German Orientalism and the Persian Literature in the Islamic Period: Josef von Hammer-Purgstall (1774–1856) as an Example of Literary Interlacing

Abstract

The interest in Persian language, culture and literature in the Islamic period in Europe dates back to a very old tradition. From the point of view of the translation activities, it can be said that the textual contact with the Persian literature in the Islamic Europe began in the 17th century. Due to their strong interest in geography and culture, travelers began to concern themselves with language and literature. During this period, many Germans travelled to the lands of the Safavids. They gathered extensive knowledge about history, culture, language and Persian literature in the Islamic period, and transferred it to the West. In 1634, the French orientalist Andre du Ryer (1580-1660) translated into French Sheikh Saadi’s Gulistan/The Rose Garden, which is considered to be one of the classics of Persian literature. In 1636, Friedrich Ochsenbach (1606–1658) translated this work from French into German under the title of Gulistan, das ist, Koniglicher Rosengarten/Gulistan, Royal Rose Garden. Adam Olearius (Olschlager 1600-1671), who learned Persian in the Safavid madrasas, became acquainted with the works of Saadi. After his return to Germany, he enlisted the help of the Persian ambassador, and in the year 1654, translated Gulistan into German under the title Persianisches Rosenthal/Valley of the Persian Roses. During the latter part of the 18th century, the increase of translation activities of literary texts of the Persian poets from the Islamic period, such as Hafez Shirazi and Sheikh Saadi-i Shirazi into Western languages in Europe had an impact on German-speaking orientalists and poets. This period can be considered as a turning point in the relationship between Orient and Occident. The early years of the 19th century, literary Orientalism, which began and developed with the translation of diplomats, travelers, traders and orientalists, left a corpus of Persian poetry to the German-speaking world. The Austrian Orientalist Josef von HammerPurgstall (1774-1856) occupies an important place in the formation of this corpus. Hammer-Purgstall’s translations made Persian poetry available to classical and romantic thinkers, poets and orientalists. This article has two aims; to show that Hammer-Purgstall created a literal network with his translations from Persian poetry in the Islamic period, and to determine how great a role his translations played in the construction and institutionalization of German literary orientalism.