Gottfried August Bürger – autor „Lenory”

Abstract

Monografia poświęcona jest życiu i twórczości niemieckiego poety okresu preromantyzmu Gottfrieda Augusta Bürgera (1747–1794), ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem genezy, sensu ideowego oraz recepcji jego najsłynniejszego dzieła – ballady „Lenora” (1773). Autor analizuje biografię poety, uwikłanego w dramatyczny konflikt między znienawidzoną pracą urzędniczą a dążeniem do wolności artystycznej, ukazując drogę do ukształtowania się nowożytnej ballady artystycznej (Kunstballade). Osobne rozdziały poświęcono polemice i krytyce Friedricha Schillera oraz bogatej obecności „Lenory” i motywów bürgerowskich w polskiej kulturze literackiej doby romantyzmu, w tym w twórczości młodzieńczej Adama Mickiewicza (zwłaszcza balladzie „Ucieczka”). Integralną część tomu stanowi obszerny aneks gromadzący najważniejsze polskie XIX- i XX-wieczne przekłady oraz parafrazy „Lenory”.

In former times the name G.A. Bürger (1747–1794) has been mentioned considered together with other important writers like Goethe and Schiller. Not only in Germany but also in Poland. Kazimierz Brodziński places Bürger even in front of Goethe and Schiller (O klasyczności i romantyczności tudzież o duchu poezji polskiej, 1818). Nowadays you can not say that Bürger´s work and life it is known to most readers. Anyway after a period of neglectance – you cannot ignore it – in the researches slowly the situation it is changing in favor of the author of Lenore – “The Queen of the Ballads”. Especially we talk about Germany itself but it has also arrived the time to present that exceptional poet to the polish readers (that also should include the philologists). The attention it is concentrated on several different themes: first of all it is the Curriculum Vitae of this exceptional but unhappy man. The reconstruction (Chapter Jeden niełatwy żywot) is divided into three important parts: early youth, that includes the time of studies in Halle and Göttingen, twelve years of professional activity as bailiff in Altengleichen and finally his scientific career as professor of philosophy at Georgia Augusta in Göttingen. In the center of presentation there is the insurmountable conflict between the hated professional duties and the artistical freedom that he longed for. In this case Bürger it is nearly a tragical example of two different types of life and efforts that cannot be brought into line. The start of his lessons at the university didn´t bring any variation in this case. The only fact that could be noticed it was the increasing poverty of the poet (as senior lecturer he did not receive a regular salary for his work). The following chapter talks about the rise, reception and interpretation of Lenore. Królowa ballad. Geneza, recepcja, przesłanie). Different examples show us how researchers and critics have interpreted the message of this Ballad (– but all of them in disagreement. One only can notice that most of the literature's experts exactly missed the idea of this masterpiece. This is valid for the majority of the German and German speaking literature's scientists. In Poland there are researchers, who time by time talk about it in conferences of Mickiewicz’s Ucieczka). They are totally in agreement that it is a matter of Christian ecclesiastical instructions and warnings which however have to be put in doubts. The present book tries to refute the naïve and superficial judgments and to reconstruct a point of view – far away from the wide-spread opinion. In the next chapter it is characterized shortly the complete creation of Bürger (Autor jednego dzieła?) and recalled the destructive review of Schiller with its disastrous consequences (Śmiertelny cios Schillera). An important part of the publication it is the chapter concerning the Polish reception of Lenore – especially during the époque of Romanticism (Lenora na polskich polach). Numerous translations and imitations show an enthusiastic acceptance of this Ballad in Poland. Furthermore – in a next chapter – (Mickiewicz i dyskretny urok Bürgera) it is investigated the influence that Lenore and other scripts of Bürger have had on the understanding of literature and the early works of Adam Mickiewicz. The volume it is completed by a republication of the most important translations of Lenore into the Polish Language – starting from the Romanticism till present time (Aneks).