Gian Fontana

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Gian Fontana (born November 16, 1897 in Fidaz , † November 30, 1935 in Flims ) was a Romansh writer and teacher. His works can usually be assigned to poetry or novella .

Life

origin

Fontana grew up in a Fidaz peasant family, as the son of Josef Fontana (1870–1938) and Margreta nee. Capaul (1870-1937). Like his father, Gian Fontana attended school in Flims. There was already teaching in German at that time, because the "community belongs to the traditional Romance area, but in the 19th century it failed to introduce the Romance elementary school". Fontana's parents' house stands below a meadow that bears the German field name «Brunner», on the way to Bargis .

Fidaz is a Romanized Walser settlement and was settled from 1325. Finds at the Simplizius Church testify to an early medieval settlement. In the Schnitzrodel from 1572, all Fidaz families have German names. Not until 1646 is the double spelling "Meister Jakob Funtauna or Brunner" found, then in 1668 also "Jon Fontauna, son of the master Zacharias Brunner". Fidaz was reromanized from the 17th century onwards, resulting in unique field names . Gian Fontana was baptized Hans, his brothers were named Zacharias and Jakob, like the likely relatives from the 17th century.

Family and work

In 1914, at the age of 17, he began the cantonal teachers' college in Chur , where he first received Romansh lessons from the teacher and priest Gion Cahannes (1872–1947) from Dardin , whom he valued . After graduating in 1917, he took over teaching at the Flims middle school, and later at the secondary school, where he taught until 1935.

In 1931 he married Annamaria geb. Lüscher, from Zurich, who worked in the “Sunnehüsli” children's home . Shortly afterwards they became the parents of Gaudenz and later Martin Fontana (also a writer and living in Flims). On the last day of November 1935, he died of pneumonia in Flims.

plant

Fontana first wrote in German, but from 1914 onwards some poems were also written in Romansh. The change took place in 1921, on Whit Monday Gian Fontana devoted all his attention to Romansh by writing a Credo in his diary. The change came late, given that Romansh was his mother tongue and he had grown up in what was actually a Romansh community. The newly founded Renania (Rhaeto-Romanic language association of the reformed Sutselva and Surselva) had launched the organs Calender per mintga gi as well as the Dun da Nadal and in December 1920 the newspaper La Casa Paterna and thus also a basis for Fontana's first publications enables.

In his works he kept old, almost forgotten words and named described villages after field names that were also threatening to disappear. His language also has a characteristic Flims coloring, deviations from Sursilvan , which are reminiscent of the spoken language.

reception

Fontana's poems are set to music by Tumasch Dolf , Corin Curschellas , Gion Antoni Derungs , Hans Erni (1867–1961), Hans Lavater (1885–1969), Giusep Maissen (1906–1963) and Giusep Tschuor (* 1940). Robert Grossmann (* 1953) wrote his two-act chamber opera Il president da Valdei based on a novella by Fontana.

A poem in his memory was published in 1936.

Oscar Peer wrote his dissertation on Fontana in 1958.

In Fidaz a memorial fountain commemorates Fontana, in the courtyard of Trun a plaque.

Awards

Works (selection)

  • Ediziun cumpleta. (Complete edition.) 3 vols. Ediziun dalla Uniun Romontscha Renana, Chur 1971.
  • Per l'honur. Novella. Fidaz 1992.
  • Sidonia Caplazi. Novella. Fidaz 1928/1934.
  • La casa-crap. Narrative. Fidaz 1928/1934.
  • La Punt Turnighel. Poetry.
  • Il hortulan. Novella.
  • La cuolpa. Novella. In: Annalas da la Societad Retorumantscha , Volume 51 (1937). Pp. 30-67, doi : 10.5169 / seals-207466 .
  • Carstgauns. Poems and sketches. In: Annalas da la Societad Retorumantscha , Vol. 42 (1928). Pp. 1-29. on-line
  • Co savein nus emprender romontsch . Presentation, 1934. In: Annalas da la Societad Retorumantscha , 57 (1943). Pp. 202-213, doi : 10.5169 / seals-212750 .
  • Con spert, ah con spert ei la stad a fin. Poem. In: Annalas da la Societad Retorumantscha , vol. 51 (1937). P. 305, doi : 10.5169 / seals-207480 .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Martin Bundi: On the situation of Romansh in Graubünden. ( Memento of the original from January 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Chur 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mirafilm.ch
  2. ^ Tumasch Dolf: Gian Fontana. In: Annalas da la Societad Retorumantscha , Volume 51 (1937). Pp. 20-29, doi : 10.5169 / seals-207465 (Romansh).
  3. ↑ George Thürers translation egg Tucca la Notg sil ... clutger . See the song writer Georg Thürer. In: Zytschrift for üsi Schwyzerische dialect. Vol. 25 (1963), H. 2. P. 38.
  4. ^ Reminiscenzas - memorial concert for the 100th birthday of Giusep Maissen.
  5. ↑ CD recording: Jecklin-Disco JS 297-2.
  6. ^ JL: In memoria da Gian Fontana. In: Annalas da la Societad Retorumantscha , Vol. 50 (1936). P. 273. online
  7. ↑ Du - die Zeitschrift der Kultur , Volume 68 (2008–2009), H. 792. S. 138. online
  8. ↑ Personalities on the website of the municipality of Flims, accessed on January 15, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Fontana, Gian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fontana, Hans
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss writer and teacher
DATE OF BIRTH November 16, 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH Fidaz
DATE OF DEATH November 30, 1935
Place of death Flims