“Born in 1886. Still alive today.”
A new campaign to encourage readership of Rizal’s classic novel, Noli Me Tangere, aims to show the novel’s characters have a life of their own. The launch coincides with the release of the fully featured app "Noli". Characters from the novel are shown as their modern equivalents: A society matron as Doña Victorina; a student as Maria Clara and a destitute woman
as Sisa. Next to each of them is a sign with their character’s name, held by Manila tour guide Carlos Celdran. The publishers say the campaign emphasizes the timelessness of the novel and its relevance to contemporary life. Earlier this year, Celdran courted controversy and grabbed extensive local and international media coverage when he used a similar sign in a protest at the Manila Cathedral. This time around his aim is to encourage people to read the novel, and to find their own equivalents of the characters in everyday life, identify and share their discoveries in social media. The translations from the original Spanish are by Leon Ma. Guerrero, and were originally published by Longman’s in the UK. Guerrero Publishing Inc. has published the books since 1994. Ambassador Guerrero also wrote the definitive biography of Rizal, The First Filipino, which won the Rizal Centennial prize.
