Wenceslao Retana
Wenceslao Retana | |
|---|---|
Retana circa 1901 | |
| Born | Wenceslao Emilio Retana y Gamboa 28 September 1862 Boadilla del Monte, Spain |
| Died | 21 January 1924 (aged 61) Madrid, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation | Polymath |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
Wenceslao Emilio Retana y Gamboa (28 September 1862 – 21 January 1924), also known as W. E. Retana or Wenceslao E. Retana, was a 19th-century Spanish polymath.
A civil servant, colonial administrator, biographer, political commentator, publisher, bibliographer, and Filipinologist, Retana was a "onetime adversary" of Philippine national hero José Rizal who later became an admirer who wrote the first biographical account of the life of Rizal, entitled Vida y Escritos del Dr. José Rizal (The Life and Writings of Dr. José Rizal). Rosa M. Vallejo described Retana as the "foremost" non-Filipino filipinologist.