Joachim du Bellay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joachim du Bellay
Born	c. 1522 Liré, Anjou, France
Died	(1560-01-01)1 January 1560 Paris, France
Occupation	Poet
Nationality	French
Period	16th century
Genre	Poetry
Notable works	Les Regrets

Joachim du Bellay (born around 1522 – died January 1, 1560) was a famous French poet and writer. He was one of the founders of a very important group of poets called La Pléiade. This group wanted to make the French language as respected and artistic as ancient Greek and Latin.

Joachim du Bellay wrote a special book for the Pléiade group. It was called Défense et illustration de la langue française. This book was like a rulebook for how French poetry should be written.

About Joachim du Bellay

His Early Life and Education

Joachim du Bellay was born in a castle called La Turmelière, near a town called Liré in France. His parents were Jean du Bellay and Renée Chabot. Sadly, both of his parents died when he was still a young child.

After his parents passed away, his older brother, René du Bellay, became his guardian. However, his brother didn't pay much attention to Joachim's schooling. Joachim spent a lot of his early years freely exploring the countryside.

When he was about 23 years old, Joachim finally got permission to study law. He went to the University of Poitiers. There, he met important thinkers and writers of his time. These included Marc Antoine Muret, a humanist, and Jean Salmon Macrin, a Latin poet.

Joining the Pléiade Poets

Around 1547, Joachim du Bellay met another future famous poet, Ronsard. They met by chance at an inn. This meeting was very important for French poetry. They became close friends and shared many ideas about writing.

Du Bellay and Ronsard then went to Paris. They joined a group of students who studied ancient languages and literature. Their teacher was Jean Daurat at the Collège de Coqueret.

While Ronsard was very interested in Greek writing styles, du Bellay preferred Latin. This might be why his own French poems often felt more natural and connected to his own language.

The Défense et illustration de la langue française

In 1549, Joachim du Bellay published the famous book, La Défense et illustration de la langue française. This book was the main statement of the Pléiade group's ideas. Even though Ronsard was the leader, du Bellay wrote this important work.

The book argued that the French language was not yet rich enough for the highest forms of poetry. But du Bellay believed that with careful effort, French could become as great as Greek and Latin. He encouraged writers to use French instead of Latin for their serious works.

Du Bellay suggested that French poets should learn from ancient Greek and Roman poems. They should imitate their styles, not just translate them. He also said that poetry should have its own special language and style, different from everyday speech.

He believed French could be made richer by using its own words in new ways. Poets could also borrow words carefully from Italian, Latin, and Greek. Both du Bellay and Ronsard were careful to say they didn't want to make French too much like Latin.

This book was a strong defense of poetry and the French language. It also challenged writers who had less ambitious ideas.

Literary Debates and Olive

Du Bellay's strong opinions in his Défense led to some disagreements with other writers. He replied to his critics in a new edition of his collection of poems called Olive.

Olive was a collection of sonnets, which are special 14-line poems. These poems were inspired by famous Italian poets like Petrarch. Du Bellay didn't invent the sonnet in French, but he helped make it very popular. Later, when sonnets became too common, he even made fun of how much people were writing them.

Time in Rome

Around this time, du Bellay became very ill for two years. This illness caused him to become deaf. He also had to take care of his nephew, who sadly died in 1553. After his nephew's death, Joachim became the lord of Gonnor.

In 1553, he went to Rome to work for his relative, Cardinal du Bellay. He lived in Italy for about four and a half years. During this time, he wrote 47 sonnets called Antiquités de Rome, published in 1558. These poems showed his personal feelings and were less like imitations.

His time in Rome was difficult. He had many duties, like managing the cardinal's money and household. But he also made friends with Italian scholars. He became close with another poet, Olivier de Magny, who was also living away from home.

Towards the end of his stay, he met a Roman lady named Faustine. He wrote poems about her, especially in Latin.

Return to Paris and Later Works

Du Bellay returned to Paris in August 1557. The next year, he published the poems he had written in Rome. These included his Latin poems, the Antiquités de Rome, and 191 sonnets called Regrets. Most of the Regrets were written while he was in Italy.

The Regrets showed that his ideas about poetry had changed a bit. They were simpler and more emotional. Many of these sonnets expressed his sadness about being away from France and his home by the Loire River. Some also described Roman life in a funny or critical way.

After returning to Paris, he didn't spend as much time with Ronsard. Instead, he became good friends with a scholar named Jean de Morel. Morel's house was a meeting place for many learned people.

In 1559, du Bellay published a satirical poem called Le Poète courtisan. This poem made fun of poets who only wrote to please powerful people at court.

His Final Years and Death

In 1559, Joachim du Bellay wrote a long poem for King Francis II. It was about the duties of a good ruler. This poem is thought to have helped him receive a small payment from the king.

He continued to work for the cardinal in Paris. However, he had some disagreements with the bishop of Paris, which made his relationship with the cardinal less friendly. His health was also getting worse, and his deafness made his work harder.

Joachim du Bellay died on January 1, 1560, when he was only 38 years old. He was buried in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Images for kids

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  A portrait of Joachim du Bellay.

See also

In Spanish: Joachim du Bellay para niños