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Martin Opitz
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{{Short description|German poet (1597–1639)}} {{infobox person/Wikidata|fetchwikidata=ALL|movement=[[Baroque]]}} '''Martin Opitz von Boberfeld''' (23 December 1597 – 20 August 1639) was a German [[poet]], regarded as the greatest of that nation during his lifetime. ==Biography== [[File:Opitz, Martin – Weltliche und geistliche Dichtung, 1888 – BEIC 3279391.jpg|thumb|''Weltliche und geistliche Dichtung'' (1888)]] [[File:House in Wittenberg commemorating the stay of Martin Opitz in 1625.jpg|thumb|House in Wittenberg commemorating the stay of Martin Opitz in 1625]] Opitz was born in [[Bolesławiec|Bunzlau (Bolesławiec)]] in [[Lower Silesia]], in the [[Duchy of Jawor|Principality of Schweidnitz-Jauer]], the son of a prosperous citizen. He received his early education at the gymnasium of his native town, of which his uncle was rector, and in 1617 attended the high school—"Schönaichianum"—at [[Bytom Odrzański|Beuthen an der Oder]] (Bytom Odrzański), where he made a special study of [[French language|French]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and [[Italian language|Italian]] [[poetry]]. In 1618 he entered the [[Viadrina European University|University of Frankfurt-on-Oder]] as a student of ''literae humaniores'', and in the same year published his first essay, ''[[Aristarchus of Samothrace|Aristarchus]], sive De contemptu linguae Teutonicae'',<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Opitz von Boberfeld, Martin |volume=20 |page=129 |inline=1}}</ref> which presented the [[German language]] as suitable for poetry. In 1619 Opitz went to [[Heidelberg]], where he became the leader of the school of young poets which at that time made that [[University of Heidelberg|university town]] remarkable. Visiting [[Leiden]] in the following year he sat at the feet of the famous [[Netherlands|Dutch]] lyric poet [[Daniel Heinsius]] (1580–1655), whose ''Lobgesang Jesu Christi'' and ''Lobgesang Bacchi'' he had already translated into [[alexandrine]]s. At the invitation of [[Gabriel Bethlen]], the lord of [[Transylvania]], he spent a year (1622) as professor of [[philosophy]] at the gymnasium of [[Alba Iulia|Weißenburg (Alba Iulia)]]. After this he led a wandering life in the service of various territorial nobles.<ref name=EB1911/> In 1624 Opitz was appointed councilor to Duke George Rudolf of [[Legnica|Liegnitz (Legnica)]] and [[Brzeg|Brieg (Brzeg)]] in [[Silesia]], and in 1625, as reward for a requiem poem composed on the death of Archduke Charles of Austria, was crowned [[poet laureate]] by Emperor [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]], who a few years later ennobled him under the title "von Boberfeld." He was elected a member of the [[Fruitbearing Society]] in 1629, and in 1630 he went to [[Paris]], where he made the acquaintance of [[Hugo Grotius]]. He settled in 1635 in the [[Hanseatic League|Hanseatic]] city of [[Gdańsk|Danzig (Gdańsk)]] in the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]], where King [[Władysław IV Vasa]] of [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Poland]] made him his historiographer and secretary. There he died of the [[Bubonic plague|plague]] on 20 August 1639 in Danzig.<ref name=EB1911/> Opitz was the head of the so-called First Silesian School of poets, and was during his life regarded as the greatest German poet. Although he would not today be considered a poetical genius, he may justly claim to have been the "father of German poetry" in respect at least of its form; his ''Buch von der deutschen Poeterey'' (1624) put an end to the hybridism that had until then prevailed, and established rules for the "purity" of language, style, verse and [[rhyme]].