El Filibusterismo, also known by its English alternate title The Reign of Greed, is the second novel written by Philippine national hero José Rizal. It is a sequel to Noli Me Tangere and like the first book, was written in Spanish. Rizal began the work in October of 1887 while practicing medicine in Calamba. In London (1888), he made several changes to the plot and revised a number of chapters. Rizal continued to work on his manuscript while in Paris, Madrid, and Brussels, finally completing it on March 29, 1891 in Biarritz. It was published the same year in Ghent. The translation for its Latin name is "The Subversive", as a reference to what the Spanish priests call Rizal's works.
The novel is very similar to Dumas's French classic The Count of Monte Cristo. Both narratives illustrate a man's will to avenge himself and reclaim his beloved fiancée. He craftily devises a plan of revenge and retribution by a change in identity.
Scholars and historians interpret the novel as representative of Rizal's dilemma to reconcile his faltering hope for securing his country's independence with his belief in a nonviolent struggle. The style and content are said to sound closer to a dialogue between two opposing sides, rather than to a free-flowing narrative. Many agree that Simoun's death and Father Florentino's lamentations ultimately reaffirm Rizal's conviction that freedom could be achieved without the need for bloodshed. Some interpretations however, have insisted that Rizal in fact does not condemn violent revolution but instead implies a point of view that the Philippines and the Filipinos are not ready for armed uprising and must instead entrust the future to the youth and allow them proper education. This claim is strengthened by the constant emphasis on young students and their academic misfortunes at the hands of the corrupt and incompetent Spanish ruled educational system.