Faroese literature

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The Faroese literature arose at the beginning of the 19th century with the first written records Faroese ballads (kvæði) previously during the centuries transmitted orally were and were from unknown authors.

William Heinesen and Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen 1918

Thanks to the creative power of various Faroese writers at the beginning of the 20th century , the smallest Germanic language in the Faroese language dispute was able to establish itself as a recognized educational language until 1938 .

Today more books per capita appear in the Faroe Islands than in any other country on earth. Measured against the small population of less than 50,000 people, the general interest in native language literature is exceptional. The State Library of the Faroe Islands showed in its loan statistics for 2000 that the most popular book was a Faroese literary history (Volume 2: 1876–1939). A Danish-language book on career guidance only followed in second place.

First literature

The sheep letter from 1298 shows the first signs of a Faroese variant of Old Norse .

The first evidence of the written language on the archipelago are two rune stones . The first was discovered in Kirkjubøur in 1832 and is now in the Danish National Museum in Copenhagen ( see Kirkjubøstein ). The second rune stone was found in Sandavágur in 1917 and is now in the local church ( see Sandavág's stone ). The Kirkjubøstein probably dates from the Viking Age (around the year 1000 at the latest ) and the Sandavágsstein from around 1200 .

The same Viking Age is the subject of the Faroese saga , which was written in Iceland . Like the two rune stones, this source is written in Old Norse . The sheep letter from 1298 , which in all probability was written in the Faroe Islands by a Faroese (under Bishop Erlendur ), provides us with the first indications of the development of the Old Faroese language .

The peasant society at that time with about 4,000 island residents produced no other known documents in written form. The Reformation in the Faroe Islands in the 16th century sealed the dominance of the Danish language as the church and thus the official language in all areas. Interestingly, the Fámjinsstein shows that the runic script was used shortly after the Reformation. From the 17th century , the documents of the Faroese parliament, the Løgting, have been preserved, but in Danish.

It is believed that the oral tradition of the Kvæði testifies to an acquaintance with Icelandic literature , such as the Sigurd songs . In addition to the Kvæði , the typical Faroese genres Sagnir (historical reports), Ævintýr (fairy tales) and Tættir (mocking verses) survived in oral tradition. In the probably late medieval ballad Loka Táttur , first printed in 1822 , fairy-tale motifs (such as The Sea Rabbit from Grimm's Children's and Household Tales ) mix with subjects from Norse mythology. Loki appears as a cunning advisor - one of the rare references to Nordic gods in Faroese literature.

New Faroese pioneers

Kvæði

It was not until the French Revolution that an impulse developed that was to have an impact even in the most remote areas of Europe. During the Napoleonic Wars, Nólsoyar Páll was the first Faroese in modern times to formulate a national idea of ​​freedom in the mother tongue. He is still considered the national hero today, and his Fuglakvæði (bird ballad, 1805) in 229 four-line verses with a refrain in between, is the first important work of modern times in the Faroese language. Here the oystercatcher ( Tjaldur ) becomes a symbol of the nation.

Jens Christian Svabo was the first scientist to recognize the value of the kvæði , but his collection was never printed in his lifetime. However, he supported the Danish naturalist Hans Christian Lyngbye during his stay in the Faroe Islands in 1817 in acquiring the Faroese language after he had expressed his interest in the old ballads. In 1822 , with the help of Johan Henrik Schrøter, the first book was published in Faroese: Færøske Kvæder om Sigurd Fofnersbane og hans Æt - at that time according to Schrøter's phonetic orthography, which was closely based on Svabo.

The farmer Jens Christian Djurhuus (1773-1853) wrote down a number of other Kvæði in the old style, as they only survived over the centuries through song and dance. He used the same themes as Snorri Sturluson , the old Icelandic skald . He was supported by VU Hammershaimb , who provided him with corresponding books with Icelandic sagas. The best- known piece is Ormurin Langi , which is known today through the Viking metal group Týr .

Jens Christian Djurhuus' son Jens Hendrik Djurhuus (1799–1892) continued this work and wrote ballads that are still sung to the Faroese chain dance today. (The descendants of this family, the brothers Janus Djurhuus and Hans A. Djurhuus , became classics in the 20th century - albeit with modern or folk lyrics.)

