Rizal-Blumentritt (A Friendship That Started In Mistrust)

I have always pointed out to colleagues who are into Germanistik (German Studies), Philology, and Philippine Studies the incredible amount of data, studies, and possibilities that scholars could learn just by researching both the writings of Ferdinand Blumentritt and Jose Rizal.

Interestingly, University of Graz (Austria), a few years ago opened its "Sammlung" or collection of the Blumentritt-Schuchardt Correspondence. Reading it, I was led to consider new territories to understand the beginnings and the minds within the Rizal and Blumentritt friendship.


One thing the Blumentritt-Schuchardt Correspondence has revealed is that long before Jose Rizal and Ferdinand Blumentritt were communicating with each other, Blumentritt was already in contact with some of the leading ilustrados and Filipino intellectuals particularly Trinidad Pardo H. de Tavera and Isabelo de los Reyes. In early 1881,  Blumentritt came to know Tavera by chance. Helping Hugo Schuchardt (1842-1927), an imminent German linguist and Romanist with his “Studium” of  Spanish creole languages in Santo Domingo (the Dominican Republic), Blumentritt came in contact with the secretary of the Dominican ambassador to Paris (2me Secrétaire de la Légation de la République Dominicaine) who happens to be Tavera. Blumentritt was also receiving journals and newspapers from Manila. He mentioned to Schuchhardt in their correspondence of receiving a letter from Isabelo de los Reyes. Finally in a letter dated 14 August 1886 Blumentritt wrote to Schuchardt:


“In Heidelberg, Obere Neckarstraße 11 wohnt jetzt ein deutsch schreibender Tagale D. José Rizal, man muss diesem Schüler der Ges. Jesu gegenüber auf der Hut sein, sonst gibt er, das was man ihm mitteilt als sein eigenes "Produkt" zum besten. Er hat mich mit einem tagalischen Buche beschenkt” .

(In Heidelberg, Obere Neckarstraße 11 now lives a Tagalog who writes in German, D. Jose Rizal, one must be wary of this student of the Jesuits otherwise he might claim what one imparts to him as his own "Product ". He gifted me with a Tagalog book”).

Incredibly Blumentritt mistrusted Rizal at the beginning: "gegenüber auf der Hut sein, sonst gibt er, das was man ihm mitteilt als sein eigenes "Produkt" zum besten, it simply meant copyright issue. Blumentritt wrote that Rizal might claim that what he learns from them as his own.



A portion of the Blumentritt's letter to Schuchardt dated 11. August 1886  (University of Graz)





Hugo Schuchardt (1842-1927)



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