North Frisian literature
The North Frisian literature as literature in North Frisian has produced a remarkable number and variety of plants in relation to the initial situation of the language and the number of speakers. North Frisian has ten dialects, some of which are barely understandable among each other, which for a long time only came into contact with one another because of the geographical conditions. There was never a cultural center in North Friesland that could have unified the language or literature. Because of this fragmentation, literary products have only a very limited range even within the North Frisian language group, which is almost exclusively limited to a single dialect area. Therefore, in principle, one can speak of several North Frisian literatures . In North Friesland, for example, literatures with their own focus and traditions have developed on the island of Sylt, on the island of Helgoland, on Föhr and Amrum as well as on the mainland - in different forms.
Situation until 1800
North Frisian literature has essentially only emerged since the beginning of the 19th century. At this time the North Frisian language area was already on the ten major dialects in the islands Helgoland , Sylt , Fohr and Amrum and to the islets and Harden north of Husum , so in the two Goes Harden , who Karrharde which Bökingharde and Wiedingharde reduced . From the time before 1800 there are only a few written records of North Frisian, Old North Frisian texts are completely missing. A few folk songs, fairy tales and legends have been passed down orally, but a relatively large number of sayings and rhymes.
Probably the oldest surviving testimony is the ballad A Bai a Redder ( something like "A knight danced") in the old Föhr language , probably from the 15th century, the author of which is unknown. The ballad is interspersed with numerous archaic expressions, some of which can no longer be translated satisfactorily today. The song has come down to us in different versions and was only published in the 19th century. It resembles Danish folk ballads and shows the strong integration of North Friesland into the Scandinavian cultural area.
What is striking among the early texts is a predominance of the traditions in the dialect of the island of Strand, which was destroyed by the Burchardi flood in 1634 . There is a mocking song from the 16th century , Nordstrander Liet from Hans Tadesen's mutton theft , and a Strander catechism from around 1600 , which is also available in Ostföhrer language. The authors or translators of both texts are no longer known today. The two songs Yn Miren-Söngh and Yn Een-Söngh ("A Morning Song " and "An Evening Song "), which were written down in 1662 by the Strander pastor and chronicler Anton Heimreich, date back to the time after the Burchardi flood . This suggests that numerous other texts were lost due to the sinking of the wealthy island.
In the 17th century the tradition finally increased somewhat. There are mainly spiritual texts such as a translation of the Our Father in Föhrer or Amrumer Frisian, Di Tahierer Jesu ("The Listener of Jesus") by Boy Jacobsen in Nordergoesharder Frisian (1745), a dialogue about David's penance by Lorenz Lorenzen in Hallig Frisian ( 1749) and others. In addition, some occasional poems have been preserved, e.g. B. poems of homage to the Danish monarch in the Bökinghard Frisian and a wedding poem. Student registry entries in the North Frisian language have also survived, for example the Langenhorn Alexandriner by Harro Harring (1776).
It is noticeable that there are no literary documents in the Sylter Frisian language before 1800. Later, however, Sylt would often take on the pioneering role in literary development.
The generally thin tradition can be explained to a large extent by the fact that Frisian was primarily a language of private life since the Middle Ages. Low German was initially used as the language of business, documents and church, and later High German - i.e. the respective umbrella language . Frisian was the variety used mainly orally and was unusual in written form. This also counteracted the development of a uniform orthography . This was not developed until later and has not yet been fully implemented.
After 1800
With the Geitzhals of Sylter Jap Peter Hansen, which was first printed in Flensburg in 1809 , modern North Frisian literature finally began surprisingly early. As early as the 19th century, the speakers of North Frisian felt that their language was threatened and that it was losing ground to Danish , Low German and German. A sense of responsibility for the respective local dialect may be an explanation for the disproportionately lively writing activity. Poetry as well as prose, plays, songs and sacred literature produced the numerically few and hardly literate North Frisians in their native language.
