George Borrow

George Henry Borrow (1803-1881) was an English author who wrote novels and travelogues based on his own experiences around Europe. Over the course of his wanderings, he developed a close affinity with the Gypsy nomads of Europe, and they figure prominently in his work. His best known book, Lavengro, is largely autobiographical. Image File history File links George_Borrow. ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... The Roma people (pronounced rahma, singular Rom, sometimes Rroma, and Rrom) along with the closely related Sinti people are commonly known as Gypsies in English, and as Tsigany in most of Europe. ... World map showing Europe (geographically) When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ...

Borrow was born at East Dereham, Norfolk, the son of a recruiting officer, and had a somewhat wandering childhood. He was educated at Norwich grammar school as well as the Edinburgh High School. He studied law, but languages and literature became his main interests. In 1825, he began his first major European journey, walking in France and Germany. Over the next few years he visited Russia, Portugal, Spain and Morocco, acquainting himself with the people and languages of the various countries he visited. After his marriage in 1840, he settled near Lowestoft, but continued to travel both inside and outside the UK. Map sources for East Dereham at grid reference TF9812 East Dereham, also known simply as Dereham, is a town in Norfolk, England. ... For alternative meanings see: Norfolk (disambiguation) Norfolk (pronounced NOR-fk) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ... Norwich (pronounced variously Norritch or Norridge) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England, and the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. ... A grammar school is a type of school found in some English-speaking countries. ... Edinburghs location in Scotland Edinburgh viewed from Arthurs Seat. ... Open Directory Project: Literature World Literature Electronic Text Archives Magazines and E-zines Online Writing Writers Resources Libraries, Digital Cataloguing, Metadata Distance Learning Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Classicism in Literature The Universal Library, by Carnegie Mellon University Project Gutenberg Online Library Abacci - Project Gutenberg texts matched with Amazon... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Map sources for Lowestoft at grid reference TM5492 Sunrise at Ness Point, Lowestoft. ...

Early scandal

Because of his precocious lingustic skills George Borrow in his youth became the protegé of William Taylor. Borrow depicts the scholar and advocate of German Romantic literature in his semi-autobiographical novel Lavengro (1851). In his recollection of his early youth in Norwich some thirty years earlier, Borrow depicts an old man (Taylor) and a young man (Borrow) discussing the merits of German literature, including Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther. The Norwich-born scholar William Taylor confesses himself to be no admirer of either The Sorrows of Young Werther or its author but nevertheless states- William Taylor (1765-1836) was a scholar, linguist and translator of German romantic literature. ... Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in late 18th century Western Europe. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe â–¶(?) (IPA: ) (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German novelist, dramatist, poet, humanist, scientist, philosopher, and for ten years chief minister of state at Weimar. ... The Sorrows of Young Werther (German, Die Leiden des jungen Werthers) is a loosely autobiographical novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, first published in 1774. ... William Taylor (1765-1836) was a scholar, linguist and translator of German romantic literature. ... The Sorrows of Young Werther (German, Die Leiden des jungen Werthers) is a loosely autobiographical novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, first published in 1774. ...

It is good to be a German (for) the Germans are the most philosophical people in the world.

With Taylor’s encouragement Borrow embarked upon his first translation -- Von Klinger's scandalous work first published in St.Petersburg in 1791 its full title being -- Faustus, his Life, Death and Descent into Hell a variant upon the Faust legend. In his translation Borrow altered the name of one City, thus making one passage of the legend read -- Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland...

They found the people of the place modelled after so unsightly a pattern, with such ugly figures and flat features that the devil owned he had never seen them equalled, except by the inhabitants of an English town, called Norwich, when dressed in their Sunday's best.

For his lampooning of Norwich society the young Borrow earned the humiliation of having public subscription libraries burn his first ever publication. The events and repercussions of Borrow's translation of Von Klinger's scandalous work antecede those of another controversial author, Salman Rushdie author of The Satanic Verses. Salman Rushdie Salman Rushdie (born Ahmed Salman Rushdie Arabic: احمد صلمن رشدی on June 19, 1947, in Bombay, India) is an Indian-born British essayist and author of fiction, most of which is set on the Indian subcontinent. ... The Satanic Verses cover The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdies fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Muhammad. ...

Russian visit

George Borrow was a fabled adept at acquiring new languages. He informed the British and Foreign Bible Society that-

I possess some acqaintance with the Russian, being able to read without much difficulty any printed Russian book.

