Ilija Crijevic
Encyclopedia
Ilija Crijević in in his lifetime was called Elio Lampridio Cerva . He was a poet born in the city of Ragusa in the homonymous Republic
c. 1460 (or 1434 as indicated by some sources), and belonged to one of the most important local noble family, the House of Cerva
.
, Latin language and Dalmatian language
and rejected the Slavic
Croatian language:
This torment are clearly apparent in his works, where he declared his nostalgia for the times when no language other than Latin or Italian had been officially used in the Ragusan Republic (and he had as a wish not to hear the echo of that stribiligo Illyrian, "infecting Slavic language".)
He spent several years in Rome
, where he arrived still child, to succeed his uncle Sthepan, ambassador to Pope Sixtus IV
. Here, in the circle of Pomponio Leto, his poetic talent awoke. He studied ancient drama and made a study of the comedies of Plautus
. It was in this period that he produced Lexicon (1480), an encyclopedic dictionary in Latin, 429 pages long and in quarto
format (33 x 23 cm). He returned to Ragusa in 1490.
He was spokesman for the Republic of Ragusa
. Finally, perhaps pushed by the circumstances in which he lived, Cerva decided to withdraw to the island of Ombla, where he remained until his death in 1521. Although called a poet, he published only four short components (all in Latin) during his life. His main work, De Epidauro, was a draft of an epic poem, about the Turkish invasions of Ragusan territory. Despite being one of the greatest Ragusans, whose literary work exceeds that of his contemporaries and fellow citizens by far, today the works of Cerva are published abroad more often than in Croatia.
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
c. 1460 (or 1434 as indicated by some sources), and belonged to one of the most important local noble family, the House of Cerva
House of Cerva
The House of Cerva or House of Crijević is a noble family from the ancient Dalmatian city of Ragusa , which held noble titles in the Republic of Ragusa, and in the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian empires...
.
Life and literary works
The life of Elio Cerva, one of the more scholarly poets of his time, was stormy and restless. It was marked by a strong intolerance to the barbarism around him. Linguistically, he was close to Italian languageItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Latin language and Dalmatian language
Dalmatian language
Dalmatian was a Romance language spoken in the Dalmatia region of Croatia, and as far south as Kotor in Montenegro. The name refers to a pre-Roman tribe of the Illyrian linguistic group, Dalmatae...
and rejected the Slavic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
Croatian language:
This torment are clearly apparent in his works, where he declared his nostalgia for the times when no language other than Latin or Italian had been officially used in the Ragusan Republic (and he had as a wish not to hear the echo of that stribiligo Illyrian, "infecting Slavic language".)
He spent several years in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he arrived still child, to succeed his uncle Sthepan, ambassador to Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV , born Francesco della Rovere, was Pope from 1471 to 1484. His accomplishments as Pope included the establishment of the Sistine Chapel; the group of artists that he brought together introduced the Early Renaissance into Rome with the first masterpiece of the city's new artistic age,...
. Here, in the circle of Pomponio Leto, his poetic talent awoke. He studied ancient drama and made a study of the comedies of Plautus
Plautus
Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
. It was in this period that he produced Lexicon (1480), an encyclopedic dictionary in Latin, 429 pages long and in quarto
Quarto
Quarto could refer to:* Quarto, a size or format of a book in which four leaves of a book are created from a standard size sheet of paper* For specific information about quarto texts of William Shakespeare's works, see:...
format (33 x 23 cm). He returned to Ragusa in 1490.
He was spokesman for the Republic of Ragusa
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
. Finally, perhaps pushed by the circumstances in which he lived, Cerva decided to withdraw to the island of Ombla, where he remained until his death in 1521. Although called a poet, he published only four short components (all in Latin) during his life. His main work, De Epidauro, was a draft of an epic poem, about the Turkish invasions of Ragusan territory. Despite being one of the greatest Ragusans, whose literary work exceeds that of his contemporaries and fellow citizens by far, today the works of Cerva are published abroad more often than in Croatia.
See also
- House of CervaHouse of CervaThe House of Cerva or House of Crijević is a noble family from the ancient Dalmatian city of Ragusa , which held noble titles in the Republic of Ragusa, and in the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian empires...
- List of notable Ragusans
- Republic of RagusaRepublic of RagusaThe Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
- DubrovnikDubrovnikDubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
- DalmatiaDalmatiaDalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
- History of DalmatiaHistory of DalmatiaThe History of Dalmatia concerns the history of the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and its inland regions, stretching from the 2nd century BC up to the present....