The contributions in this volume build upon the monograph published by cultural studies scholar Dietrich Harth in 2021 under the title "José Rizals Kampf um Leben und Tod" (José Rizal's Struggle for Life and Death, 2nd ed., 2025). The texts, written on various occasions, trace Rizal's life story, question the formation of legends that solidified his status as a 'na-tional hero', and discuss certain facets of his literary creativity and journalistic resistance against Spanish colonial rule. Harth's readings explore the world literary traces in Rizal's writ-ings and emphasise the Asian intellectual's cosmopolitan views. Dietrich Harth was awarded the Ferdinand Blumentritt Medal for outstanding achievements and personal commitment in the field of Philippines and Southeast Asia research, sponsored by the Austro-Philippine Society in Vienna.