Jacques Jasmin
| Jacques Jasmin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Jacques Boé 16 March 1798 |
| Died | 4 October 1864 (aged 66) |
| Pen name | Jansemin |
| Language | Occitan |
| Nationality | French |
| Genre | poetry |
Jansemin (born Jacques Boé and also known as Jasmin in French) (16 March 1798 – 4 October 1864) was an Occitan poet.
He was born at Agen, his family name being Boé. His father, who was a tailor, had a certain facility for making doggerel verses, which he sang or recited at fairs and such-like popular gatherings; and Jacques, who generally accompanied him, was thus early familiarized with the part which he later so successfully filled himself. At 16 he found employment at a hairdressers shop and subsequently started a similar business of his own on the Gravier at Agen.
In 1825 he published his first volume of Papillotos (Curl Papers), containing poems in French (a language he used with a certain sense of restraint), and in the familiar Agen variety of Occitan language - the popular speech of the working classes in which he was to achieve all his literary triumphs. Jasmin was the most famous forerunner in Provençal literature of Frédéric Mistral and the Félibrige. His influence in rehabilitating, for literary purposes, his native dialect, was particularly exercised in the public recitals of his poems to which he devoted himself. His poetic gift, and his flexible voice and action, fitted him admirably for this double role of troubadour and jongleur. In 1835 he recited his "Blind Girl of Castel-Cuill" at Bordeaux, in 1836 at Toulouse; and he met with an enthusiastic reception in both those important cities. Most of his public recitations were given for benevolent purposes, the proceeds being contributed by him to the restoration of the church of Vergt and other good works.
Four successive volumes of Papillotos were published during his lifetime, and contained amongst others the following remarkable poems, quoted in order: "The Charivari", "My Recollections" (supplemented after an interval of many years), "The Blind Girl", "Francounetto", "Martha the Simple", and "The Twin Brothers". With the exception of "The Charivari", these are all touching pictures of humble life - in most cases real episodes - carefully elaborated by the poet till the graphic descriptions, full of light and color, and the admirably varied and melodious verse, seem too spontaneous and easy to have cost an effort.
...
Wikipedia