Frédéric Mistral

Frédéric Mistral ( born September 8, 1830 in Mail Lane near Arles, Bouches -du -Rhône, France, † March 25, 1914 ) was a neuprovenzalischer poet and linguist. In 1904 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Life and work

Mistral was born the son of a wealthy landowner, and attended secondary school in Avignon. An encounter with the 12 years older poet Joseph Roumanille led him to the Provencal literature. In Aix -en- Provence Mistral studied to 1851 Jura; then he settled in Mail Lane and founded in 1854 together with Roumanille, Félix Gras, Théodore Aubanel the Félibrige movement, which campaigned for the revival and preservation of the Provençal language in the literature.

Since 1859, he stood at the head of the Félibrige and became their most creative representative. In the same year he published his most important work Mirèio, an epic poem in twelve cantos. It tells of a rich farmer's daughter, who fights for her love of a poor basket weavers and goes in search of divine assistance on the move. This work, the motives of Joan of Arc myth, but also numerous references to the Provencal village themes from past centuries bears in itself, was highly praised by Alphonse de Lamartine, prize of the Académie Française and established an international reputation Mistral. Charles Gounod it set to music in 1863.

Another highlight in Mistral's work is considered the epic Calendal 1867 published, harmonious with the Aeneid. Due to strong political allusions and literary polemics it is back behind the debut Mirèio more.

Mistral lived after a stay in Paris until his death in Mail Lane; In 1876 he married Marie Rivière.

Mistral sat down - in parallel to the onset of many nationalities movement of the 19th century - for a spiritual and cultural independence of Provence against the centralist political culture also a France, initially also for political autonomy. He fought against the prevailing stereotype of backwardness and sought points of the Provencal, Mediterranean culture and tradition of the ancient world. His epics, poems and stories he translated mostly self in the French language, which facilitated its reception within the Paris literary scene. However, this also shows the continuous tension between Mistral pursuit of regional emancipation and simultaneous dependence on centralized culture operation.

Over the course of 20 years, he created Lou safe Dou Félibrige, a dictionary of the Romance languages ​​, which until 1886 was published in 1879 and takes into account numerous Provençal dialects.

In his late work Pouèmo Dou Lou Rose of 1897 very pessimistic tones are expressed, which may be due to the general apocalyptic mood at the end of the 19th century, but also Mistral failed attempts to sustainably run the Félibrige movement to success. Stylistically, Lou Pouèmo Dou Rose - " Rhone song" - attributed to the symbolism and decadent.

In 1904 Mistral, José Echegaray, together with the Nobel Prize for Literature. The citation read: " with respect to the fresh originality, the Witty and artistic in his poetry, reflecting the nature and life of the people of his home faithful, as well as its significant effectiveness as Provençal philologist ". Mistral was not present at the awards ceremony; in its place took a minister receive the award. The prize money associated with the Nobel Prize Mistral used to expand Arlaten in Arles, which was founded by him in 1896 ethnographic collection Museon. The rooms at the Hôtel Laval - Castellane accommodate up to the present exhibits on Provencal culture and information Félibrige.

Frédéric Mistral died in 1914 and was buried in Mail Lane in the Arrondissement Arles.

Works

• Mirèio ( epic poem, in 1859, German Mireia, 1880)
• Calendal ( Epic, 1867, German 1909)
• Lis isclo d'or ( poems and stories, 1875, German songs and stories, 1910)
• La Raco Latino ( poems, 1879)
• Lou safe Dou Félibrige ( Dictionary of neuprovenzalischen language, 1879-1886 )
• Nerto ( Epic, 1884, German 1891)
• La Reino Jano ( Drama, 1890)
• Lou Pouèmo Dou Rose ( poems, 1897)
• Moun espelido, remòri e raconte ( "Memories and Stories", 1906, German 1908)
• Discours e dicho ( Proso, 1906)
• La Genesi, traducho s prouvençau (1910 )
• Lis Oulivado ( poems, 1912)
• Prose d' almanac, ( posthumously, 1926, 1927-1930 )