Dániel Berzsenyi was a Hungarian

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 poet.

Berzsenyi was one of the most contradictory poets of Hungarian

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 literature. He lived the life of a farmer, and wished to be close to the events of Hungarian

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 literature. This contradiction, which he believed he could solve, made him a lonesome, introverted and bitter poet. His works show signs of classicism

Classicism

Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...

, sentimentalism

Sentimentalism

Sentimentalism is used in different ways:* Sentimentalism , a theory in moral epistemology concerning how one knows moral truths; also known as moral sense theory* Sentimentalism , a form of literary discourse...

 and romanticism

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...

.

Biography

Berzsenyi was born the only child of an old noble family. Although his father had a degree in law, he worked on his farm and didn't practise as a lawyer. The father believed that his weak and sickly son must first get physically strong working on the farm. In his opinion, teaching children is only acceptable after the age of ten.

In the autumn of 1788, the 12-years old Berzsenyi began his studies at the evangelical lyceum in Sopron

Sopron

In 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...

. He spent seven years there, with shorter and longer interruption. Due to his over-age, he had a hard time conforming himself to the discipline of the school and came up often against the customs; he often missed his lessons. In 1793, he left Sopron without finishing his studies and enlisted into the army, but he stayed there only for less than a year.

Although he never finished his studies, the years spent in Sopron left a deep impression in him. He read a many books, acquired outstanding knowledge of the main subjects of that age, of the Latin and German language. His works point to the fact, that he knew the Roman mythology

Roman mythology

Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...

 well, and that his ideal was the Roman Horace

Horace

Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...

.

His father found Berzsenyi's behavior in Sopron unacceptable, and the relationship of son and father got worse and worse. Due to his frequent conflicts with his father, he didn't return home from Sopron, but travelled to Nikla, to his uncle. He returned to his father for a few years, but the situation became even worse with the death of his mother in the autumn of 1794, who was a lightning rod of some kind between the two men.

Poetic era

As an "escape" from his father, he married the 14-years-old Zsuzsanna Dukai Takács, the daughter of a wealthy noble and settled with her on her farm near Sömjén. Berzsenyi became a self-supporting and outstanding farmer. In 1804, they moved to Nikla, Somogy county. On the outside, he seemed to be satisfied, but his works prove this wrong. On one hand, he was truly satisfied with his achievements as a farmer. On the other hand, he suffered from the lack of people he could converse with about literature or sciences.

Berzsenyi wrote poems from age twenty (1796), but hid them from his friends and family. In 1803, János Kis

János Kis

János Kis is a Hungarian philosopher and political scientist.Kis was born in Budapest, Hungary. He graduated from Philosophy at the Eötvös Loránd University in 1967. Kis was inspired by the ideas of György Lukács, and became marxist in the 1960's. He joined the Hungarian Communist Party too...

, an evangelic

Evangelism

Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....

 cleric and the godfather of one of his children, caught him while he was writing. Kis discovered the poet in Berzsenyi, and sent three of his works to Ferenc Kazinczy

Ferenc Kazinczy

Ferenc Kazinczy was a Hungarian author, the most indefatigable agent in the regeneration of the Magyar language and literature at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century...

, who was rather enthusiastic about them. (A magyarokhoz - To the Hungarians; Nagy Lajos és Hunyadi Mátyás - Louis the Great and Mathias of Hunyad; A reggel - The dawn)

In 1808, he sent János Kis a whole book of verse with 77 poems. Unfortunately, he didn't date the poems, making it impossible to tell the exact time he wrote them. Kis sent them on to Ferenc Kazinczy

Ferenc Kazinczy

Ferenc Kazinczy was a Hungarian author, the most indefatigable agent in the regeneration of the Magyar language and literature at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century...

 to support their printed publishment. Kazinczy read them and sent Berzsenyi his first, enthusiastic mail. Naturally Berzsenyi sent his reply, and their long mailing began.

He left Nikla very rarely, he didn't like going away from home. He only visited Pest

Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

 only twice: in March, 1810, and at the end of May, 1813. The first time he met Kazinczy

Ferenc Kazinczy

Ferenc Kazinczy was a Hungarian author, the most indefatigable agent in the regeneration of the Magyar language and literature at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century...

's poet friends, waking dispositions for each other. (Pál Szemere, Ferenc Kölcsey

Ferenc Kölcsey

Ferenc Kölcsey was a Hungarian poet, literary critic, orator, and politician, noted for his support of the liberal current inside the Habsburg Empire. He wrote the national anthem of Hungary in 1823....

, Michaly Vitkovics and István Horvát) In 1812, he spent a week 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...

. Here, he had a picture painted of himself in preparation for the front cover of his book.

