Casimir Britannicus
English Translations, Paraphrases, and Emulations of the Poetry of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski

Edited by Piotr Urbański and Krzysztof Fordoński

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Critical Texts 25

Modern Humanities Research Association

15 October 2010  •  324pp

ISBN: 978-1-907322-12-9 (paperback)  •  RRP £14.99, $19.99, €17.99

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Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (1595–1640) was known in his lifetime as the Christian Horace. He was one of the most famous Neo-Latin poets of the Baroque, widely read, commented upon, and translated throughout Europe. He was nominated Poet Laureate by Pope Urban VIII.

His Latin poetry was also read, translated, and imitated in England, especially from 1646 until the first half of the 19th century. The first edition of Sarbiewski’s English translations, by George Hils, was published in 1646. From that time onwards, Sarbiewski was translated by a variety of poets ranging from Hils to such famous authors as Vaughan and Coleridge. His poetry was universally read in grammar schools and used as a medium of improving the knowledge of Latin during a period exceeding two centuries. Thanks to Sarbiewski, English poets started to imitate Horace, which was an important factor in overcoming the Pindaric tradition. Sarbiewski’s oeuvre was also attractive owing to its immersion in various cultural traditions such as Stoicism, Ignatian spirituality, Platonism, and Hermeticism.

This revised and expanded edition includes all known English translations of Sarbiewski’s poems. The texts are accompanied by an introduction presenting the biography and works of Sarbiewski, as well as a short critical analysis of the translations included in the volume.

Piotr Urbański is the Chair of the Department of Latin and Classical Tradition at the University of Szczecin and Krzysztof Fordoński is assistant professor in the Faculty of Applied Linguistics at the University of Warsaw.

Reviews:

  • ‘The anthology is a sound philological achievement which illustrates an important link between the mostly Protestant English and Scottish poets and their most famous Polish Catholic counterpart, a continuous poetic interest from the mid-seventeenth to the nineteenth century. ‘Casimir Britannicus’ thus becomes for us Sarbiewski rediscovered.’ — George Gömöri, Modern Language Review 107.3, July 2012, 1007-09 (full text online)
  • ‘In the well written and well-structured introduction to the volume ... Krzysztof Fordoński and Piotr Urbański identify six waves of Sarbiewski’s long-lasting popularity ... The editors did an excellent job in assembling this carefully thought out critical edition.’ — Robert Maryks, Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu July-December 2011, 758-59
  • ‘These days, enthusiasts of Neo-Latin poetry in general, and Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (Sarbievius) in particular, are few and far between. Perhaps only they will recognize the great importance of this new anthology, but all who do take cognizance of it will receive it with gratitude.’ — Charles S. Kraszewski, Polish Review Fall 2008
  • ‘Casimir Britannicus is a landmark publication.’ — Anne Barbeau Gardiner, Sarmatian Review 30.1, January 2010, 1469-71

Bibliography entry:

Urbański, Piotr, and Krzysztof Fordoński (eds), Casimir Britannicus: English Translations, Paraphrases, and Emulations of the Poetry of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Critical Texts, 25 (MHRA, 2010)

First footnote reference: 35 Casimir Britannicus: English Translations, Paraphrases, and Emulations of the Poetry of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, ed. by Piotr Urbański and Krzysztof Fordoński, Critical Texts, 25 (MHRA, 2010), p. 21.

Subsequent footnote reference: 37 Urbański and Fordoński, p. 47.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)

Bibliography entry:

Urbański, Piotr, and Krzysztof Fordoński (eds). 2010. Casimir Britannicus: English Translations, Paraphrases, and Emulations of the Poetry of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Critical Texts, 25 (MHRA)

Example citation: ‘A quotation occurring on page 21 of this work’ (Urbański and Fordoński 2010: 21).

Example footnote reference: 35 Urbański and Fordoński 2010: 21.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)

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Permanent link to this title:

www.mhra.org.uk/publications/Casimir-Britannicus
www.mhra.org.uk/publications/ct-25