Mikołaj Rej

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Mikołaj Rej or Mikołaj Rey of Nagłowice, Poland (4 February 1505 - between 8 September and 5 October 1569), was one of the best known Polish poets and writers of the Renaissance. He was also a politician, a musician, and a nobleman of Oksza Coat of Arms. He was a Calvinist since 1541 or 1548. Considered one of the fathers of Polish literature.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 2 Life as a writer 3 Quotes 4 Works 5 References

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Rej was born in a noble family in Żurawin, near Halicz. His father moved to Russia from Nagłowice, Poland, which is near Kraków. Although he received little formal education in Lwów and one year in Cracow Academy, he managed to educate himself by studying Latin literature. He moved to the Chełm area in 1531, and from then on frequented the court of Hetman Mikołaj Sieniawski. At that time he was converted to calvinism, took part in synods and founded protestant schools and communities on his lands.

[edit] Life as a writer

In 1543 he made his debut under the pen name, Mikołaj took up the pen name Mikołaj from Nagłowice.. The book was titled, "A Short Debate Between Three Persons; a Nobleman, a Commune head and a Priest." He took part in sejms and thought his writing to be an important social mission. Rej was the first Polish writer to receive a major prize for his output. By the end of his life, he owned several villages. He received Temerowce from King Zygmunt I the Old, and Dziewięciele from Zygmunt II August as a lifelong possession and two towns, one of them was Rejowiec, founded by the author in 1547]. By the end of his life he owned several villages which he received from King Zygmunt I the Old with the exception of Dziewięciele which he was given by Zygmunt II. He also received two towns.

The previous year (2005) was pronounced by a Polish Sejm as a year of Mikołaj Rej due to 500 anniversary of his birth.

[edit] Quotes

• Poles are not geese; they have their own language. (Polacy nie gęsi, iż swój język mają).

[edit] Works

• Krótka rozprawa między trzema osobami: Panem, Wójtem i Plebanem (1543) written under the pen name Ambroży Korczbok Rożek
• Żywot Józefa (1545)
• Psałterz Dawidów (1546) – a prose paraphrase of a Latin translation of David's Psalter
• Kupiec (1549)
• Zwierzyniec (1562)
• Zwierciadło which includes Żywot człowieka poczciwego, a three-book prose (1567/1568)
• Rzecz pospolita albo Sejm pospolity

[edit] References

• Czesław Miłosz, The History of Polish Literature, University of California Press, 1984, ISBN 0520044770.