Martin Dobrizhoffer (7 September 1717 – 17 July 1791) was an
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n Roman Catholic
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
and writer.
Biography
Dobrizhoffer was born in
Frymburk (Friedberg),
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
. He joined the
Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
in 1736, and in 1749 proceeded to
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, where for eighteen years he worked devotedly first among the
Guaranis, and then among the
Abipones. Returning to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, on the expulsion of the Jesuits from
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
, he settled at
Vienna
en, Viennese
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, registration_plate = W
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, obtained the friendship of
Maria Theresa, survived the suppression of his order, and wrote the history of his mission. He died in Vienna in 1791.
Book
The book on which his claim to fame rests, "An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay" was found in
Vienna
en, Viennese
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in 1784 in the author's own
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 ...
, and in a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
translation by Professor Kreil of the
University of Pest
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. Of its contents some idea may be obtained from its extended title:
:''Historia de Abiponibus, equestri bellicosaque Paraquariae natione, locupletata copiosis barbarorum gentium, urbium, fluminum, ferarum, amphibiorum, insectorum, serpentium praecipuorum, piscium, avium, arborum, plantarum aliarumque ejusdem provinciae proprietatum observationibus''
The work, published in three volumes, London, 1822, there appeared in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, an anonymous English translation sometimes ascribed to
Southey, but really the work of
Sara Coleridge
Sara Coleridge (23 December 1802 – 3 May 1852) was an English author and translator. She was the third child out of four and the only daughter of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his wife Sara Fricker. She gained further popularity with in ...
, who had undertaken the task to defray the college expenses of one of her brothers. A delicate compliment was paid to the translator by Southey in the third
canto
The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry.
Etymology and equivalent terms
The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from the ...
of his ''A Tale of Paraguay'', the story of which was derived from the pages of Dobrizhoffer's narrative:
Southey did, however, write a 36-page article about the topic in the January 1822 edition of the ''
Quarterly Review
The ''Quarterly Review'' was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967. It was referred to as ''The London Quarterly Review'', as reprinted by Leonard Scott, f ...
'', pp.277-324.
Early map of Paraguay
Published in
Vienna
en, Viennese
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, registration_plate = W
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, 1780, "Mappa Paraquariae", one of the most important early maps of the region, engraved by Franz Assner.
References
*
External links
*
1717 births
1791 deaths
People from Český Krumlov District
People from the Kingdom of Bohemia
German Bohemian people
18th-century Austrian Jesuits
Austrian Roman Catholic missionaries
Jesuit missionaries in Paraguay
Austrian expatriates in Paraguay
Austrian male writers
Ethnographers
{{ethnographer-stub