Croatian writer
Cover of the third edition of Marin Dr?i?'s
Pjesni
, titled
Tirena comedia Marina Darxichia
, in Venice 1630, containing Dr?i?'s Petrarchist poetry and versified plays.
Cover page of the
?ibenik
copy of Marin Dr?i?'s
Hekuba
with the data on company of "Od Bidzara" and the date of performance (29 January 1559).
Marin Dr?i?
(
Croatian pronunciation:
[mariːn
d??ː?it?]
; also
Marino Darza
or
Marino Darsa
; 1508 – 2 May 1567) was a
Croatian
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
writer from
Republic of Ragusa
. He is considered to be one of the finest
Renaissance
playwrights and prose writers of
Croatian literature
.
Life
[
edit
]
Dr?i? was born into a large and affluent family. He had six sisters and five brothers.
[6]
He was trained and ordained as a priest in Dubrovnik. Marin's uncle was another famous author
D?ore Dr?i?
. After being ordained in 1526, Dr?i? was sent in 1538 to
Siena
in
Tuscany
to study the Church
Canon Law
, where his academic results were average.
[6]
Thanks to his extroverted and warm personality, he is said to have captured the hearts of his fellow students and professors, and was elected to the position of
rector
of the
university
. Losing interest in his studies, Marin returned to the
Dubrovnik Republic
in 1543.
[
citation needed
]
There, he became an acquaintance of Austrian adventurer Christoph Rogendorf, who was at odds with the court of
Vienna
. After a brief sojourn in
Vienna
, Dr?i? came back to his native city. He pursuited various exploits, including forming relationships with a group of Dubrovnik outlaws, journeying to
Constantinople
and visiting
Venice
. After a career as an interpreter, scrivener and church musician, he even became a conspirator. Convinced that Dubrovnik was governed by a small circle of elitist aristocracy bent to tyranny, he tried to persuade in five letters (four of which survive) the powerful
Medici
family in
Florence
to help him overthrow the government in his home town; they did not respond.
[6]
He died suddenly in
Venice
on 2 May 1567.
[6]
He was buried in the Church of St. John and Paul.
Works
[
edit
]
Dr?i?'s works cover many fields:
lyric poetry
,
pastorals
, political letters and
pamphlets
, and
comedies
. While his pastorals (
Tirena
,
Venera i Adon
and
Plakir
) are still highly regarded as masterful examples of the genre, the pastoral has, as artistic form, virtually vanished from the scene.
His comedies are among the best in European
Renaissance
literature.
[
citation needed
]
As with other great comedy writers like
Lope de Vega
,
Ben Jonson
or
Moliere
, Dr?i?'s comedies are full of exuberant life and vitality, celebrating love, liberty and sincerity and mocking avarice, egoism and petty tyrants; both in the family and in the state. His best-known comedies include:
- Pomet
(1548 or 1553) - some historiographers argue that
Pomet
is indeed Marin's oldest play, his debut, while others disagree. The fact that it is lost makes it harder to classify it.
- Novela od Stanca
(1550)
- Dundo Maroje
(1551 or 1556) - arguably Marin's most famous play. It was also played in some international theatres.
- Skup
(1554) - thematically similar to
Plautus
'
Aulularia
and
Moliere's
The Miser
Legacy
[
edit
]
Statue of Marin Dr?i? in Dubrovnik
Since its independence Croatia has awarded the
Marin Dr?i? Award
for dramatic work.
[7]
The
Croatian Parliament
also declared 2008 the
Year of Marin Dr?i?
, as it is the 500th anniversary of his birth.
[8]
An avenue in
Zagreb
is
named after him
. In
Dra?kovi?eva
street (centre of Zagreb) there is a scenical stage named after Marin's nickname Vidra.
[9]
Nicknames are given for various reasons. In
Croatian
the word
vidra
can also refer to a person who is perfidious and resourceful.
[10]
See also
[
edit
]
Wikisource
has original text related to this article:
Croatian
Wikisource
has original text related to this article:
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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