Dimitrija Demeter
Encyclopedia
Dimitrija Demeter was a Croatia
n writer
and dramatist.
He was born in a merchant family of Greek
origin (some mention Aromanian origin). He studied philosophy
in Graz
and medicine
in Vienna
and Padua
. During his studies he practiced his literary work and after his return to Croatia he joined the Illyrian movement
. At first he worked as a physician
and from 1841 his main preoccupation was only literary work. In his texts he tried to join the tradition of the old Croatian literature with tendentions in European drama. He mostly used historical subjects to express his patriotic aspirations and to speak out about the current social situation in society.
In his most know drama Teuta, which is considered the first Croatian drama, he advocates the idea about Illyrian
origin of all South Slavs
. He also writes short stories
, feuilleton
s, literary critics, he wrote librettos for Vatroslav Lisinski
opera's Ljubav and Zloba and Porin and for his drama's Dramatička pokušenja I. (in 1834) and Dramatička pokušenja II. (in 1844). His role in organizing of cultural life in Zagreb
and Croatia was of extreme significance. He was also editor
or various almanacs: Iskra, Südslavische Zeitung, Danica, Narodne Novine and Hrvatski Sokol.
One of his most known works includes early romanic poem
Grobnik field (near Rijeka
) written in 1842 for the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grobnik field
where according to legend Croats
defeated the invading Tatars
. This works shows it was written by an extremely talented writer, although it was only his literary debut.
In it two main motives interweave: the motive of countryside and the motive of patriotism
. Also inspired by Byron the concept of worldwide pain appears. Demeter used 10-syllable verse and 12-syllable verse to avoid monotounous routine of traditional folk songs while emphasizing characterization and strong characters of the main heroes and their passion. Instead of narrative epic tendency he gives to his poems a strong dramatic characteristics which remindins us of Byron's literary work.
The main Demeter's vision comes down to emphasizing general problems of humanity
like for example: battle between good and evil, where at the end the good always prevails. This type of Demeter's poems in many things, both by verse and rhyme, announces the most important literary work in Croatian literature of that time: epic poem The Death of Smail-aga Čengić
written by Ivan Mažuranić
in 1845. Among Demeter's poems a special place also takes his Pjesma Hrvata (Song of the Croats) which is a 8-syllable verse most known by its starting verse "Prosto zrakom ptica leti".
Dimitrija Demeter was also one of the founders of the Croatian National Theater (Hrvatsko Narodno Kazalište - HNK). It was on his encouragement that the Croatian Parliament founded the permanent theater in which Demeter was both the manager
and dramatist. In 1907 Demeter's award for drama was established.
Demeter died in Zagreb on 24 June 1872 and was originally buried at the Orthodox cemetery in Pantovčak
neighbourhood. Upon the closure of most old cemeteries in Zagreb in the 1870s and the designation of Mirogoj Cemetery
as the primary municipal cemetery, his remains were moved to Mirogoj several years later, where they are still kept today.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and dramatist.
He was born in a merchant family of Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
origin (some mention Aromanian origin). He studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
. During his studies he practiced his literary work and after his return to Croatia he joined the Illyrian movement
Illyrian movement
The Illyrian movement , also Croatian national revival , was a cultural and political campaign with roots in the early modern period, and revived by a group of young Croatian intellectuals during the first half of 19th century, around the years of 1835–1849...
. At first he worked as a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and from 1841 his main preoccupation was only literary work. In his texts he tried to join the tradition of the old Croatian literature with tendentions in European drama. He mostly used historical subjects to express his patriotic aspirations and to speak out about the current social situation in society.
In his most know drama Teuta, which is considered the first Croatian drama, he advocates the idea about Illyrian
Illyrians
The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...
origin of all South Slavs
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
. He also writes short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, feuilleton
Feuilleton
Feuilleton was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the latest fashions, and epigrams, charades and other literary trifles...
s, literary critics, he wrote librettos for Vatroslav Lisinski
Vatroslav Lisinski
Vatroslav Lisinski was a Croatian composer.Lisinski was born Ignaz Fuchs to a German Jewish family...
opera's Ljubav and Zloba and Porin and for his drama's Dramatička pokušenja I. (in 1834) and Dramatička pokušenja II. (in 1844). His role in organizing of cultural life in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and Croatia was of extreme significance. He was also editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
or various almanacs: Iskra, Südslavische Zeitung, Danica, Narodne Novine and Hrvatski Sokol.
One of his most known works includes early romanic poem
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
Grobnik field (near Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
) written in 1842 for the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grobnik field
Battle of Grobnik field
The Battle of Grobnik field is a battle that, occurred in 1242 between the Croats and the Tatars. The battle was a focus of an early romantic poem Grobnik field written in 1842 by Dimitrija Demeter for the 600th anniversary of the battle...
where according to legend Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
defeated the invading Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
. This works shows it was written by an extremely talented writer, although it was only his literary debut.
In it two main motives interweave: the motive of countryside and the motive of patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
. Also inspired by Byron the concept of worldwide pain appears. Demeter used 10-syllable verse and 12-syllable verse to avoid monotounous routine of traditional folk songs while emphasizing characterization and strong characters of the main heroes and their passion. Instead of narrative epic tendency he gives to his poems a strong dramatic characteristics which remindins us of Byron's literary work.
The main Demeter's vision comes down to emphasizing general problems of humanity
Human Race
Human Race refers to the Human species.Human race may also refer to:*The Human Race, 79th episode of YuYu Hakusho* Human Race Theatre Company of Dayton Ohio* Human Race Machine, a computer graphics device...
like for example: battle between good and evil, where at the end the good always prevails. This type of Demeter's poems in many things, both by verse and rhyme, announces the most important literary work in Croatian literature of that time: epic poem The Death of Smail-aga Čengić
The Death of Smail-aga Čengić
The Death of Smail-aga Čengić is an epic poem by Ivan Mažuranić published around 1846. It is based on the real events of Smail-aga Čengić, a Turkish army general that is known for his bravery, but disparged for truculence; the main motif is his death, happening after he engages in a battle against...
written by Ivan Mažuranić
Ivan Mažuranic
Ivan Mažuranić was a Croatian poet, linguist and politician—probably the most important figure in Croatia's cultural life in the mid-19th century...
in 1845. Among Demeter's poems a special place also takes his Pjesma Hrvata (Song of the Croats) which is a 8-syllable verse most known by its starting verse "Prosto zrakom ptica leti".
Dimitrija Demeter was also one of the founders of the Croatian National Theater (Hrvatsko Narodno Kazalište - HNK). It was on his encouragement that the Croatian Parliament founded the permanent theater in which Demeter was both the manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
and dramatist. In 1907 Demeter's award for drama was established.
Demeter died in Zagreb on 24 June 1872 and was originally buried at the Orthodox cemetery in Pantovčak
Pantovcak
Pantovčak is a neighborhood in Zagreb, Croatia. Its formal location is the Gornji Grad - Medveščak city district. The Pantovčak street runs from the Britanski trg near Ilica towards Medvednica, ending at Šestinski vijenac . The neighbourhood is officially referred to as "Dr...
neighbourhood. Upon the closure of most old cemeteries in Zagreb in the 1870s and the designation of Mirogoj Cemetery
Mirogoj Cemetery
The Mirogoj Cemetery is considered to be one of the most beautiful cemetery parks in Europe and, because of its design, numbers among the more noteworthy landmarks in the City of Zagreb....
as the primary municipal cemetery, his remains were moved to Mirogoj several years later, where they are still kept today.