Rizal Without the Overcoat is a book by Filipino writer

Ambeth Ocampo Ambeth R. Ocampo (born 1961 in Manila) is a Filipino public historian, academic, cultural administrator, journalist, author, and independent curator. He is best known for his definitive writings about Philippines' national hero José Rizal and o ...

, adapted from his "Looking Back" column in the ''

Philippine Daily Globe The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

'' from October 1987 to July 1990. These writings were attempts to "translate"

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national he ...

and his historical context so that he could be better understood by a new generation—to present "''a "new" Rizal that had been obscured by school and myth.''" In 1999, an expanded edition of the book was published to which was added an award-winning series of commentary on Rizal which Ocampo had written. His column by then had moved to the ''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...

''. The book is frequently used as a reference for college courses on the Life and Works of José Rizal, which is mandated by law (

Republic Act 1425 The Rizal Law, officially designated as Republic Act No. 1425, is a Philippine law that mandates all educational institutions in the Philippines to offer courses about José Rizal. The Rizal Law, in any case, was emphatically restricted by the C ...

) as a required course for all college students. It won the 1990 National Book Award for the Essay. Although it garnered immense popularity, the book is criticized for its lack of conceptual and analytic contribution to the larger debate in Philippine historiography.

Sources

Philippine books José Rizal {{Philippines-hist-book-stub