Měrćin Nowak-Njechorński
Měrćin Nowak-Njechorński (German name from 1958 Martin Nowak-Neumann ; born June 13, 1900 in Nechern / Njechorń ; † July 6, 1990 ibid) was a Sorbian painter, graphic artist, publicist and writer.
Life
After attending primary school in Wurschen , he continued his education in correspondence courses in the field of painting. In 1919 he had his first sales exhibition in Görlitz , the financial result of which enabled him to study at the Leipzig State Academy for the Graphic Arts and Book Industry in 1920 . He studied from 1921 to 1923 at the Dresden Art Academy . There he became increasingly enthusiastic about the Sorbian folk culture , which was an incentive for him to study in Slavic countries. He also began to deal artistically with motifs from Slavic mythology .
He went to Prague in 1923 , where he studied with Max Švabinský , among others, until 1927 . In the years 1927–1929 he studied at the Art Academy in Warsaw . After his return to Bautzen , he worked as an editor for the Sorbian daily Serbske nowiny from 1929 . He was removed from this post in 1933 for political reasons. In the Second World War he was drafted into the Wehrmacht . After his return from American captivity, he worked from 1947 as editor-in-chief of the newspaper now renamed Nowa doba ("New Epoch"), and from 1950 to 1969 as the successor to Ota Wićaz as editor-in-chief of the Sorbian cultural magazine Rozhlad . After his retirement in 1969 he lived as a freelance painter and writer in his hometown of Nechern. His birthplace and home in Nechern was opened to the public as a museum in June 1999.
Names, pseudonyms, logo
Měrćin Nowak's official birth name was Martin Neumann . In 1958 he officially changed his German name to Martin Nowak-Neumann . He used his Sorbian and German surnames as double names. His Sorbian nickname Njechorński comes from the name of his place of residence Nechern (Sorb. Njechorń). He also used numerous pseudonyms . He used the linden leaf as a signet on his drawings. The linden tree is the symbol of the Sorbian people.
Honourings and prices
Měrćin Nowak-Njechorński was awarded twice with the Patriotic Order of Merit of the GDR, the National Prize of the GDR , the Ćišinski Prize , the Domowina Literature Prize and the Star of Friendship of Nations .
Fonts (selection)
- Po serbskich pućach . Bautzen 1936
- Zapiski bobaka . Bautzen 1952
- Serbski wšudźebył . Bautzen 1954
- Mišter Krabat . Bautzen 1954
literature
- Moler serbskeho luda . Bautzen 1959 (with texts by Měrćin Nowak-Njechorński and Alfred Schneider).
- Wubrane spisy, zwjazk 1 (pućowanske wobrazy). Bautzen 2000, ISBN 3-7420-1822-1 .
- Wubrane spisy, zwjatsk 2 (bajki). Bautzen 2000, ISBN 3-7420-1824-8 .
- Helmut Kaltšmit: Leksikon awtorow serbskich knihow 1945–1978 . Bautzen 1979.
- Martin Nowak-Neumann: A newspaper in the mother tongue . In: Institute for Marxism-Leninism at the Central Committee of the SED , Kulturbund der DDR (Ed.): … The beginning of a new era. Memories of the beginnings of our cultural revolution 1945–1949 . Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin / Weimar 1981, p. 341-352 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Měrćin Nowak-Njechorński in the catalog of the German National Library
- Dietrich Scholze: Martin Nowak-Neumann (1900–1990) . In: Institute for Saxon History and Folklore (Ed.): Saxon Biography .
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Nowak-Njechorński, Měrćin |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nowak-Neumann, Martin; Nowak, Měrćin; Neumann, Martin |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Sorbian painter, graphic artist, publicist and writer |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 13, 1900 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Nechers |
DATE OF DEATH | July 6, 1990 |
Place of death | Nechers |