The creation of a separate Frisian national myth by Christian Peter Hansen in 1858 is as extraordinary as the early translation of the New Testament by Peter Michael Clemens (1870). After enlightenment and (national) romantic phases, North Frisian literature reached its peak in the 1920s as part of the Heimat movement . The Frisian language was officially promoted at this time in order to consolidate the predominantly "German sentiment" of the North Frisians after the referendum in Schleswig . The very productive Sylt poet Jens Emil Mungard as well as the Föhrer Lorenz Conrad Peters and the Bökingharder Nis Albrecht Johannsen the Younger stand for this zenith of North Frisian literature . Overall, literature is shaped by the confrontation with the homeland, but hardly lapses into a pronounced fluctuating character, as we know it from the numerous Low German "Döntjes".
During the time of National Socialism , literary activity in the North Frisian language largely came to a standstill. Even if the North Frisians in the German-Danish conflict had previously been predominantly German and only to a lesser extent Danish, they quickly realized that they had nothing to expect from the National Socialists. The North Frisian authors didn’t go along with the turn to “ blood and soil ” literature in local poetry and mostly withdrew into private life after their clubs were brought into line. Mungard even ran open opposition and died in a concentration camp.
In the post-war period, literary productivity in the North Frisian language declined compared to the 1920s, but never dried up. It was not until 1970 that literature found its way again, when the zeitgeist was once again positive about regional and minority languages. There were even pronounced modernization efforts. From the work of a North Frisian student group at the University of Kiel , the ambitious North Frisian poetry collection friisk fees ("Frisian verses") emerged in 1976 , which contains modern poetry in various dialects. As part of a writing competition in 1989/90, the story Jonk Bradlep ("Dark Wedding") by the Föhrer author Ellin Nickelsen was created, which is considered to be an outstanding work of more recent North Frisian prose.
Todays situation
The North Frisians, who still speak their ancestral language, are now trying to maintain a living literature, as this is seen as a decisive factor for the survival of North Frisian in the 21st century. Since the publication of books is very seldom economically viable due to its limited reach, publications are often supported by the state - the promotion of the Frisian ethnic group has been anchored in law since 1990, this includes language promotion in particular. The book remains the most important medium, only a few works have appeared on CD or cassette. The two large Frisian associations - the North Frisian Association and the Friisk Foriining - and in particular the Nordfriisk Instituut often act as editors and publishers .
Author types
There are often striking parallels between the biographies of the North Frisian authors. This is how a large part of the North Frisian writings originate outside of North Frisia. The foreign as a formative experience can probably already be found in Hansens Geitzhals , who found his origin on sea voyages, extends through the productive phase of the Heligoland language community after the evacuation of the island and so far ends with the Föhr writer Ellin Nickelsen, who wrote her award-winning story Jonk Bradlep in India thought up.
In addition, many North Frisian writers are pastors, teachers or otherwise belong to the educated middle class. This “tradition” also begins with Jap Peter Hansen, who started teaching after his seafaring years. For many authors, writing is also clearly intended as a contribution to language maintenance and language retention. This is especially true for all those who scientifically deal with North Frisian and also produce literature. Examples are Christian Johannsen, who wrote a work on the Amrum dialect, and Bende Bendsen, who published a standard work on the Mooringer dialect. Otto Bremer also fits into this series , although as a foreign linguist he campaigns for Föhr Frisian and has published books in this dialect.
There are also parallel developments in the early 20th century. The most influential authors in the German-Danish border conflict were usually more (Lorenz Conrad Peters) or less (Albrecht Johannsen) fanatically German-minded and were involved in the North Frisian Association for Local Studies and Homeland Love . After the experience of National Socialism, this attitude was often put into perspective. At this time, more and more North Frisian women became active as a writer, especially unmarried and independent.
Overview by dialect area
Sylt
The Sylter Frisian literature is considered to be the best developed and most extensive of the North Frisian literatures. Even if no Sylt-Frisian literary testimony from the time before 1800 has survived, the Sylt poets were often in the pioneering role in modern literature. It is assumed that this was favored by the early onset of tourism on the island and the associated threat to the language, which sensitized the people of Sylt to their identity and language.
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Modern North Frisian literature begins with the comedy Di Söl'ring Pir'rersdei ("The Sylter Petritag") by the seaman Jap Peter Hansen (1767–1855). It appeared for the first time in 1809 and went through three further editions, in which it received German titles such as Der Geitzhals or Silter Petritag or Der Geitzhals on the island of Silt . Hansen apparently came into contact with European literature on his journeys, because the piece is evidently influenced by Molière and Holberg .
