Frisian literature
Encyclopedia
Frisian literature is works written in the Frisian languages, particularly that of West Frisian
spoken in the province of Friesland
in the Netherlands, from which most texts were produced or have survived. The first texts written in Frisian emerge around the 13th century. Frisian as a written language has for the most part historically been secondary to Dutch
and Latin
for all official purposes.
. Records of these, however, are fairly scarce and would generally not constitute literature, even if they did show some poetic merit. In 1498, Dutch became the official language in Friesland for all purposes of writing but Frisian would survive as a spoken language among the common people. Through the Renaissance
, some authors would consciously attempt to preserve their language in short written works. Middle Frisian would generally be considered to begin around this time in the mid 16th century. The greatest impact came from the seventeenth-century schoolteacher from Bolsward
Gysbert Japiks
, whose poetry attempted to prove Frisian's worth as a written language and brought about a revival amongst other Frisian authors in appreciating their native language, an appreciation that had slowed by the eighteenth century, the end of the Middle Frisian period.
, went through a rebirth. Many authors once again came to appreciate their language, and scholars studied Frisian from an academic standpoint. Organizations were formed that drew supporters from upper and middle-class backgrounds. A further push of Dutch influence from the education system prompted three brothers, Joast Halbertsma, Eeltsje Halbertsma, and Tjalling Halbertsma
, to create works in Frisian, including De âlde Friezen
.
Frisian language was firmly established as an academic study in the twentieth century (Rolf Bremmer
is the current professor of Old Frisian
at Leiden University
), and the language is available for study in secondary education as well. After World War II
, from around 1945 to 1963, Frisian literature experienced another period of growth with important authors and literary ambassadors like Anne Wadman, Fedde Schurer, Fokke Sierksma, and Lolle Nauta, though Wadman went to his grave disappointed that he had not succeeded in creating a rapprochement between Dutch and Frisian literatures. Still, Frisian literature continues to flourish at least within Friesland: Frisian authors were being promoted to the Dutch readership, and there are dozens of Frisian-language authors and literary magazines. At the same time, declining sales of literature in the Netherlands have affected Frisian literature as well, with estimates of the decline in sales of Frisian literature estimated at 30 to 40% since 2000, and library loans of Frisian books in one area declining from 152,000 in 2005 to 135,000 in 2007.
developed only in the age of Romanticism
. Earlier texts are extremely rare and the oldest sample of a North Frisian writing dates to ca. 1600, a translation of Martin Luther
's Kleiner Katechismus into two North Frisian dialects. Early 19th century literature includes a comedy in Söl'ring
, the dialect of Sylt
island, and a novel by the same author Jap Peter Hansen, Di lekkelk Stjüürman [The lucky helmsman]. This was the first book printed in a North Frisian dialect. An approach to introduce a North Frisian magazine and a dictionary in the 1840s failed because of the upcoming national rivalries between either Danish or German oriented parts of the population. Other 19th century authors include Christian Peter Hansen, son of Jap Peter Hansen of Sylt, Christian Johansen of Amrum
or Simon Reinhard Bohn, and Stine Andresen
from Föhr
. Also the North Frisian mainland produced authors in Frisian language such as Johannes Hansen from the Bredstedt
area or Moritz Momme Nissen from Enge
. Nissen is known to have created the most comprehensive North Frisian dictionary which however remained unpublished. The 20th century brought a new development in North Frisian literature which started again on Sylt and spread across the islands to the mainland. Lorenz Conrad Peters, Jens Mungard, Albrecht Johannsen and James Krüss
are notable authors of the early and middle 20th century. The first ever held North Frisian literature competition was won in 1991 by Ellin Nickelsen with a novelette in Fering
.
The problems of North Frisian literature include the limited number of speakers, the dialectal divisions which are mostly mutually unintelligible, a lack of writing tradition and a rural background without urban cultural centres and a late standardisation of orthography for the main dialects.
West Frisian language
West Frisian is a language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands. West Frisian is the name by which this language is usually known outside the Netherlands, to distinguish it from the closely related Frisian languages of Saterland Frisian and North Frisian,...
spoken in the province of Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
in the Netherlands, from which most texts were produced or have survived. The first texts written in Frisian emerge around the 13th century. Frisian as a written language has for the most part historically been secondary to Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for all official purposes.
Medieval and early modern periods
Texts written in Frisian first appear in manuscripts from the late medieval periodMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Records of these, however, are fairly scarce and would generally not constitute literature, even if they did show some poetic merit. In 1498, Dutch became the official language in Friesland for all purposes of writing but Frisian would survive as a spoken language among the common people. Through the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, some authors would consciously attempt to preserve their language in short written works. Middle Frisian would generally be considered to begin around this time in the mid 16th century. The greatest impact came from the seventeenth-century schoolteacher from Bolsward
Bolsward
Bolsward is a city in Súdwest Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward is just short of a population of 10,000.- History :The town is founded on three artificial dwelling hills, of which the first was built some time before Christ....
Gysbert Japiks
Gysbert Japiks
Gysbert Japicx was a Frisian writer, poet, schoolteacher and cantor.He admired Horace and Ovid and was a defender for the memmetaal which elevated Frisian to a literature language...
, whose poetry attempted to prove Frisian's worth as a written language and brought about a revival amongst other Frisian authors in appreciating their native language, an appreciation that had slowed by the eighteenth century, the end of the Middle Frisian period.