Scientific era

After 1810, he had a rather unproductive era, possibly due to the matters of farming and quarrels with his family. His loneliness, his mood, prone to melancholy, and versatile health made him very vulnerable. From 1816 on, he had problems with his health almost every year. He read Kölcsey

Ferenc Kölcsey

Ferenc Kölcsey was a Hungarian poet, literary critic, orator, and politician, noted for his support of the liberal current inside the Habsburg Empire. He wrote the national anthem of Hungary in 1823....

's strict, sometimes unfair recension

Recension

Recension is the practice of editing or revising a text based on critical analysis. When referring to manuscripts, this may be a revision by another author...

 in this unlucky state of body and mind. The recension was published in the issue of Tudományos Gyűjtemény (Scientific Collection) in July, 1817. Berzsenyi felt the criticism degrading, undeserved and unfounded. He believed that it was a personal attack and that it was Ferenc Kazinczy

Ferenc Kazinczy

Ferenc Kazinczy was a Hungarian author, the most indefatigable agent in the regeneration of the Magyar language and literature at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century...

 behind the recension

Recension

Recension is the practice of editing or revising a text based on critical analysis. When referring to manuscripts, this may be a revision by another author...

. Their mailing was suspended for three years.

After Kölcsey's recension Berzsenyi wrote only a few more poems. His greatest wish was to give Kölcsey an appropriate answer. In his first indignation he wrote his anti-recension without any scientific preparation, as - until this time - he didn't study aesthetics

Aesthetics

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...

. Although he sent it to the editors of Tudományos Gyűjtemény (Scientific Collection), but it was never published. He never got the manuscript back, despite his pressing requests.

In the next years, the place of poetic creation was taken by scientific works and the study of aesthetics and literature: he tired to make up for the gaps in his knowledge. The "appropriate" answer was published in 1825 with the title "Észrevételek Kölcsey recenziójára" (Observations about Kölcsey's recension) in the September issue of the Tudományos Gyűjtemény (Scientific Collection) - he spent eight years making it. He refused Kölcsey's pretensions based on the aesthetics of classicism in the name of romanticism: he is a poet who cannot be judged by the rules of hellenism. (By 1825 Kölcsey changed his previous poetic-aesthetic views)

Berzsenyi spent most of his time on sciences, the numerous essays show this. He published "A versformákról" (About versifications). Between 1829 and 1834, he wrote "Kriticai levelek" (Critical letters) as well. In 1830 he became the first provincial member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Hungarian Academy of Sciences

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...

. His inaugural was published in 1833 with the title "Poetai harmonistica" (Poetical harmony). In this essay he favored the aesthetic thesis of classicism

Classicism

Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...

 over those of romanticism: the main regularity in the world is the harmony. In 1833, he also wrote "A magyarországi mezei szorgalom némely akadályairul" (in modern English: About some obstacles of farming in Hungary).

In the last years of his life, he ailed almost all the time: he cured himself in Balatonfüred

Balatonfüred

Balatonfüred is a popular resort town in Veszprém county, in Hungary, with a population of thirteen thousand, situated on the north shore of the Lake Balaton. It is considered to be the capital of the Northern lake shore and has significant yachting life. It is also a favorite location for coarse...

 and the medicinal baths of Buda

Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

. He often attended the conferences of the Tudós társaság (roughly: Scientific group) and planned to move to the capital), but couldn't finish this plan.

He died on February 24, 1836 in Nikla. Kölcsey

Ferenc Kölcsey

Ferenc Kölcsey was a Hungarian poet, literary critic, orator, and politician, noted for his support of the liberal current inside the Habsburg Empire. He wrote the national anthem of Hungary in 1823....

's expiatory memorial heroic was read by Michael Helmeczy on the Academy.

Work

Horatius' poetry and his philosophy - abstention from extreme emotions, the golden middle course - seemed to determine his life and poetry. Most of the criticals of his age described him as Horatius-copyist. He often used ancient verse forms and applied them successfully to the Hungarian language.

Berzsenyi got classicist inspiration from Horace and the Hungarian Benedek Virág, but he couldn't possibly be successful in forcing the views of ancient poets on himself. Behind the antique verse forms it isn't the classical balance and harmony we can find: it is the longing for these qualities. His closing to romanticism from classicism can be addressed to the works of German poets and writers like Gessner and Matthisson.

Two styles were present in his poetry at the same time - just as the land-owner and the poet in his life, but slowly his ideals were worn out by reality. Disappointment, disillusioned distress take the place of his dreams. In his poem "Barátaimhoz" (To my friends) he says his earlier feelings, dreams to be pointless and remembers his poetic work in past time.