This Kvæði tradition was saved into the 20th century by poets such as Jóannes Patursson (a great-grandson of Nólsoyar Páls), Poul F. Joensen and Mikkjal Dánjalsson á Ryggi (1897–1956) and thus made accessible to future generations.

linguistics

Hammershaimbs Færøsk Anthologi 1891 marks the establishment of the modern Faroese written language, gathers old ballads and tells folk tales in Faroese. The second volume (ill.) Was obtained by Jakob Jakobsen and is a Faroese-Danish dictionary with 10,000 headwords including phonetic transcription for each entry. All the terms used in the ballads and sagas are explained and referenced therein.

The systematic definition of the Faroese written language, and thus a uniform grammar that appears acceptable for all dialects, falls to the pastor VU Hammershaimb . His orthography concept is still valid today. The linguist and anthropologist Jakob Jakobsen is also doing pioneering work, but cannot establish himself with his Broytning spelling. We owe to this fact, among other things, the letter Ð , which has a purely etymological function.

In any case, Hammershaimb was instrumental in ensuring that the (older) Faroese philology received its scientific basis in Danish (as the language of communication). The cultural heritage thus preserved was the starting point for the Faroese classics of modern times.

It was Jakobsen's merit to elevate Faroese to a scientific language that was able to assert itself in all areas of life, while his predecessors thought more of saving old linguistic monuments. Jakobsen's commitment to the norn is an indication that he wanted to avert a similar fate of his mother tongue through early systematic language planning .

classic

The realistic novel
Two generations: Janus Djurhuus, Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen, William Heinesen and Hans Andrias Djurhuus, 1924

Faroese writers such as William Heinesen and Heðin Brú gained international recognition in the 20th century . The former wrote only in Danish, but had the latter translated into Faroese from time to time, for which the latter in turn illustrated his translations of world literature with his own graphics. Both were neighbors in the capital Tórshavn for many years and formed a legendary trio ( Teir tríggir varðarnir ) with Professor Christian Matras .

The main genre of the 1930s to 1950s was the realistic novel. Heðin Brús educational novel Feðgar á ferð ("Father and Son on the Road", German title "Des poor man's honor") was the first novel in Faroese that was translated into world languages. It is also considered to be one of the best Faroese novels ever.

Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen was only 37 years old. He was a contemporary of the writers mentioned above (same year as his cousin William Heinesen). Like this one he wrote in Danish. His only novel Barbara (1939), based on the old legend of the wicked pastor's wife Beinta Broberg, was to become one of the world's most successful books from the Faroe Islands. The film version ( Barbara (1997) ) was the most expensive Danish feature film of all time. Martin Joensen (1902–1966) described the life of Faroese fishermen and seamen in his novels; he was also the editor of the first children's and youth newspaper Barnablaðið (1931).

Jens Pauli Heinesen renewed the Faroese novel in the 1950s through formal experiments; later he approached the realistic tradition again, which made him very popular.

Poetry

The classical philologist Janus Djurhuus is one of the most demanding poets in Faroese literature. His younger brother Hans Andrias Djurhuus did not achieve the same status, but with his children's songs he won the hearts of the Faroese audience up to our time. Poul F. Joensen became known for his mocking verses ( táttur ) and is still today one of the most popular poets in the Faroe Islands.

The Faroese literary magazine Varðin , published since 1921, developed under Rikard Long into a forum for all Faroese authors up to the present day.

present

Hanus Kamban (* 1942) wrote short stories and short stories. Carl Jóhan Jensen (* 1957) emerged as a poet. The architect Gunnar Hoydal (* 1941) writes poetry and artist biographies, Sólrún Michelsen (* 1948) books for children and young people. Oddvør Johansen (* 1948) wrote one of the first women novels in the Faroe Islands. Tatióroddur Poulsen (* 1957) became known as an innovative punk poet .

Literary prizes

Heinesen was the first Faroese recipient of the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1965 ; the second was the poet Rói Patursson in 1986. In 1958 the Faroese Prize for Literature is awarded. Jens Pauli Heinesen received it four times.

See also

Representative

  • Malan Marnersdottír: Faroese literature . In: Scandinavian literary history . Edited by Jürg Glauser. Metzler Stuttgart / Weimar 2006, pp. 390–408.

Secondary literature

  • Oskar Bandle : Modern Faroese Literature. Attempt to determine your position. In: Scandinavistik 12 (1982), pp. 81–111. - Revision: Modern Faroese Literature. A paradigmatic development. In: Studia Scandinavica 8 (1985), pp. 9-29.
  • Wilhelm Friese : Nordic literatures in the 20th century (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 389). Kröner, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-520-38901-0 . For Faroese literature, pages 134-138.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lokka Táttur, in: Kindlers Neues Literatur-Lexikon, Vol. 19, Munich 1988, p. 48.