Hongkong, but almost all the boxes were confiscated and the books
were lost
• The book immediately became rare and the few available Ghent copies were sold at
very high prices, reaching as high as 400 pesetas per copy
• Rizal, in all his studies, travels and labors in foreign lands, had not forgotten the
martyrdom of Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora, which Paciano related to him
when he was a mere lad in Calamba. He dedicated El Fili to them.
• THE MANUSCRIPT AND THE BOOK
 • The original manuscript of El Fili in Rizal’s own handwriting is now
preserved in the Filipiniana Division of the Bureau if Public Libraries, Manila
• TWO FEATURES THAT DIDN’T APPEAR IN THE PRINTED BOOK
• Foreword
• Warning
• These two were not put into print, evidently, to save printing cost.
• FOREWORD
• Appears just before the dedicatory page in the manuscript. It is for the
Filipino People and the Government
• WARNING
• Found on the other side of the dedication
• The title page of El Fili contains an inscription written by Ferdinand Blumentritt
V. SYPNOSIS OF EL FILIBUSTERISMO
a. CHARACTERS OF EL FILI
• SIMOUN – rich jeweller
• DONA VICTORINA – ridiculously pro – Spanish native woman
• TIBURCIO DE ESPADANA – husband of Dona Victorina
• PAULITA GOMEZ – beautiful niece of Dona Victorina
• BEN-ZAYB – Spanish journalist, who writes silly articles about Filipinos
• PADRE SIBYLA – Vice-Rector of the University of Santo Tomas
• PADRE CAMORRA – Parish priest of the town of Tiani
• DON CUSTODIO – a pro-Spanish Filipino holding a high position in the
government
• PADRE SALVI – thin Franciscan friar and former cura of San Diego
• PADRE IRENE – a kind friar who was a friend of the Filipino students
• PADRE FLORENTINO – a retired scholarly and patriotic Filipino priest
• ISAGANI – a poet nephew of Padre Florentino and a lover of Paulita Gomez
• BASILIO – son of Sisa and promising medical student
• CAPITAN TIAGO – patron of basilio
• QUIROGA – rich chinese merchant
• CABESANG TALES – Father of Juli who is dispossessed of his land in tiani by
the friars
• JULI – sweetheart of basilio
• MAKARAIG – a rich student and leader of the Filipino students in their
movement to have an academy where they could learn Spanish
• PADRE MILLON – who teaches Physics in UST without scientific experiments
• PLACIDO PENITENTE – student of Padre Millon who becomes discontented
with the poor method of instruction in the university
• SENOR PASTA – old Filipino lawyer who refuses to help the Filipino students in
their petition to the government for educational reforms
• TANDANG SELO – grandfather of Juli
• MR. AMERICAN – who owned the sideshow at the feria of quiapo exhibiting an
Egyptian mummy
• SANDOVAL – a Spanish student who supports the cause of the Filipino students
to propagate the teaching of Spanish
• CABESANA ANDANG – the mother of placido penitente
• PEPAY – the pretty dancer and mistress of don custodio
• PADRE FERNANDEZ – a good Dominican friar and friend of Isagani
• DON TIMOTEO – the father of Juanito Pelaez
• TANO – son of Cabesang Tales and brother of Juli
• CHICHAY – the silversmith who made the bridal earrings for Paulita Gomez