The weekly newspaper Tydźenska nowina, established by Jan Arnošt Smoler in 1852, served as a primary vehicle for Sorbian linguistic and cultural preservation throughout the nineteenth century. Born in Merzdorf in 1816, Smoler emerged as a central figure in Sorbian philology, dedicating his career to the documentation of regional folk traditions and the advancement of standardized Sorbian orthography.
Academic Foundation and Early Research
Smoler pursued studies at the University of Wrocław between 1836 and 1839, returning for further academic work from 1841 to 1845. During his early career, he collaborated with Joachim Leopold Haupt and Handrij Zejler to compile the significant collection, The folk songs of the Wends in Upper and Lower Lusatia. His academic output included a series of linguistic texts, such as a short grammar of the Serbian-Wendish language in Upper Lusatia published in 1852, and the 1848 study on ancient mythology in the Wendish Lausitz.
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In 1847, he participated in the founding of the Maćica Serbska, a Sorbian science and culture association. Smoler expanded his influence by establishing a private publishing bookstore in Bautzen. His editorial work was extensive, encompassing the yearbooks for Slavic literature, art, and science from 1852 to 1856, and later, the Slavic Central Gazette. His role as a teacher at the Bautzen grammar school, a position attained in 1850, allowed him to implement Sorbian language instruction through textbooks he authored himself.
Cultural Diplomacy and Legacy
A proponent of Slavic reciprocity, Smoler traveled to Russia frequently between 1859 and 1883 to secure funding for his national projects, including the construction of the Serbski dom. His efforts were recognized in 1862 when he received the Order of Saint Anna, 2nd class. Following his death in 1884 in Bautzen, he was interred at the Protschenbergfriedhof. His commitment to Sorbian literature remains memorialized by the Smoler’sche publishing bookstore, which was re-established in 1991.
Fast facts
- Born: 1816, Merzdorf
- Died: 1884, Bautzen
- Occupations: writer, teacher, publisher, philologist
- Education: University of Wrocław
- Key Publication: Tydźenska nowina
- Association: Maćica Serbska
- Award: Order of Saint Anna, 2nd class (1862)
- Burial site: Protschenbergfriedhof
Questions readers ask
What was the purpose of Smoler’s trips to Russia?
He traveled to Russia to solicit donations for his national cultural projects and the construction of the Serbski dom, the society house for the Maćica Serbska.
Where can one find a complete range of current Sorbian literature today?
The Smoler’sche publishing bookstore, re-established in 1991 by the Domowina Publishing House in Bautzen, maintains a full range of current Sorbian titles.
Achievements
- Order of Saint Anna, 2nd class — 1862
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