He duly left Norwich to arrive in Saint Petersburg on the 13th of August 1833. As an agent of the Bible Society Borrow was charged with the duty of supervising a translation of the Bible into Manchu. As a traveller however he was overwhelmed by the beauty of Saint Petersburg, writing -- Norwich (pronounced variously Norritch or Norridge) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England, and the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... The Manchu (Manchu: Manju; Simplified Chinese: 满族; Traditional Chinese: 滿族; pinyin: ) are an ethnic group who originated in the dong bei or North East region consisting of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang provinces, collectively known in English as Manchuria. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland...

Notwithstanding I have previously heard and read much of the beauty and magnificence of the Russian capital……There can be no doubt that it is the finest City in Europe, being pre-eminent for the grandeur of its public edifices and the length and regularity of its streets.

During his two year sojourn in Russia Borrow called upon Pushkin but the poet was out on a social visit. He left two copies of his translations of Pushkin’s literary works and later Pushkin expressed his regret at not meeting. Pushkin may refer to: People Aleksandr Pushkin - a famous Russian poet Apollo Mussin-Pushkin - chemist and plant collector Aleksei Musin-Pushkin - statesman, historian, art collector Other Pushkin, a town in Russia Pushkin Square - square in Moscow Pushkin Museum - fine arts museum in Moscow This is a disambiguation page — a navigational...

Borrow described the Russian people as --

The best-natured kindest people in the world, and though they do not know as much as the English, they have not the fiendish, spiteful dispositions and if you go amongst them and speak their language, however badly, they would go through fire and water to do you a kindness.

Borrow had a life-long empathy with nomadic people such as gypsies, and was fascinated by gypsy customs, songs and dance. He became so familiar with their language as to publish a dictionary of it. He visited Russian gypsies who camped outside Moscow in the summer of 1835. His impressions formed part of the opening chapter of Zincali: or an account of the gypsies of Spain (1841).

With his mission of supervising a Manchu translation of the Bible completed, Borrow returned to Norwich in September 1835. In his report to the Bible Society he confessed -- Norwich (pronounced variously Norritch or Norridge) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England, and the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. ...

I quitted that country, and am compelled to acknowledge, with regret. I went thither prejudiced against that country, the government and the people; the first is much more agreeable than is generally supposed; the second is seemingly the best adapted for so vast an empire; and the third, even the lowest classes, are in general kind, hospitable, and benevolent.

Spanish mission

Such was Borrow's success working as an agent for the Bible Society that on November 11th 1835 he set off for Spain, once more as an agent of the Bible society. Borrow claimed to have stayed in Spain for nearly five years and his reminiscences of Spain were the basis of his travelogue, The Bible in Spain, of 1851. Borrow was often not only a perceptive traveller but also on occasion opinionated in his observations upon foreign lands. He remarked in The Bible in Spain -- The Bible in Spain, subtitled or the Journey, Adventures, and Imprisonment of an Englishman in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the Peninsula published in London in 1843 is the most famous work of George Borrow (1803-1881). ... The Bible in Spain, subtitled or the Journey, Adventures, and Imprisonment of an Englishman in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the Peninsula published in London in 1843 is the most famous work of George Borrow (1803-1881). ...

the huge population of Madrid, with the exception of a sprinkling of foreigners,...is strictly Spanish, though a considerable portion are not natives of the place. Here are no colonies of Germans, as at Saint Petersburg; no English factories, as at Lisbon: no multitudes of insolent Yankees lounging through the streets, as at the Havannah, with an air which seems to say, the land is our own whenever we choose to take it; but a population which, however strange or wild, and composed of various elements, is Spanish, and will remain so as long as the city itself shall exist.

The above quotation is an example both of Borrow's empathy with native, indigenous peoples, and also of his occasional bout of prejudice; here in observing the latent stirrings of 19th century 'American Imperialism'.

Borrow was a man of striking appearance and great vigour and originality of character and mind. His writings hold a unique place in English literature.

Works

• Lavengro (1851)
• Romany Rye (1857)
• Wild Wales (1862)

1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

References

• This article incorporates public domain text from: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London, J.M. Dent & sons; New York, E.P. Dutton.

The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature is a collection of biographies of writers by John W. Cousin, published around 1910. ...

External links

• Works by George Borrow at Project Gutenberg
• The George Borrow Society