Johann Szimits

Johann Szimits

Johann Szimits (* July 5, 1852 in Bogarosch , Austrian Empire ; † March 26, 1910 in Mödling near Vienna ) was the founder of the Banat Swabian dialect poetry .

Life

Johann Szimits was born in Bogarosch on July 5, 1852 as the son of immigrant Serbs of the Orthodox faith. Here he also attended school. Szimits was a self-taught and avid reader. In 1870, after the death of their grandfather, who lived in Utvin , the Szimits moved to Bogarosch to manage their inherited agricultural property.

The parents set up a small grocer for their 18-year-old son Johann. In this shop, Johann Szimits used every free minute for further training; he read every book he could get hold of. In 1873, the now 21-year-old had to take up military service. After completing his service time, he decided to remain in the army as a long-term sergeant.

On February 17, 1879, at the age of 27, the poet married Elisabethlese from Teremi (German Albrechtsflor ). Szimits dedicated his first poem to his bride. He wrote his second poem on the birth of his daughter. It was the beginning of his literary work.

Szimits served from 1893 as a minor civil servant in the Viennese collegiate barracks and then in Mödling . Since the age of 21 Szimits lived in big cities like Temesvár (Timișoara) and Vienna . However, he preferred life in the Swabian village of the Banat Heath, and his poetry was also rooted in the reality of the Banat Swabian village. No opportunity to visit Bogarosch was missed, he also enjoyed meeting fellow countrymen in Timișoara and Vienna. In this context, the Szimits daughter Serena Maria, who lived in Becicherecu Mic in 1969 , referred to the six-week annual vacation that her father, who was then a civil servant in Vienna, preferred to spend in the Banat.

Johann Szimits is the founder of the Banat Swabian dialect poetry. The entire literary work of Johann Szimits revolved around a central theme - country life: work in the fields, in vineyards, manners and customs over the course of the seasons. As a close observer and critical contemporary, the poet did not mince his words when it came to exposing the strengths and weaknesses of his fellow men. With a lot of humor and heart, Johann Szimits created a linguistic monument for himself and his Swabians, their working methods, customs and manners, without losing sight of the peoples who settled with them, their peculiarities and manners.

One day after a stroke, Johann Szimits died unexpectedly on March 26, 1910 in Mödling. He was buried in the Mödlinger Friedhof.

Works

• De Schwob. Humorous poems in Banat-Swabian vernacular . Temesvár, 1888
• Pipatsche and field flower from dr Heed , Editura Kartjé, Temesvár, 1908
• Flower vun dr Heed and sunscht all sorts of delicious things Selection and epilogue Franz Heinz, Editura Kriterion, Bucharest, 1973
• Pipatsche un Feldblume by dr Heed annotated edition of the Banat Swabian folk song collection by Johann Szimits from 1908 / Gottfried habenicht, Johannes Künzig Institute for East German Folklore, Freiburg, 1997

literature

• Swabian Association for Vienna, Austria and Burgenland: memorial by Johann Szimits (1852-1910) , Vienna, 1963
• Nikolaus Britz : Johann Szimits: The "Lerche der Banater Heide" to commemorate , Vienna, 1963
• Johannes Künzig Institute for East German Folklore , Gottfried habenicht: Pipatsche un Feldblume by dr Heed: annotated edition of the Banat Swabian folk song collection of Johann Szimits from 1908 , 1997, ISBN 3-931905-38-1
• Eveline Hâncu: Johann Szimits and the beginnings of the Banat German dialect poetry . In: Roxana Nubert Temeswarer Contributions to German Studies, Vol. 5, Timișoara: Mirton, pp. 119–131, 2006
• Hans Dama : Multicultural aspects in the Banat literature using the example of Adam Müller-Guttenbrunn and Johann Szimits în "National Past Understanding Present European Future , Volume 4, 2004, ISBN 3-902272-03-1
• Nikolaus Berwanger : Johann Szimits, the founder of Swabian literature in the Banat , television documentary
• Gottfried habenicht : Pipatsche and field flower from dr Heed. Annotated edition of the Banat Swabian folk song collection of Johann Szimits from 1908 , Johannes Künzig Institute for East German Folklore, Freiburg, 1997, ISBN 3-931905-38-1
• Neuer Weg , Franz Heinz : At home near Szimits , February 15, 1969

Web links

• bogarosch.eu , HOG Bogarosch
• banaterheide.de , Banaterheide

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Heimatortsgemeinschaft Bogarosch, personalities  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.