Dániel Berzsenyi facts for kids
Dániel Berzsenyi (born May 7, 1776, in Hetye – died February 24, 1836, in Nikla) was an important Hungarian poet.
Berzsenyi was a very interesting poet in Hungarian literature. He lived the life of a farmer. At the same time, he really wanted to be involved in the world of books and writing. This mix of desires made him a bit lonely and thoughtful. His poems show different styles, including classicism (like ancient Greek and Roman art), sentimentalism (focusing on feelings), and romanticism (focusing on nature and emotions).
His Life Story
Berzsenyi was the only child in an old noble family. His father had a law degree. However, he preferred to work on his farm instead of being a lawyer. Berzsenyi's father believed his son was weak. He thought Dániel needed to get strong by working on the farm first. He also felt that children should only start learning after they turned ten.
In the autumn of 1788, when he was 12, Berzsenyi started school. He went to the evangelical lyceum in Sopron. He stayed there for seven years, but he often took breaks. Because he was older than most students, it was hard for him to follow school rules. He often missed his classes. In 1793, he left Sopron without finishing his studies. He joined the army but only stayed for less than a year.
Even though he didn't finish school, his time in Sopron was very important. He read many books there. He learned a lot about the main subjects of his time. He also became very good at Latin and German. His writings show that he knew a lot about Roman mythology. He admired the Roman poet Horace very much.
Berzsenyi's father was not happy with his behavior in Sopron. Their relationship became worse. Because of their arguments, Dániel did not go home from Sopron. Instead, he traveled to Nikla to stay with his uncle. He did return to his father for a few years. But the situation got even worse when his mother died in 1794. She had helped keep peace between them.
Becoming a Poet
To get away from his father, Berzsenyi married Zsuzsanna Dukai Takács. She was 14 years old and from a rich noble family. They settled on her farm near Sömjén. Berzsenyi became a very successful farmer. In 1804, they moved to Nikla, in Somogy county. On the outside, he seemed happy with his farming life. But his poems show that he was not fully satisfied. He was proud of his farm work. However, he missed having people to talk to about literature or science.
Berzsenyi started writing poems when he was twenty (in 1796). But he kept them a secret from his friends and family. In 1803, János Kis found him writing. Kis was an evangelic church leader and the godfather of one of Berzsenyi's children. Kis realized Berzsenyi was a talented poet. He sent three of Berzsenyi's poems to Ferenc Kazinczy. Kazinczy was very excited about them. These poems were "A magyarokhoz" (To the Hungarians), "Nagy Lajos és Hunyadi Mátyás" (Louis the Great and Mathias of Hunyad), and "A reggel" (The dawn).
In 1808, Berzsenyi sent János Kis a whole book of 77 poems. He did not date the poems, so we don't know exactly when he wrote each one. Kis sent the poems to Ferenc Kazinczy to help get them published. Kazinczy read them and sent Berzsenyi a very excited letter. Berzsenyi wrote back, and they started a long exchange of letters.
Berzsenyi rarely left Nikla. He did not like to be away from home. He only visited Pest twice. The first time was in March 1810, and the second was in May 1813. During his first visit, he met Kazinczy's poet friends. These included Pál Szemere, Ferenc Kölcsey, Michaly Vitkovics, and István Horvát. They all liked each other. In 1812, he spent a week in Vienna. While there, he had his picture painted for the cover of his book.
Focus on Science
After 1810, Berzsenyi wrote fewer poems. This might have been because of his farm work and family arguments. His loneliness, sad moods, and changing health made him feel very weak. From 1816 onwards, he had health problems almost every year. During this difficult time, he read a harsh review by Kölcsey. The review was published in July 1817 in a magazine called Tudományos Gyűjtemény (Scientific Collection). Berzsenyi felt the criticism was unfair and wrong. He thought it was a personal attack. He also believed Ferenc Kazinczy was behind the review. Their letter writing stopped for three years.
After Kölcsey's review, Berzsenyi wrote only a few more poems. His main goal was to write a proper answer to Kölcsey. At first, he wrote his anti-review quickly. He had not studied aesthetics (the study of beauty and art) before this. He sent it to the editors of Tudományos Gyűjtemény, but it was never published. He never got the original paper back, even though he asked for it many times.
In the following years, Berzsenyi focused on scientific work. He studied aesthetics and literature. He wanted to fill the gaps in his knowledge. His "proper" answer was finally published in 1825. It was called "Észrevételek Kölcsey recenziójára" (Observations about Kölcsey's recension). It appeared in the September issue of Tudományos Gyűjtemény. He spent eight years working on it. In his answer, he disagreed with Kölcsey's ideas based on classicism. He argued that he was a romantic poet and could not be judged by old Greek rules. (By 1825, Kölcsey had actually changed his own views on poetry.)
Berzsenyi spent most of his time on scientific studies. He wrote many essays. He published "A versformákról" (About versifications). Between 1829 and 1834, he also wrote "Kriticai levelek" (Critical letters). In 1830, he became the first member from outside the capital to join the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His first speech for the Academy was published in 1833. It was titled "Poetai harmonistica" (Poetical harmony). In this essay, he supported the ideas of classicism over romanticism. He believed that harmony was the main rule in the world. In 1833, he also wrote "A magyarországi mezei szorgalom némely akadályairul" (About some obstacles of farming in Hungary).
In his last years, he was often sick. He went to Balatonfüred and the healing baths in Buda to get better. He often went to meetings of the Tudós társaság (Scientific group). He planned to move to the capital city. However, he could not finish this plan.
Dániel Berzsenyi died on February 24, 1836, in Nikla. Kölcsey wrote a special poem in his memory. Michael Helmeczy read it at the Academy.
His Works
Berzsenyi was greatly influenced by the poetry and ideas of Horace. Horace believed in avoiding extreme emotions and finding a "golden middle course." Many critics of Berzsenyi's time said he simply copied Horace. Berzsenyi often used old Roman poem styles. He successfully adapted them to the Hungarian language.
Berzsenyi got ideas for classicism from Horace and the Hungarian poet Benedek Virág. But he found it hard to completely follow the ideas of ancient poets. Behind his old-style poems, you don't always find perfect balance and harmony. Instead, you find a strong desire for these qualities. His move towards romanticism from classicism was influenced by German poets and writers like Gessner and Matthisson.
Two different styles were present in his poetry at the same time. This was like the two parts of his life: the farmer and the poet. But slowly, his dreams were worn down by real life. Disappointment and sadness replaced his earlier hopes. In his poem "Barátaimhoz" (To my friends), he says his old feelings and dreams were pointless. He talks about his poetic work as something from the past.
See also
In Spanish: Dániel Berzsenyi para niños