Jap Peter Hansen also wrote the only longer novel ever written in North Frisian. Di lekkelk Stjüürman ("The happy helmsman") appeared in 1833 as a sequel to Geitzhals . Hansen also wrote some poems and songs.
His son, the teacher Christian Peter Hansen (1803–1879), was best known as a chronicler of Sylt and through his German publications, with which he decisively shaped the image of the "Frisian" in Germany. His work Uald 'Söld'ring Tialen (“Old Sylt Stories”) is particularly important for Frisian literature . Hansen had made use of the Sylt treasure trove for this, but edited these stories very heavily, reinterpreted them and enriched them with self-thought. So he wanted to create a Frisian national myth. However, his stories often have little in common with the traditional material. The modern Biikebrennen also goes back to Hansen. A well-known ballad by Hansen is Di Brirfiarhooger ("The Bridal Hill ").
The translation of the New Testament and the Psalms by Peter Michael Clemens (1804–1870), which he supposedly completed a few days before his death, is of particular importance . However, the work remained undiscovered for a long time and was never printed. In 2006, Johann Frank's Di fjuur Evangelien (“The Four Gospels”) was a new translation of the Gospel texts in the Sylther Frisian language.
Sylt writers were extremely productive in the first half of the 20th century. The carpenter Erich Johannsen (1862–1936) left behind a rich work of theater plays that have been staged again and again to this day. Most of the pieces, however, have not been published. His best known comedy is Di Friier fan Muasem ("The suitor of Morsum"). Max Bossen (1888–1956), who was also a carpenter, wrote other comedies.
The Hamburg teacher Boy Peter Möller published a Sylter-Frisian reading book ( Söl'ring Leesbok ) with poetry and prose by various authors in 1909 . Well-known poets of the time were, for example, the businessman Andreas Huebbe ( Di Önergang fan Söl , German: "The downfall of Sylt") and the publisher Christian Peter Christiansen, who wrote the Sylt hymn Üüs Sölring Lön ("Our Sylt").
The farmer Jens Emil Mungard from Keitum was of outstanding importance for the people of Sylt and also for all of North Frisian literature . As a difficult character with no sense of economic activity, he had to leave Sylt early and is still controversial among his compatriots. Even under the National Socialists he was unadjusted and paid for it with his life in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1940 . He wrote about 800 poems, plus a little prose and plays. His most famous work is the poem Di Hiir es Brir ” (“ The heather is in bloom ”).
From 1926 to 1970 the newspaper supplement Fuar Söl'ring Lir ("For Sylter"), edited by Hermann Schmidt, appeared , in which many works were published in the Sylter Frisian language, including a large part of Mungard's work.
Föhr and Amrum
The Föhrer and Amrumer Frisian form a common dialect, due to their geographically separated location, the literatures developed largely independently of one another and are therefore treated separately.
Amrum
The most famous Amrum poet of the 19th century was the teacher Christian Johansen (1820–1871), who also dealt scientifically with Frisian and also dealt a lot with Amrum customs and history.
Three stories by Johansen are important for Amrum literature. The story Hü't tuging, diär a nei Liär üüb Aamram came from the year 1849 (“How it happened that the new teaching came to Amrum”), in which fictional events around the introduction of the Reformation on the island are described. The folk didactic story Arammud an Dögganhaid bi-rköödar, or: Poverty and virtue (“Poverty and virtue together”) from 1855 is about the last days of an old sailor's wife and the poor conditions on Amrum. In the stories of the old broom maker Jens Drefsen from 1862, Johannsen finally processed numerous folk tales . He also translates some works from German, including parts from Faust . There are also some poems from Johansen's pen, the best known is Wos an Puask ("Spring and Easter").
The Amrum pastor and linguist Lorenz Friedrich Mechlenburg (1799–1875) recorded some Amrum fairy tales and wrote several poems. Some of Amrum's stories appeared in the second half of the 19th century in the publications of the Germanist Otto Bremer, in 1925 in Ferreng = ömreng Lesbuck ("Föhr-Amrumer reading book") and in 1957 in the reading book Mamenspriik ("mother tongue").
Only a few poems have survived from the lighthouse keeper Arthur Kruse (1893–1968), who are considered very talented, such as Nuurdlacht ("Northern Lights"). Thea Andresen (* 1916) and her daughter Annegret Lutz (* 1945) wrote some plays on Öömrang. While Thea Andresen wrote more comedies that set in Amrum's past, Annegret Lutz's plays are set in the present.
