Jose Rizal

Novelist

Birthday June 19, 1861

Birth Sign Gemini

Birthplace Calamba, Philippines

DEATH DATE Dec 30, 1896 (35)

#11705 Most Popular

About

An executed revolutionary, journalist, fiction author, and poet, he was posthumously heralded as a national Filipino hero. He is best remembered for such novels as Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

Before Fame

His novels sought to expose the abuses of the Spanish colonial elite and deliberately questioned the Catholic Church's authority over the people. As a direct result of his writing, he was branded an enemy of the state.

Trivia

He founded the civic movement, La Liga Filipina, in 1892 after being forced to leave Spain for Manila; for these activities, he was deported to Dapitan.

Family Life

He had influential Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish ancestors. He was born into a wealthy family as the seventh of eleven children. He was married to Josephine Bracken.

Associated With

He and his contemporary, Mahatma Gandhi, were both advocates of peaceful, non-violent reform.