Wenceslao Retana

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. Provided by Wikipedia