Foehr
The German Germanist Otto Bremer is of central importance for the Föhr literature of the 19th century. Although he hardly wrote himself, he collected and edited many texts. His goal was that the Frisians could read their own language. For example, the poems of the seaman Simon Reinhard Bohn (1834–1879) were published by Bremer. 17 poems by Bohn have survived; best known is probably the political-satirical poem Di Gülbück. (To fable.) ("The Wagtail").
The stories of the dyer Arfst Arfsten (1812–1899) from Nieblum , which mostly deal with Föhrer folk life, were also published by Bremer . Arfsten also wrote in Low German . Föhrer prose also appeared in 1925 in Ferreng = ömreng Lesbuck ("Föhr-Amrumer reading book") and in 1957 in Mamenspriik ("mother tongue").
The most famous Föhr poet of the 20th century was the teacher Lorenz Conrad Peters (1885–1949), known as "Lonje". His main work is the comedy Oome Peetje ütj America ("Uncle Peter from America") from 1925, which addresses inflation and the Föhr emigration to America. He wrote other plays and numerous songs that are still very popular on Föhr today, for example Loonslidj, huuch a harsh (“compatriots, high your hearts”). Stine Andresen (1849–1927) was also known as a High German poet, but she also wrote Frisian poems.
Modern Föhrer poetry emerged from a group of Kiel students influenced by the 68s , for example by Volkert Faltings, and appeared in the North Frisian anthology friisk fees ("Frisian Verse") from 1976. The formative prose work of North Frisian modernism was created in the 1980s by Foehrerin Ellin Nickelsen with Jonk Bradlep ("Dark Wedding").
Heligoland
The best- known Helgoland writer is James Krüss (1926–1997), who was particularly known as a German children's book author, but also wrote prose and poems in his Helgoland native language . During the evacuation period from 1948 to 1955, Krüss published a newsletter for the Heligoland in which many Frisian texts were published, together with his fellow countryman James Packross.
But even in the 19th century, Helgoland was used to write. The poets Hans Frank Heikens (1780–1862), Albrecht Groneweg and Heinrich Claasen (1842–1917) are of particular importance. The latter wrote the well-known poem Letj Foameler en letj Blömken ("Little Girls and Little Flowers"). There are also some practical texts from the 19th century.
In the 20th century, the aforementioned James Packross made a name for himself as a poet. In 1937, the popular reader Van Boppen en Bedeelen (“From Upper and Lower Country”) was finally published with contributions from various authors. Since 1974 numerous stories have been published in the magazine "Der Helgoländer".
Wiedingharde
The outstanding figure in Wiedinghard literature is the teacher Peter Jensen (1861–1939), who spent most of his life in Hamburg and also published a Wiedinghard dictionary . He wrote many stories that appeared as serial stories in daily newspapers, such as Di Broinsjitter ("The Arsonist") and Jü Taarterefummel ("The Gypsy Girl "). However, his socially critical issues and ambivalent characters did not always meet with approval. Jensen also wrote some poems.
The second well-known poet from Wiedinghard is Broder Clausen (1900–1962). He wrote some short stories and poems, such as the popular song Ik bän fuon e Wiringhiird ("I am from the Wiedingharde").
Bökingharde
The teacher Bende Bendsen (1887–1875) dealt mainly with Frisian linguistically and published a Mooringer linguistic theory. He also wrote some poems and ballads such as Üüs driimerai (“Our Dreaming”). He was followed by various poets such as Sönke Petersen (1833–1918) and Hans Andreas Carstensen (1852–1917).
The schoolmaster Nis Albrecht Johannsen the Elder (1855–1935) wrote many of the stories that were published as serial stories in North Frisian newspapers, especially between the wars . His stories painted a romantic and idyllic picture of the North Frisian homeland. The best- known works are Üt bai e Wäile (“Outside by the Wehle”) and Apätj en dilätj (“Up and down”).
The most productive and best-known writer from the Bökingharde is Johannsen's son Nis Albrecht Johannsen the Younger (1888–1967), usually just called Albrecht Johannsen. He mainly wrote poems that appeared in the Beerid Collection (“Harvest”) in 1956 . The North Frisian color song Gölj - rüdj - ween ("gold - red - blue") also comes from him .
