Jose Rizal On Johannes Nordmann (1820-1887)
On Johannes Nordmann (1820-1887) Who was Johannes Nordmann? -- He was an Austrian writer and journalist. For some time now, Nordmann has been slowly making his way into Filipino awareness and narratives, mainly due to his interaction with our national hero, José Rizal. Last year, Austrian professor Johann Stockinger stumbled upon a letter addressed to Nordmann with an odd name. Examining the handwriting, content, and, above all, the signature, Stockinger—one of the foremost Rizal scholars in Europe—realized it was a case of mislabeling. The letter was, of course, from Rizal, and its contents confirmed it beyond doubt. During his European tour before returning to the Philippines, Rizal visited Vienna from May 20 to 25, 1887. He was accompanied by his friend Dr. Maximo Viola, and they carried letters of introduction to prominent scholars in Vienna at the time. Who wrote these letters? None other than Ferdinand Blumentritt. Incidentally, Rizal and Viola had been with the Blumentri...