Othniel Hermes

Ferdinand Blumentritt Othniel Hermes

Publisher Marketing: Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Ferdinand Blumentritt (September 10, 1853, Prague - September 20, 1913, Litom ice), was a teacher, secondary school principal in Litom ice, lecturer, and author of articles and books on the Philippines and its ethnography. He is well-known in the Philippines for his close friendship with the country's national hero, Jose Rizal, and the numerous correspondence between the two provide a vital reference for Rizal historians and scholars. Blumentritt was born in Prague (in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire). He is a nephew of the Hungarian German writer Ferenc Vir ghalmi. He wrote expansively about the Philippines, although he never visited the islands. Blumentritt became one of Rizal's closest confidant although they met only once. He translated 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. 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.