Frederic Mistral is recognized as one of the foremost nineteenth century poets in France. The author of several famous epics is even more revered for his dedication to the preservation of the Provencal language.
Biography
Frederic Mistral was born on September 8, 1830 in the family of Adelaide and Francois Mistral. His homeland is Mayanne, a commune in southeastern France, located between Avignon and Arles. François Mistral, a wealthy farmer and landowner, married Adelaide, daughter of Mayanne at the age of 53 after the death of his first wife.
Mistral's parents spoke the Lang doil dialect, which is the basis of Old French and which is different from modern French. Later, in his memoirs, he wrote: “When the townspeople occasionally came to our farm, those who pretended to speak only French puzzled and even embarrassed me. My parents suddenly began to treat the stranger incredibly respectfully, as if they felt his superiority ". This fact gave the boy an interest in local history, folklore and culture. When Frederick was eight years old, his parents were puzzled by his education. First, the boy was sent to a boarding school in the Abbey of Saint-Michel-de-Frigole, which was located two hours from Mayanna. When the school closed, he continued his studies in Avignon. Here Frederick also attended a boarding school. And then the College Royal de Avignon, where he read the epic poems of Virgil and Homer. At the educational institution, Mistral was surrounded by French-speaking students and again learned about the lower status of the language, which he considered to be his native language. However, he soon met Joseph Roumanil, a new professor who joined the college faculty a year after Frederick's arrival. Rumanil also wrote lyric poetry in Mistral's native lang doyle. The professor and student developed a friendship based on a common heritage, and the couple soon struck up a friendship based on their common heritage. "Until now, I have read only certain passages in Provencal, and it always annoyed me that this is our language… It was usually used only in mockery. But Rumanil, with his magnificent voice with dignity and simplicity, expressed in the language of the people all the noblest feelings of the heart.", - the poet recalled in his memoirs. Mistral and Rumanil soon became puzzled by the need to preserve the Provencal language and culture.
In 1847, after graduating from college, Frederic went to the city of Nimes, where he received a bachelor's degree. In the winter of 1848, the revolutionaries overthrew the French government, and Mistral published a poem in several local newspapers that severely criticized the idea of monarchy. In the same year, he entered the law faculty of the University of Aix-en-Provence, after graduating from which, in 1851 he returned to the family farm. At home, he continued to study poetry and to preserve the Provencal culture and language.
Creative activity
In 1852, an anthology was published in lang doyle, which, in addition to Rumanil, Theodore Aubanel, included the works of Frederic Mistral. A few years later, on May 21, 1854, this group, together with Alfonso Tavan, Jean Brunet and Victor Gelu, founded the Felibrige society, whose main goal was to carefully preserve and revive the active use of the Provencal language. Felibrige soon began publishing a magazine called Felibrige. Frederic Mistral devoted the next two decades of his life to this project. The business, which began as a hobby for him, has acquired immense value over time. In 1859, Rumanil, noting Mistral's contribution to the Provencal literary movement, published his epic poem Mireille.
The plot is based on a love story between a wealthy peasant woman, Mireille, and a poor young man, Vinchen. The girl's parents do not approve of their romance and she seeks help from the patron saints of Provence. During her journey, Mireille falls ill, and shortly before her death, the saints visit her. In 1864, Charles Gounod adapted the poem for his opera of the same name. The next major edition of Mistral was the poem Calendale, which tells the story of a heroic fisherman who saves his country from tyranny. By 1880, he completed his scientific work "The Treasury of the Felibres", which was published in several volumes between 1880 and 1886. In addition to documenting the various dialects of Provençal lang d'oil, it includes folk works as well as works on the culture and traditions of the region. In 1884, Mistral published Nerto, an epic poem that differs in tone and rhyme from his earlier works. Based on a Provencal tale, Nerto tells the story of a young girl whose father sold her soul to the devil. In 1890 he published the play Queen Jeanne. The following year, he launched the Provencal-language newspaper L'Aioli. In 1897, Mistral's new work, "Rhone's Poem", was published.
In 1904, Mistral founded the Provencal Museum in the city of Arles. In the same year, his work as a poet and keeper of the Provencal language and customs was recognized as the Nobel Prize in Literature, which he shared with Jose Echegaray from Spain. Mistral used his prize money to expand the museum in Arles. The last collection of poems that appeared during his lifetime was "Collecting Olives", published in 1912.
Personal life
Frederic Mistral married Marie Riviere on September 27, 1876. At that time he was 46 years old, and his chosen one was 20. The ceremony took place in the Cathedral of Saint Benigna in Dijon. The couple settled in a new house opposite Mistral's mother. The Provencal poet and lexicographer died at his home on March 25, 1914.