The Bökingharde today has the most vital North Frisian dialect on the mainland and has therefore produced numerous other poets and authors of varying productivity. In recent times the teachers Ingwer Nommensen and Erk Petersen have to be mentioned. Nommensen wrote many plays, Petersen wrote mainly stories that he describes as "reconstructed folklore " and that represent an artificially created North Frisian legends. Petersen was also involved in the demanding all- North Frisian poetry anthology friisk fees ("Frisian verses") from 1976.
Karrharde
The sexton and schoolmaster Moritz Momme Nissen (1822–1902) from the Karrharde made a name for himself with the creation of a six-volume North Frisian dictionary for the North Frisian language. In the literary field, it is the collection of poems De freske Sjemstin (“The Frisian Mirror”), which he created based on Klaus Groth's Low German Quickborn . The successor Di Makker tu di freske Sjemstin ("The Comrade of the Frisian Mirror") remained unprinted. Nissen also wrote some plays and a collection of songs.
The epic Hengist is remarkable , in which Nissen attributed the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England to the Princes Hengist and Horsa to the Frisians and moved the starting point of the voyage of conquest to North Friesland. With the exception of Sjemstin , Nissen's works remained unprinted during his lifetime.
North goesharde
The merchant Boy Jacobsen (1697–1762), who lives in Göttingen , wrote Die Thahierer Jesu (“The Listener of Jesus”), a script based on New Testament content. In addition, Jacobsen translated an extensive conversation book, the so-called Weimar Conversations, and created two glossaries in Frisian. Thus, the Nordergoeshard dialect is the only North Frisian dialect with a relatively extensive tradition from the 18th century.
In the 1970s, many stories by the teacher Johannes Petersen (1909–1992) appeared in the Husumer Nachrichten . Petersen also wrote several songs.
The works of other poets from the Nordergoesharde were of a lesser extent. There is an unpublished songbook by the teacher Christian Brodersen (1864–1935), a Frisian-German-Danish collection of poems by the teacher Martin Lorenzen (1897–1963) and the well-known poem Hallieen ("Feierabend") by Pastor Peter Martinsen (1870–1942) .
Middle gatekeeper
Johannes Hansen (1854–1877) is considered the North Frisian romantic par excellence, who presented the stately collection of poems Freshe Daghte (“Frisian Thoughts”) at the age of 20 . This is all the more astonishing as there was no writing tradition in the Middle Goesharde and therefore no role models for him and he was nevertheless a very mature poet. He died of diphtheria at the age of only 23 . His poems were only published in West Friesland in 1960 .
The farmer Martin Paul Hansen (1856–1939) also wrote several popular poems and the teacher Peter Christian Grünberg (1901–1975) presented detailed descriptions of popular life, most of which, however, never appeared.
South goesharde
The teacher Lorenz Christian Hansen (1831-1913) wrote some poems; The most famous is Die Söpper (" The Drunkard ").
The Halligen
In Hallig Frisian there are mainly songs. The teacher Bandix Bonken (1839–1926) wrote some sacred songs. The Halli-Ledebök (“Hallig-Liederbuch”, 1925) and the Nai Hali-Leedeböök (“New Hallig-Liederbuch”, 1987) contain translations from other Frisian dialects.
See also
Secondary literature and sources
- Nils Århammar: The Syltringer literature. In: Margot and Nico Hansen (eds.): Sylt - history and shape of an island. Itzehoe 1967, pp. 220-230.
- Thomas Steensen : Two centuries of North Frisian literature - a brief review and outlook . In: Journal for cultural and educational sciences . University of Flensburg, No. 8, pp. 121–127, online ( Memento from June 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ).
- Ommo Wilts: The North Frisian Literature. In: Horst Haider Munske et al. (Hrsg.): Handbuch des Frisian . Niemeyer, Tübingen 2001, ISBN 3-484-73048-X , pp. 396-408.
Web links
- Friiske Böke - bibliographical overview of the Nordfriisk Instituut
Remarks
- ^ Thomas Steensen : Two Centuries of North Frisian Literature - A Brief Review and Outlook ( Memento from June 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ); accessed July 11, 2020.