Balázs Berke ( sl, Balaž Berke) was a Slovene poet, writer, and

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

priest in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, in the Slovene March (today

Prekmurje Prekmurje (; dialectically: ''Prèkmürsko'' or ''Prèkmüre''; hu, Muravidék) is a geographically, linguistically, culturally and ethnically defined region of Slovenia, settled by Slovenes and a Hungarian minority, lying between the Mur Ri ...

and Vendvidék). Born was in

Kančevci Kančevci (; hu, Felsőszentbenedek, Prekmurje Slovene: ''Kančovci'') is a village in the Municipality of Moravske Toplice in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia. Church The parish church, built to the east of the main settlement, is dedicated to S ...

in 1754 to the petty noble family which belonged to the local gentry. He studied in

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon language, Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the Ri ...

in Saxony, and in 1782 he returned to Hungary. He worked in

Puconci Puconci (; in older sources also ''Pucinci'', hu, Battyánd, Prekmurje Slovene: ''Püconci'') is a town in the Prekmurje region in northeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Puconci. Prior to 1920 it was known as Battyánd. C ...

, Surd, and Nemespátró, and then in 1803 in

Hodoš Hodoš (; hu, Hodos or , german: Hodosch) is a village in Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Hodoš. It is part of the Prekmurje region. Name Hodoš was first mentioned in written sources in 1331 as ''de Hudus-feu'' (and as ''Hodos' ...

. He married noblewoman Rosalia Gyenesse (Jenesse) with which he had multiple children. The fact that count Maximilian Batthyany was the godfather of Berkes children, it may be presumed that he was very respected man in the community. He died in Nemespátró around 1821. Berke wrote the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

book ''Ode Saphica honori ac venerationi Adami Farkas solemnia suis nominis celebrantis'' (a commemoration of the poet Ádám Farkas) and a hymnal in the

Prekmurje dialect Prekmurje Slovene, also known as the Prekmurje dialect, East Slovene, or Wendish ( sl, prekmurščina, prekmursko narečje, hu, vend nyelv, muravidéki nyelv, Prekmurje dialect: ''prekmürski jezik, prekmürščina, prekmörščina, prekmör ...

titled ''Szlovenszke Dühovne peszmi'' (Slovene Hymns, 1768–1769).

Sources

Szinnyei József: MAGYAR ÍRÓK ÉLETE ÉS MUNKÁI

* Vilko Novak: ''Martjanska pesmarica,'' ZALOŽBA ZRC.

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

1997.

Sources

See also