Nellie boustead autobiography of miss
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The Bousteads hosted Rizal’s stay in Biarritz in February 1891 at their winter residence, Villa Eliada on the superb French Riviera. Let us know!
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Rizal’s Great Loves
This relationship is what I would call Rizal’s Great Love, in bold letters.
Some became romantic interests; others were intellectual companions or figures who awakened his artistic imagination. When Rizal was about to leave Europe in April 1891, Nelly sent him a goodbye letter, saying: “Now that you are leaving I wish you a happy trip and may you triumph in your undertakings, and above all, may the Lord look down on you with favor and guide your way giving you much blessings, and may your learn to enjoy!
Later in his life, Rizal would state in his letter, “… had I held religion as a matter of convenience or an art getting along in this life … I would now be a rich man, free, and covered with honors.” (Zaide, p. Rizal, age 27, an author and a doctor had returned to the Philippines in 1887, but because of his Noli Me Tangere, he incurred the wrath of the Spanish authorities.
One only has to read Rizal’s journal to intuit the answer.
“O Sei San, sayonara, sayonara! But his mission for the Philippines beckoned, and he chose duty over personal happiness.
Gertrude Beckett: Affection in London
During his time in London, Rizal stayed with the Beckett family. It could be remembered that Jose and Antonio nearly had a deadly duel before when he (Antonio), being drunk one time, made negative remarks on their ‘common denominator’.
But I’m treading on dangerous ground here, and I know I'll be mercilessly crucified if I’m not careful. Thus, the end of their relationship.
It was actually all good when he bade goodbye and Nellie even wrote him a letter where a paragraph has stated:
“Now that you are leaving I wish you a happy trip and may you triumph in your undertakings, and above all, may the Lord look down on you with favor and guide your way giving you much blessings, and may your learn to enjoy!
Years later, he would write that his first love “died a natural death,” a gentle acknowledgment that youthful affection must sometimes bow to circumstance.
Her memory stayed with him, a quiet reminder of innocence and longing.
Leonor Valenzuela: The Sweet Interlude
During his years at the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal briefly courted Leonor Valenzuela, known as “Orang.” Their romance was light and affectionate.
She is good; she is naturally endowed with qualities admirable in a young woman and I believe that she will bring happiness not only to you but to any other man who is worthy of her…I congratulate you as one congratulates a friend. The second daughter, Gertrude “Gettie” Beckett, developed strong feelings for him. While Rizal was in Europe, Leonor’s mother intercepted his letters.
Through these relationships, Rizal emerged as not only a thinker but a deeply feeling man, capable of profound connection.
These women inspired characters in his novels, shaped his emotional evolution, and supported him through exile, heartbreak, and sacrifice. Their stories reveal the softer, more personal dimensions of a man often viewed only as a hero or martyr.
Introduction
Jose Rizal, remembered as a reformist and thinker, was also a man who loved deeply, lost painfully, and formed relationships that influenced his writing and worldview.
Nelly’s mother—a Filipina who came from the rich Genato family in Manila—was not in favor of taking as a son-in-law a man who could not provide a sure stable future for her daughter. Nellie’s mother was not in favor of the man who can’t provide a stable life in the future for her daughter.
She was intelligent, principled, and spirited — a woman who debated politics, religion, and reform with him.
Their relationship came close to engagement. She taught him Japanese and her culture.
Remember, Rizal had been exposed in Germany to ethnographers (Fedor Jagor, who studied the Igorots) scientists (Dr. No woman like you has ever loved me. Tomas Arejola, for instance, wrote him: “… if Mademoiselle Boustead suits you, court her, and marry her, and we are here to applaud such a good act.” (Zaide, p.
Their walks through gardens, conversations about art, and shared cultural exchanges formed a memory cherished by Rizal long after he left.
He later wrote that leaving Japan meant leaving behind “a woman who loved me and whom I loved.” In another life, he might have stayed.