Rizal began writing El Filibusterismo in 1887 and finished the manuscript in 1891 in Biarritz, France after 3 years of writing and revising. He moved to cheaper Ghent, Belgium to have it printed. Living frugally, he struggled to fund the printing until Valentin Ventura provided money. The novel was published on September 18, 1891. It depicted the worsening oppression of the Spanish colonial regime in the Philippines and was both praised and banned upon release.