Dositej Obradović
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| Dositej Dimitrije Obradović | |
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| Born | February 17, 1742? Čakovo, Habsburg Empire |
| Died | 1811 Belgrade, Serbia |
| Nationality | Serbian |
Dositej (Dositheus) Dimitrije Obradović (Доситеј Обрадовић; February 17, 1742 - 1811) was a Serbian author, philosopher and linguist[1]. As one of the most influential proponents of Serbian national and cultural Renaissance, he was advocating ideas of European Enlightenment and Rationalism; yet his writings bear clear evidence that he never lost his religion.
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[edit] Life
Dositej Obradović was born Dimitrije Obradović in the village of Čakovo (now Ciacova, Timiş County, Romania) in Banat, probably in 1739. He was from his early age imbued with the passion for study. On February 17, 1757, he became a monk in the Serb Orthodox monastery of Hopovo (in Srem region) and acquired the name Dositej (Dositheus). After devouring the contents of the library he hungered for further learning and in November 2, 1760,he left the monastery of Hopovo bound for Hilandar, Mount Athos.
For forty years thereafter, he traveled Europe and Asia Minor: Albania, Dalmatia, Corfu, Greece, Hungary, Turkey, Germany, Romania, France, Russia, England, Italy, Poland. Finally he went to Belgrade, at the invitation of Karađorđe Petrović, to become a minister of education in the newly organised government. He died in 1811.
Obradović helped introduce to the Serbs the learning of western Europe[2]. He and Vuk Karadžić, whom Obradović influenced, are recognized as the fathers of modern Serbian literature.
Obradović had grown up bilingual (Serbian, Romanian) and learned classical Greek, Latin, modern Greek, German, English, French, Russian, Albanian and Italian[3]. He translated into Serbian many western European classics, including Aesop's Fables.
[edit] Works
- Slovo poučiteljno Gosp. Georg. Joakima Colikofera, Leipzig, 1774, 31 pp.
- Pismo Haralampiju, 1783.
- Život i priključenija D.O., Leipzig, 1783, 1788.
- Sovjeti zdravago razuma, Leipzig, 1784, 119 pp.
- Ezopove i pročih raznih basnotvorcev basne, Leipzig, 1788, 451 pp.
- Pesme o izbavleniju Serbije, Beč, 1789, 4 pp.
- Sobranije raznih naravoučitelnih veščej, Pécs, 1793, 2 + 316 pp.
- Etika ili filozofija naravnoučitelna, Venice, 1803, 160 pp.
- Pesma na insurekciju Serbijanov, 1804.
- Mezimac I Budim, 1818, 230 + 11 pp.
- Ižica, 1830.
- Pisma Budim, 1829, 126 pp.
- Prvenac Karlštat, 1930, 17 + 168 pp.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Obradović, Dositej. The Life and Adventures of Dimitrije Obradović. University of California Publications in Modern Philology 39. Berkeley; Los Angeles, 1953.
- Ćurčić, N. M. J. The Ethics of Reason in the Philosophical System of Dositej Obradovic A Study of His Contribution in This Field to the Age of Reason. London: Unwin Bros. Ltd, 1976.
- Petar Pijanović: Život i delo Dositeja Obradovića. Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva, Beograd 2000.
- Wladimir Fischer: Creating a National Hero: The Changing Symbolics of Dositej Obradović. In: Identität - Kultur - Raum. Turia + Kant, Wien 2001.
- Fischer, Wladimir. 'Dositej Obradović als bürgerlicher Kulturheld. Zur Formierung eines serbischen bürgerlichen Selbstbildes durch literarische Kommunikation 1783–1845'. Studien zur Geschichte Südosteuropas 16. Olga Katsiardi-Hering, Max Demeter Peyfuss and Maria Stassinopoulou (eds.). Frankfurt/M.: Peter Lang Publishing. ISBN 9783631542149.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Biography (Serbian)
- ^ Wladimir Fischer: The Role of Dositej Obradovic in the Construction of Serbian Identities During the 19th Century. In: spacesofidentity vol. 1.3 (2001)
- ^ The south Slav Journal / "Dositey Obradovich Circle". - London : South Slav Research & Study Centre 1.1978 - 5. ISSN 0141 6146