<ref name=EB1911/> Opitz's own poems are in accordance with the rigorous rules which he laid down. They are mostly a formal and sober elaboration of carefully considered themes, and contain little beauty and less feeling. To this didactic and descriptive category belong his best poems, ''Trost-Gedichte in Widerwärtigkeit des Krieges'' (written 1621, but not published until 1633); ''Zlatna'', ''oder von der Ruhe des Gemüths'' (1622); ''Lob des Feldlebens'' (1623); ''Vielgut, oder vom wahren Glück'' (1629), and ''Vesuvius'' (1633). These contain some vivid poetical descriptions, but are in the main treatises in poetical form.<ref name=EB1911/> In 1624 Opitz published a collected edition of his poetry under the title ''Acht Bücher deutscher Poematum'' (though, owing to a mistake on the part of the printer, there are only five books); his ''[[Dafne (Opitz-Schütz)|Dafne]]'' (1627), to which [[Heinrich Schütz]] composed the music, is the earliest German [[opera]].<ref name=EB1911/> In 1637 (printed at Danzig in 1638) he dedicated the ''Geistliche Poemata'' (Religious Poems) to the Duchess of Silesia ''Der Durchlauchtigen Hochgebornen Fürstin und Frawen/ Frawen Sibyllen Margarethen, gebornen Hertzogin in Schlesien/ zur Lignitz und Briegk: Vermähleten deß Heiligen Röm. Reichs Gräffin von Dönhoff... Dantzig/den6.Tag deß intermonats/im 1637. Jahr.'' Sibylle Margarethe was the daughter of [[Dorothea of Brandenburg]] and the wife of [[Gerhard Dönhoff]], brother of [[Ernst Magnus Dönhoff]] and [[Kasper Dönhoff]]. In 1625 he lived in [[Wittenberg]] in [[Saxony]].<ref>Plaque in Wittenberg</ref> Besides numerous translations, Opitz edited (1639) ''[[Annolied|Das Annolied]]'', a [[Middle High German]] poem of the end of the 11th century, and thus preserved it from oblivion<ref name=EB1911/> since the original manuscript is now lost. Opitz also wrote a pastoral novel, ''Schäferei der Nymphe Hercinie'' (The Idyll of the Nymph Hercinie, 1630). Opitz died in Danzig on 20 August 1639. == References == {{Reflist}} * Martin Opitz, ''An den Durchlauchten, Hochgebornen Fürsten und Herren, Herren Uldrichen, Postulirten Administratorn desz Stiffts Schwerin, Erben zu Norwegen, Hertzog zu Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn undt der Ditmarschen, ... Lobgetichte'' (praising poems in honour of [[Ulrik of Denmark (1611–1633)|Duke Ulrik]]), Brieg: Gründer, 1633. * Martin Opitz, "Geistliche Poemata 1638", in: Erich Trunz ''Barock'', Max Niemeyer Verlag [[Tübingen]] 1966 ==External links== * {{Gutenberg author | id=37243| name=Martin Opitz}} * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Martin Opitz}} * {{Librivox author |id=11052}} * [http://emlo-portal.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/collections/?catalogue=martin-opitz The Correspondence of Martin Opitz] in [http://emlo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/home EMLO] * {{Cite book|publisher=F. A. Brockhaus|last= Opitz|first= Martin|title= Ausgewählte dichtungen von Martin Opitz |place= Leipzig|year= 1869|url= https://gutenberg.beic.it/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=2836182}} * {{Cite book|publisher=W. Spemann|last= Opitz|first= Martin|title= Weltliche und geistliche Dichtung |place= Berlin und Stuttgart|year= 1888|url= https://gutenberg.beic.it/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=3279391}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Opitz, Martin}} [[Category:1597 births]] [[Category:1639 deaths]] [[Category:People from Bolesławiec]] [[Category:17th-century German poets]] [[Category:German Lutheran hymnwriters]] [[Category:European University Viadrina alumni]] [[Category:Heidelberg University alumni]] [[Category:17th-century deaths from plague (disease)]] [[Category:German male non-fiction writers]] [[Category:German male poets]] [[Category:17th-century German translators]] [[Category:Baroque writers]] [[Category:People from the Habsburg monarchy]]
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