Rizal's 'Noli' stars at Frankfurt Book Fair

More than 138 years since it was first published, Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere will be in the spotlight at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the oldest and largest in the world.

- By LISA GUERRERO NAKPIL

The Noli thus returns to Germany in spirit, the country where its last chapters were written in the small town of Wilhemsfeld outside Heidelberg, and where it was first published in Berlin.

For the first time in the fair's 500year history, the Philippines will be its featured country this 2025 and recognized as "Guest of Honor," bringing Filipino writers and publishers to the attention of 230,000 book lovers and 4,300 distributors from 92 countries.

The theme of the country's special pavilion is taken from a line in the Noli, "Imagination peoples the air." It will take place from Oct. 15 to 19, 2025 at the trade fair grounds in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

This landmark recognition is the product of a decade of campaigning by Sen.