Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński

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Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński (c. 1550 - c. 1581) was an influential^[1] Polish poet of the late Renaissance who wrote in both Polish and Latin. He was a pioneer of the Baroque and the greatest representative of the metaphysical^[2] movement of the era in Poland. His love poems are often classed as mannerist. Jan Błoński called Sęp Szarzyński a mystical poet full of abstraction^[3] and Wiktor Weintraub called him the most outstanding poet of the times of Jan Kochanowski^[4]. The poet's status in the history of Polish literature is controversial^[5][6].

Contents 1 Life 2 Works 3 Source 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Life

Little is known about Sęp Szarzyński's personal life. He was born in Zimna Woda near Lwów, the eldest of three sons, and educated at the universities of Wittenberg and Leipzig. His stay in Germany brought him close to Protestantism but he later became an ardent Catholic and his religious devotion is reflected in his poems. He probably died in Wolica in 1581 in the age of 31. He amass all his writings in handwritings. After his death, Sęp Szarzyński's verse was collected by his brother Jakub and published under the title Rytmy abo wiersze polskie in 1601.

[edit] Works

Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński's work is often called "the sunset of the Polish Renaissance". His poems introduced the Baroque to Polish literature.

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[edit] Source

• Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński: Rytmy polskie (Ad Oculos, 2004)

[edit] References

1. ^ Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński influenced poets such as: Antoni Lange, Mieczysław Jastrun, Bronisław Maj and Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz
2. ^ Czesław Hernas, Literatura baroku, Warsaw 1999, p. 22
3. ^ J. Błoński, Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński a początki polskiego baroku (Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński and the Beginning of the Polish Baroque), Kraków 2001, p. 68-69
4. ^ Wiktor Weintraub, Od Reja do Boya (From Mikołaj Rej to Tadeusz Żeleński), Warszawa 1977, p. 45-47
5. ^ Wiktor Weintraub, Od Reja do Boya (From Mikołaj Rej to Tadeusz Żeleński), Warszawa 1977, p. 45-47
6. ^ Jan Błoński and Wiktor Weintraub are well-known experts on the history of Polish literature

[edit] External links

• Rytmy abo wiersze polskie (Polish)
• All the Sęp Szarzyński's poems in English translations