Au Pays des Moines (Noli me Tangere)

by José Rizal

"Au Pays des Moines (Noli me Tangere)" by José Rizal is a novel published in 1887 during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. The story follows Crisóstomo Ibarra, who returns home after seven years studying in Europe to find his father dead under mysterious circumstances and buried in disgrace. As he reconnects with his sweetheart María Clara and plans to build a progressive school, he confronts corrupt Spanish friars and discovers dangerous conspiracies. Rizal probes the cancers afflicting Filipino society under colonial rule.