Handrij Zejler

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Handrij Zejler
H. Zejler monument in Salzenforst

Handrij Zejler (German Andreas Seiler ; born February 1, 1804 in Salzenforst near Budissin , † October 15, 1872 in Lohsa ) is considered the founder of modern Sorbian poetry .

Born in the village of Salzenforst (today part of Bautzen), the son of a poor housekeeper was shaped by his teachers at the Bautzen high school in the spirit of humanism and was enthusiastic about Slavic romanticism from an early age. He studied theology in Leipzig and became a member of the Lausitzer Preacher Society , which had dedicated itself to preaching in Wendish-Sorbian since 1716. In Leipzig he also got to know the Serbian poet and founder of New Serbian literature Sima Milutinović , who at times supported him materially. During this time he wrote numerous poems, which later became real folk songs. "Lubka lilija" (Dearest Lily) is particularly well known. Occasionally he wrote poems in German, other of his works were, for example, retouched in German by Jurij Brězan .

Zejler was not only important as a poet. He published various Sorbian newspapers and a Sorbian grammar ("Concise grammar of the Sorbian-Wendish language according to the Budissin dialects") and in 1847 co-founded the Sorbian scientific society Maćica Serbska . Many Sorbs see him as the founder of their national rebirth.

In his poems (“Against the Opponents of Progress”) he turns against the old, encrusted rulers by comparing them with nature.

Individual evidence

  1. Mićo Cvijetić: Serbsko-serbiska literarna a kulturna wzajomnosć. In: Rozhlad 2001.

Web links

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