"The Golden Pen: The Key to the American Dream"
In "The Golden Pen," protagonist Jan Havel Smith embarks on a dual quest to trace his mother's Central European ancestry and uncover hidden facets of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, hoping his discoveries will merit a Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. His search takes him through the lesser-known corridors of European history.
Entangled in a complex plot, Jan becomes a target of the shadowy organization, Imperium Historia Veritas (IHV), after a heist led by the vengeful Alexine implicates him. Cornered in Litomerice, Jan is thrust back in time by the mystical Golden Pen, uncovering the intertwined fates of historical figures Laong Laan, Ferdinand Blumentritt, and, shockingly, his own lineage.
In the past, he learns of his direct descent from Blumentritt, fueling his determination to defend historical truth. Returning to the present, Jan is surveilled by IHV but allies with Maria, a self-transformed manananggal from Philippine folklore seeking redemption for the "Balangiga Massacre," and Alexine, who now seeks to right past wrongs alongside him. Despite the danger to his family, Jan is adamant about publishing his groundbreaking revelations.
The story climaxes with a world-shaking truth, igniting a global reawakening and cementing Jan's legacy as a transformative author. Narrated through the first-person accounts of Dr. Laong Laan, Professor Blumentritt, Maria, Alexine, Maximus, and Don Tiburcio, "The Golden Pen" weaves a rich tapestry of alliance, deception, and historical distortion.
This thrilling time-travel saga reexamines heroism and monstrosity, asserting the power of truth in a quest that blends the American Dream with a profound search for identity and justice.
The novel's unique features:
Modern translation of Dr. José Rizal's Travelogue from the Philippines to Spain taken from Diario's y Memorias (1961).
Never before translated Preface of (1890) Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas annotated reprint by Dr. José Rizal.
Modern English translation of the fifteen (15) paged Spanish prologue by Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt in Sucesos, his love letter to the Philippines and defense of the Filipinos dream of reforms.
Professor Blumentritt's 1886 letter to Professor Hugo Schuchardt warning him about Dr. José Rizal translated from German.
Twenty (20) correspondences between the doctor, the professor, family and friends taken from Epistolario Rizalino collection.
Dr. José Rizal's translated French letter to Dr. A. B. Meyer from New Berry Edward E. Ayer Collection about the packages of conserved Dapitan species he sent during his exile.
Bayan Ko original lyrics in Spanish, English and Baybayin
Baybayin Scripts
