Emil Zilliacus

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Emil Zilliacus

Gustaf Emil Zilliacus (born September 1, 1878 in Tammerfors , † December 7, 1961 in Helsinki ) was a Finnish-Swedish poet , writer , literary scholar and translator of classical literature.

Life

Zilliacus grew up in Viborg as the son of Mauritz Emil and Mathild Wilhelmina Zilliacus and attended the town's Finnish grammar school, as his interest was in antiquity . In 1896 he began to study the history of literature and in 1900 passed the philosophy exam. In his youth, Zilliacus was involved in the Euterpe group and was involved in founding the magazine Argus , for which he worked from 1911 to 1933 as editor-in-chief and until 1945 as a member of the editorial board. In 1905 he earned his doctorate with a treatise on Den moderna franska poesin och antiken ( The modern French poetry and antiquity ) and worked as a lecturer forHistory of literature at Helsinki University from 1907 to 1943.

As an economically independent, Zilliacus was able to devote himself to poetry before his career. He went on various study trips, mainly to Greece and Rome as well as other major cities in Europe. He made his debut as an artist in 1915 with Offereld . In 1940 he became an honorary professor and worked from 1943 to 1945 as a visiting professor at the Chair of Ancient Literature at the University of Helsinki.

In 1929 and from 1933 to 1935 he was the spokesman for the Finnish-Swedish Writers' Union and the Nordic Council of Literature .

Zilliacus was married to Ingrid Wegelius and the father of two sons, Henrik and Benedict.

Writing activity

A love of the country and a devotion to classical culture were two guidelines in Zilliacus' life's work. The Karelian homeland made its mark on his experiences. Zilliacus was heavily influenced by antiquity in his poetry . The seals are characterized by a controlled form, elegant design and a celibate tone. The ideal of classical humanism , the strong feeling for the moderate, the orderly, the clear and transparent show his home in the ancient world. He possessed an innocence that made him look away from the Dionysian trait of classical poetry, from the savage and ecstatic that emerges , for example, from Rabbe Enckell and Vilhelm Ekelund . A motif from classical literature made him, as a Viborgian, recognize himself in the Greeks , who were viewed as barbarians of the East.

In his works he often describes people in archetypal situations. They are largely personal, but universal in form. The debut collection came about against the background of the death of his firstborn two-year-old son. The elaboration of the poems that give his grief a universal form was his way of reconciling himself with the trauma. Mourning and life's harsh arbitrariness can be found in the work Minnesaltaret , which was preceded by the death of his wife. The loss of childhood Karelia was also a hard blow, but the trials were endured with indifference, sacrifice, spiritual hope, and courage. Some of the critics found the dominant style of romantic perspective to be a barrier. Johan Wrede sees the always valid and comforting calm as a strength.

Zilliacus translated the Greek tragedies and many of the classical poetry into Swedish. He also conveys the ancient heritage in artistically valuable travel descriptions from Greece and Rome, as well as in collections of essays. With his writing activity, he stimulated the reading of classical literature in Swedish and contributed to deepening and regaining the spiritual values ​​that were in danger of being lost. VA Koskenniemi called him the last Hellenic .

Works

Poetry
  • Offereld (1915)
  • Hellenika (1917)
  • Sophocles (1919)
  • I grottan (1920)
  • Soluret (1926)
  • Templet (1931)
  • Minnesota Altar (1936)
  • Vandring (1938)
  • Finlands Festspel. Ett knippe tidsdikter (1940)
  • Silverhöst (1943)
  • Xenion. Ett knippe tillfallighetsvers (1953)
  • Hellas and Hesperia. Ett dikturval (1935)
  • Brunnarna. Valda dikter 1915–1950 (1958)
Novellas
  • Eldprov (1927) pseud. Johan Alvik
  • Karelare och annat folk (1934)
Translations

Aeschylus

  • Agamemnon (1929)
  • Gravoffret (1929)
  • Eumeniderna (försoningen) (1930)
  • Fyra worgespel (1948)
  • Oresties I – III (1929–30)
  • Prometheus (1931)
  • Perserna (1934)
  • De sju mot Thebe 1932
  • De skyddssökande (1933)

Sophocles

  • Konung Oidipus (1942)
  • Oidipus i Kolonos (1945)
  • Philoctetes (1947)
  • Aias (1953)
  • Elektra (1955)
  • Kvinnorna från Trachis (1957)

Rest

  • Sonetter och sånger (1921)
  • Grekiska epigram (1922)
  • Menander : Skiljedomen (1943)
  • Euripides : Trojanskorna (1953)
  • Lukianos : The Narraktige Boksamlaren (1948)
  • Herondas : Mimer (1953)
Literary studies
  • Den moderna franska poesin och antiken (1905, diss.)
  • Giovanni Pascoli et l'Antiquité. Étude de littérature comparée (1909)
  • Grekisk lyric (1911, rev. 1928)
  • Lans och lyra. Litterära studier och kåserier (1933)
  • Choros. Studier över grekisk körlyrik (1939)
  • Eros and Eris. Studier i grekisk poesi (1948)
  • Aeschylus (1951)
  • Xenion (1953)
  • Vid brasan med Horatius (1953)
Travelogues
  • Pilgrimsfärder i Hellas (1923)
  • Romerska vandringar och raster vid vinbrunnar och vattenfontäner (1924)
  • Italians (1930)
  • Tempe and Thermopyle. Travel Pictures (1937)

Awards

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d Torsten Steinby : "Emil Zilliacus September 1, 1878– December 7, 1961", in Historiska och litteraturhistoriska studier 37. Helsinki 1962, Swedish Literary Society in Finland.
  2. George C. Schoolfield: A History of Finland's Literature s. 416. Lincoln 1998, University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-4189-3
  3. ^ A b c Johan Wrede: Den traditionella poesin , in Finland's Swedish literary history. Second part: 19th century p. 77. Helsinki 2000, Swedish Literature Association in Finland.
  4. Erik Hjalmar Linder, Henrik Schück & Karl Warburg: Illustrerad svensk litteraturhistoria VIII Fyra decennier av nittonhundratalet, p. 404f. Stockholm 1949, nature and culture.