Mato Kósyk
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Mato Kósyk (18 June 1853 – 22 November 1940) was a German minister and
Sorbian language The Sorbian languages ( hsb, serbska rěč, dsb, serbska rěc) are the Upper Sorbian language and Lower Sorbian language, two closely related and partially mutually intelligible languages spoken by the Sorbs, a West Slavic ethno-cultural mino ...
poet. He was born in Werben,
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
, emigrated from
Lower Lusatia Lower Lusatia (; ; ; szl, Dolnŏ Łużyca; ; ) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia in the sou ...
to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, and died at his rural home near
Albion, Oklahoma Albion is a town in northeast Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States, approximately south of the Pushmataha- Latimer county line. The population was 106 at the 2010 census. When Albion was established, before Oklahoma became a state, the co ...
.


Youth

Kósyk began his schooling at the gymnasium in
Cottbus Cottbus (; Lower Sorbian: ''Chóśebuz'' ; Polish: Chociebuż) is a university city and the second-largest city in Brandenburg, Germany. Situated around southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree, Cottbus is also a major railway junction with exten ...
in 1867, with the intention of studying theology. He left the gymnasium before graduation in 1873, bringing his study ambitions to a temporary end. Instead, he started working for a
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
railroad company, where he wrote his first lyrical texts. These were all written in
Lower Sorbian Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eight ...
.


Literary activities

Because of problems with his health, Kósyk returned to Werben in 1877. During the following years he made a living as a freelance writer and produced his most important poetic works. From 1880 onwards he was co-editor of the ''Bramborske nowiny'' (
Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
News). Through his involvement in the revision of the Lower Sorbian church hymnal he made a lasting impact on the Lower Sorbian language. Kósyk maintained contacts with practically all important representatives of Sorbian cultural life: Kito Šwjela, Hajndrich Jordan, Bjarnat Krušwica, Juro Surowin and
Alfons Parczewski Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
, as well as Michał Hórnik and Jan Arnošt Smoler. Kósyk was one of the founders of the Lower Sorbian Maśica Serbska, the most important organisation of Lower Sorbian culture.


Emigration

In October 1883, Kósyk left for
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
, from where he sailed to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. He travelled by way of
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, to
Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...
. Here he could fulfill his dreams to study theology, and he enrolled in an orthodox Lutheran theological seminary. In January 1884 however, he transferred to a German seminary in
Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, instead, and continued his studies in a liberal Lutheran direction. Moreover, the students there spoke German instead of English, making it much easier for Mato Kosyk to understand. He completed his studies in 1885 and was ordained in
Wellsburg, Iowa Wellsburg is a city in Grundy County, Iowa, United States. The population was 720 at the 2020 census, a slight increase from 716 in 2000. It is part of the Waterloo– Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named for George Wells, ...
, where he worked among German
Frisia Frisia is a cross-border cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. The region is traditionally inhabited by the Frisians, a West Ger ...
n immigrants. Although Kósyk worked in the United States among
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 **Ger ...
- and Frisian-speaking farmers, he never ceased to write his Sorbian tales and poems during this period. He continued to publish in Sorbian publications.


Temporary return

At the end of 1886 Mato returned to Lower Lusatia when his brother Kito died. It appears his return was made easier because of tensions between the congregation in Wellsburg and himself. After returning, Kósyk endeavoured to have his ordination recognized; he very much wanted to fill a vacancy in Drachhausen near
Peitz Peitz (; Lower Sorbian Picnjo) is a town in the district of Spree-Neiße, in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany. Overview It is situated 13 km northeast of Cottbus. Surrounded by freshwater lakes, it is well known for its fishing industry. ...
. His efforts were in vain, however, and he travelled back to the United States in 1887.


