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Ferdinand Blumentritt
José Rizal's pencil sketch of Blumentritt
José Rizal's pencil sketch of Blumentritt
BornFerdinand Johann Franz Blumentritt
10 September 1853 (1853-09-10)
Prague, Austrian Empire
Died20 September 1913(1913-09-20) (aged 60)
Leitmeritz, Austria-Hungary
OccupationAuthor, secondary school teacher and director, ethnography
LanguageGerman, English, Czech
Children3
ParentsFerdinand Matthaeus Johann Blumentritt
Amalia Ecatherina Schneider

Ferdinand Johann Franz Blumentritt (10 September 1853, Prague – 20 September 1913, Litoměřice) was an Austrian teacher, secondary school principal in Leitmeritz, lecturer, and author of articles and books in the Philippines and its ethnography. He is well known in the Philippines for his close friendship with the writer and Propagandist José Rizal, and the numerous correspondence between the two provide a vital reference for Rizal historians and scholars,[1] including his last letter from prison before the execution.

Biography

Blumentritt was born in Prague (now the Czech Republic, then the capital of Kingdom of Bohemia in the former Austrian Empire).

Blumentritt wrote extensively about the Philippines, although he never visited the islands, corresponding with the then Filipino student and writer José Rizal, who later became a national hero. Blumentritt's relationship with Rizal began as early as July 1886.[2] Blumentritt became one of Rizal's closest confidants although they met only once. He translated a chapter of the latter's first book, Noli Me Tangere, into German and wrote the preface to Rizal's second book, El filibusterismo, although he was against its publication as he believed that it would lead to Rizal's death. These two novels are commentaries disguised as fiction which angered both the Catholic Church and the Spanish colonial government, and which eventually led to Rizal's 1896 trial and execution. Before the execution in Manila, Rizal wrote his final letter for Blumentritt.[3][4] Blumentritt reportedly cried after receiving the letter.

Alongside Rizal, Blumentritt was a significant contributor to the publication La Solidaridad, published by Filipino expatriates from 1889 to 1895 as a voice for advocacy of political reforms in the Philippines.[5] From 1900, Blumentritt was a member of the Berlin Society for Anthropology.

Blumentritt died in Litoměřice (German: Leitmeritz), Bohemia. He is memorialized in the Philippines by numerous public parks and streets. Among them are Blumentritt Road, Blumentritt LRT Station, Blumentritt PNR Station, the Blumentritt Market in Metro Manila and the Blumentritt Street in Naga City and Tuguegarao. His relations with Rizal also caused the twin status of the Czech town of Litoměřice with the Philippine towns of Calamba (Rizal's birthplace) and Dapitan (where Rizal was initially exiled).

Main works

Literature

References

  1. ^ Rizal-Blumentritt Friendship, Austrian-Philippine Website
  2. ^ Kramer, Paul Alexander (2006). The Blood of Government: Race, Empire, the United States, & the Philippines. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. p. 57. ISBN 9780807829851. OCLC 897005309 – via Google Books. ...Rizal wrote to his friend and fellow Propaganda writer, the Austrian anthropologist Ferdinand Blumentritt in August 1888.
  3. ^ "211. Rizal, Fort Santiago, Manila, 29 Ðecember 1896". Univie.ac.at. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  4. ^ "Blumentritt on the Philippines". The Hartford Daily Courant (Snippet of article). November 22, 1901. p. 10. Retrieved April 2, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Wolters, William (2004). "La Solidaridad". In Ooi, Keat Gin (ed.). Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. ABC-CLIO. p. 756. ISBN 9781576077702. OCLC 865552333.
  6. ^ Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2013). Filipiniana Bibliography 2013. Lulu.com. p. 80. ISBN 9781291639452. OCLC 922839116 – via Google Books.

Further reading

External links

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