Friesland
Modern Frisian, beginning around 1800 with the Romantic movementRomanticism
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...
, went through a rebirth. Many authors once again came to appreciate their language, and scholars studied Frisian from an academic standpoint. Organizations were formed that drew supporters from upper and middle-class backgrounds. A further push of Dutch influence from the education system prompted three brothers, Joast Halbertsma, Eeltsje Halbertsma, and Tjalling Halbertsma
Tjalling Halbertsma
Tjalling Halbertsma is a lawyer and anthropologist from the Netherlands. Since 1996 he is primarily based in Mongolia and China...
, to create works in Frisian, including De âlde Friezen
De âlde Friezen
"De âlde Friezen" is the anthem of the Friesland province of the Netherlands.The text is by the Frisian writer Dr Eeltsje Halbertsma from the village of Grou. The version commonly sung today is an abridgement, dating from 1876, by Jacobus van Loon...
.
Frisian language was firmly established as an academic study in the twentieth century (Rolf Bremmer
Rolf Bremmer
Rolf Hendrik Bremmer is a Dutch academic. He is professor of Old and Middle English, and extraordinary professor of Old Frisian, at Leiden University.-Biography:...
is the current professor of Old Frisian
Old Frisian
Old Frisian is a West Germanic language spoken between the 8th and 16th centuries in the area between the Rhine and Weser on the European North Sea coast. The Frisian settlers on the coast of South Jutland also spoke Old Frisian but no medieval texts of this area are known...
at Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
), and the language is available for study in secondary education as well. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, from around 1945 to 1963, Frisian literature experienced another period of growth with important authors and literary ambassadors like Anne Wadman, Fedde Schurer, Fokke Sierksma, and Lolle Nauta, though Wadman went to his grave disappointed that he had not succeeded in creating a rapprochement between Dutch and Frisian literatures. Still, Frisian literature continues to flourish at least within Friesland: Frisian authors were being promoted to the Dutch readership, and there are dozens of Frisian-language authors and literary magazines. At the same time, declining sales of literature in the Netherlands have affected Frisian literature as well, with estimates of the decline in sales of Frisian literature estimated at 30 to 40% since 2000, and library loans of Frisian books in one area declining from 152,000 in 2005 to 135,000 in 2007.
North Frisia
Literature in the various dialects of the North Frisian languageNorth Frisian language
North Frisian is a minority language of Germany, spoken by about 10,000 people in North Frisia. The language is part of the larger group of the West Germanic Frisian languages.-Classification:...
developed only in the age of 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...
. Earlier texts are extremely rare and the oldest sample of a North Frisian writing dates to ca. 1600, a translation of Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
's Kleiner Katechismus into two North Frisian dialects. Early 19th century literature includes a comedy in Söl'ring
Söl'ring
Söl'ring is the dialect of the North Frisian language spoken on the island of Sylt in the German region of North Frisia. Söl'ring refers to the Söl'ring Frisian word for Sylt, Söl. Together with the Fering, Öömrang, and Heligolandic dialects, it forms part of the insular group of North Frisian...
, the dialect of Sylt
Sylt
Sylt is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Frisia...
island, and a novel by the same author Jap Peter Hansen, Di lekkelk Stjüürman [The lucky helmsman]. This was the first book printed in a North Frisian dialect. An approach to introduce a North Frisian magazine and a dictionary in the 1840s failed because of the upcoming national rivalries between either Danish or German oriented parts of the population. Other 19th century authors include Christian Peter Hansen, son of Jap Peter Hansen of Sylt, Christian Johansen of Amrum
Amrum
Amrum is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German North Sea coast, south of Sylt and west of Föhr. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein...
or Simon Reinhard Bohn, and Stine Andresen
Stine Andresen
Stine Andresen was a German poet from the North Frisian island of Föhr. Her lyrics often refer to her native island. In addition to poems in German, she also wrote some poetry in Fering North Frisian.-Life and opus:...
from Föhr
Föhr
Föhr is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Föhr is the second-largest North Sea island of Germany....
. Also the North Frisian mainland produced authors in Frisian language such as Johannes Hansen from the Bredstedt
Bredstedt
Bredstedt is a town in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated near the North Sea coast, approximately 16 km northwest of Husum....
area or Moritz Momme Nissen from Enge
Enge-Sande
Enge-Sande is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
. Nissen is known to have created the most comprehensive North Frisian dictionary which however remained unpublished. The 20th century brought a new development in North Frisian literature which started again on Sylt and spread across the islands to the mainland. Lorenz Conrad Peters, Jens Mungard, Albrecht Johannsen and James Krüss
James Krüss
James Krüss was a German poet and writer.James Jacob Hinrich Krüss was born as the son of the electrician Ludwig Krüss and his wife Margaretha Krüss on Heligoland. In 1941, during World War II, the inhabitants of the island were evacuated to Arnstadt, Thuringia, later to Hertigswalde, near...
are notable authors of the early and middle 20th century. The first ever held North Frisian literature competition was won in 1991 by Ellin Nickelsen with a novelette in Fering
Fering
Fering is the dialect of North Frisian spoken on the island of Föhr in the German region of North Frisia. Fering refers to the Fering Frisian name of Föhr, Feer...
.
The problems of North Frisian literature include the limited number of speakers, the dialectal divisions which are mostly mutually unintelligible, a lack of writing tradition and a rural background without urban cultural centres and a late standardisation of orthography for the main dialects.