America

In 1887 Kósyk again travelled to the United States, and he would never again return to Europe. He found work as pastor in
Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
, where until 1907 he worked in several German-language congregations: Ridgeley in Dodge County (1887–1889),
Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
in Lancaster County (1889–1895), Stamford in Harlan County (1896–1899) and Ohiowa in Fillmore County (1899–1907). From autumn 1895 until summer 1896 he was out of work and lived in Roca in Lancaster County. Kósyk married Anna Wehr in Princeton in 1890. Anna came from Duszno (formally Hochberg, now part of
Trzemeszno Trzemeszno (german: Tremessen) is a town in Gniezno County, west-central Poland belonging to the group of the oldest settlements in the region. The town's name derives from an Old Polish word “Trzemcha” meaning the flower of the "Bird’s C ...
), a village in
Kreis Gnesen Kreis Gnesen is one of several Kreise (English: ''counties'') in the northern administrative district of Bromberg, in the Prussian province of Posen. History Geographical features Table of Standesamter "Standesamt" is the German name of the l ...
in the
Province of Posen The Province of Posen (german: Provinz Posen, pl, Prowincja Poznańska) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1848 to 1920. Posen was established in 1848 following the Greater Poland Uprising as a successor to the Grand Duchy of Posen, w ...
. Kósyk's last position was in
El Reno, Oklahoma El Reno is a city in and county seat of Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 16,989, marking a change of 1.55% from 16,729, recorded in the 2010 census. The city was begun shortly after the 1 ...
. He retired in 1913 and moved near
Albion, Oklahoma Albion is a town in northeast Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States, approximately south of the Pushmataha- Latimer county line. The population was 106 at the 2010 census. When Albion was established, before Oklahoma became a state, the co ...
where in 2010, the home he lived in still stood. Only in 1892 did Kósyk pick up poetry and writing again. He also renewed his neglected contacts with Sorbian intellectuals.
Bogumił Šwjela Krystijan Bogumił Šwjela (also spelled "Schwela" and "Schwele") (5 September 1873 in Schorbus, Drebkau – 20 May 1948 in Naumburg) was a Wendish/ Sorbian Protestant clergyman and ethnic activist in the Lower Lusatia region. He also acted a ...
wanted to publish an anthology of Kósyk poems, which appeared in 1893. Kosyk would continue to have poems published in the Lausitz until 1898. After the deaths of Kósyk's only son, Juro, (at age 24 after a horse-riding accident) in 1915 and his wife Anna in 1929, Kósyk became increasingly isolated. He eventually married his housekeeper Wilma Filter in 1938. Wilma left Albion a year after Kósyk's death taking his papers with him; these have been deemed lost. During this last period, Kósyk maintained intensive contacts with the young Sorbian writer
Mina Witkojc Mina Witkojc (German: Wilhelmine Wittka; 28 May 1893, Burg (Spreewald) – 11 November 1975) was a German journalist, ethnic advocate, and poet. She wrote in the Lower Sorbian language. Works * ''Dolnoserbske basni'', Budyšin 1925 * ''Wĕn ...
.


Heritage

Mato Kósyk's work is predominantly lyrical, and includes very little prose. His poems are concentrated around the Christian faith, which Kósyk generally connected to nature in general and Lusatia in particular. The latter is the equivalent of the homeland, of the ''Heimat'', and is contrasted with the foreign. Kósyk identifies this through the Sorbian language, which on the one hand combines beauty and vulnerability and on the other hand has to battle against imminent extinction. Kósyk used both classical form as well as rhyming forms taken from folk culture for his poems. His preference was for the
hexameter Hexameter is a metrical line of verses consisting of six feet (a "foot" here is the pulse, or major accent, of words in an English line of poetry; in Greek and Latin a "foot" is not an accent, but describes various combinations of syllables). It w ...
form. For example, his ''Serbska swajźba w Błotach'' ("The Sorbian Wedding in the Spreewald") consists of nearly 2,000 hexameters. Hexameters are also used in ''Ten kśicowany'' ("The Crucified") and ''Helestupjenje Jezusa Kristusa'' ("The Descent of Jesus Christ to Hell"). The home were Kosyk lived from 1913 to 1940, situated near
Albion, Oklahoma Albion is a town in northeast Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States, approximately south of the Pushmataha- Latimer county line. The population was 106 at the 2010 census. When Albion was established, before Oklahoma became a state, the co ...
, Pushmataha County, called the Mato Kosyk House, has been added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. Its justification for inclusion is that it is the sole surviving structure associated with Kósyk. As in Kósyk's time, it features beautiful views of the
Kiamichi Mountains The Kiamichi Mountains (Choctaw: ''Nʋnih Chaha Kiamitia'') are a mountain range in southeastern Oklahoma. A subrange within the larger Ouachita Mountains that extend from Oklahoma to western Arkansas, the Kiamichi Mountains sit within Le Flore, P ...
. The primary school in Briesen has been named after Kósyk.


Works

*''Serbska swajźba w Błotach'', 1880 *''Pśerada markgroby Gera'', 1881 *''Branibora Pad'', 1882 *''Zběrka dolnoserbskich pěsnjow'', 1893 *''Zhromadźene spisy'' *''Pěsni'', two parts, 1929–1930, published by Bogumił Šwela


References

* the equivalent Dutch-language Wikipedia article (retrieved 21 March 2006). *David Zersen, Local Lutheran Boy Makes Good, Sixty Years Late.
Currents in Theology and Mission ''Currents in Theology and Mission'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed open access academic journal of theology published by the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and Wartburg Theological Seminary. The editors-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), ...
, Volume 30, No. 2, 2003. *David Zersen, "An American Birthday Remembrance on Mato Kosyk's 150th," *Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly, Spring, 2002. *David Zersen, "Mato Kósyk," Lutheran Quarterly, August 2002. *David Zersen, "Der Einfluss der Umgebung auf den Kuenstlerischen Ausdruck: Einblicke in die Poesie von Mato Kósyk aus der Sicht ner neuen Welt, " Domowina Verlag, 2004. *"Sorbs/Wends," Transatlantic Relations Encyclopedia Series, 2005.


External links


Mato Kósyk House


{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosyk, Mato 1853 births 1940 deaths People from Spree-Neiße People from the Province of Brandenburg Sorbian-language writers Writers from Brandenburg German emigrants to the United States American people of Sorbian descent People from Pushmataha County, Oklahoma