Jacob van Maerlant

Jacob van Maerlant in a 14th century manuscript

19th century statue in Damme

Jacob van Maerlant (* approx. 1225 in Brugse Vrije , County of Flanders ; † approx. 1299) was a Flemish writer and translator.

Biographical

Maerlant took up residence in Damme , near his birthplace. About 1260 he came to Maerlant, where he began to write. He was back in Damme around 1270, where he is buried.

First he wrote in the tradition of the chivalric novels, in Damme Der naturen bloeme was created based on the model of De natura rerum by Thomas von Cantimpré . The naturen bloeme is considered the first nature encyclopedia in Dutch vernacular. The Spieghel historiael was an adaptation of the Latin Speculum historiale by Vinzenz von Beauvais .

In 1271 he completed the rhyme Bible ; for he previously worked on the Latin text of the Historia Scholastica by Petrus Comestor and incorporated historical explanations, remarks and commentaries into the rhymed Bible story.

Honors

Jan van Boendale from Antwerp called him the ancestor of all poets in Dutch. The Jacob van Maerlant Poëzieprijs , awarded since 2006, is named after Jacob von Maerlant .

Fonts

Beginning of The Heimelicheit der Heimelicheden - KB 76 E 5, folium 061v

The natural bloeme , KB KA 16

• Alexander's Geesten ("The Deeds of Alexander the Great", shortly before 1260)
• Historie van den Grale ("History of the Holy Grail", around 1261)
• Boec van Merline ("The Book of Merlin", around 1261)
• Roman van Torec ("Novel about the Knight Torec", around 1262)
• Lapidarys and Sompniarys (books on the magical powers of gemstones, between 1261 and 1264)
• Historie van Troyen ("The History of Troy", around 1264)
• Heimelijcheit der Heimelijcheden ("The most secret of all secrets", around 1266)
• The natural bloeme (around 1270)
• Historia Scolastica or Rijmbijbel (until 1271)
• Sinte Franciscus Leven ("The Life of St. Francis", around 1275)
• Spieghel historiael (around 1285)

literature

• Ingrid E. Biesheuvel, Nigel F. Palmer: Jacob van Maerlant. In: Kurt Ruh, Gundolf Keil , Werner Schröder, Burghart Wachinger, Franz Josef Worstbrock (eds.): Author's Lexicon - The German Literature of the Middle Ages Volume 11, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2004, ISBN 978-3-11-090829- 9 , pp. 749–755 ( fee-based author database at de Gruyter ).
• Ernst Martin:  Maerlant, Jacob van . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 20, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1884, pp. 41-46.
• Traude-Marie Nischik: The vernacular nature book in the late Middle Ages. Expertise and thing interpretation with Jacob van Maerlant and Konrad von Megenberg. (= Hermaea. German Research , New Series, 48). Max Niemeyer, Tübingen 1986, ISBN 3-484-15048-3 ( fee required from De Gruyter Online).
• Frits van Oostrom : Jacob van Maerlant: een herwaardering. In: Literatuur 2, 4 (1985), pp. 190-197. ( Full text )
• Frits van Oostrom: Jacob van Maerlant, toen en nu. In: Vlaanderen 42, 247 (1993), pp. 234-240. ( Full text )
• Frits van Oostrom: Maerlants wereld. Uitgeverij Prometheus, Amsterdam 1996, ISBN 90-5333-442-4 .

Web links

Commons : Jacob van Maerlant  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Literature database of the Regesta Imperii
• Jacob van Maerlant in the complete catalog of incunabulae (GW number JACOMAE)
• Entry on Jacob van Maerlant on literatuurgeschiedenis.nl (Dutch)
• Catalog of works, digital copies and Dutch research literature at the Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (Dutch)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mariusz Krajcarz: Elderly Dutch and Polish translations of the Bible . In: Poznańskie Studia Polonistyczne. Seria językoznaczna. Volume 20, Issue 1. 2013. P. 96 ( PDF )