A national poet or national bard is a
poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular
national culture.[1] The national poet as
culture hero is a long-standing symbol, to be distinguished from successive holders of a bureaucratically-appointed
poet-laureate office. The idea and honoring of national poets emerged primarily during
Romanticism, as a figure that helped consolidation of the
nation states, as it provided validation of their
ethno-linguistic groups.[1]
Most national poets are historic figures, though a few contemporary writers working in relatively new or revived national literatures are also considered "national poets". Though not formally elected, national poets play a role in shaping a country's understanding of itself.[2] Some nations may have more than one national poet; the idea of a single one is always a simplification. It has been argued that a national poet "must write poetry that closely identifies with the nation's cause – or is thought to do so",[3] with an additional assumption being that "a national poet must write in a national language".[4]
The following is a list of nations, with their associated national poets. It is not a list of
sovereignstates or
countries, though many of the nations listed may also be such. The terms "
nation" (as cultural concept), "
country" (as geographical concept) and "
state" (as political concept) are not
synonyms.
^Morgenstierne, G. (1960). "Khushhal Khan—the national poet of the Afghans". Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society. 47: 49–57.
doi:
10.1080/03068376008731684.
^Hao, Tianhu (2012). "Milton in Late-Qing China (1837-1911) and the Production of Cross-Cultural Knowledge". Milton Quarterly. 46 (2): 86–105.
doi:
10.1111/j.1094-348X.2012.00330.x.
JSTOR24463978.
^Mahfouz, Safi; Al Hweitat, Dr. Mufleh (2022). "'Arār, "Jordan's Wandering Poet among the Gypsies," and Maxwell Bodenheim, "The Village Rogue": A Comparative Study of the Two Bohemians' Lives and Poetic Styles". The International Journal of Literary Humanities. 20 (2): 121–137.
doi:
10.18848/2327-7912/CGP/v20i02/121-137.
ProQuest2730090789.
^Toledo Lezeta, Ana María (2008). "Linguae Vasconum Primitiae, bi partetan banaturik". Jean Haritschelhar-i omenaldia. pp. 625–644.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (
link)
^Martin, T. D. (2001:436). The Affirmative Action Empire: Nations and Nationalism in the Soviet Union, 1923-1939. United Kingdom: Cornell University Press.
^Tourist Mosaic of Belarus. (2017:480). Russia: ЛитРес.
^Mahmutćehajić, R. (2015). The Praised and the Virgin. Netherlands: Brill.
^Brennan & O'Dea, Paul & Michael (2004). Entrelacs franco-irlandais, langue, mémoire, imaginaire. Presses universitaires de Caen. p. 81.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (
link)
^Ioannides, C. P. (2018:12). Cyprus Under British Colonial Rule: Culture, Politics, and the Movement Toward Union with Greece, 1878–1954. United States: Lexington Books.
^
abDović, Marijan; Helgason, Jón Karl (2017). National Poets, Cultural Saints: Canonization and Commemorative Cults of Writers in Europe. p. 63.
doi:
10.1163/9789004335400.
ISBN978-90-04-33539-4.
^Salcman, M. (2016:90). A Prague Spring, Before & After. United States: Evening Street Press.
^Michael Dobson (17 November 1994), The Making of the National Poet - Shakespeare, Adaptation and Authorship, 1660-1769, Clarendon Press,
ISBN978-0-19-818323-5
^Lachman, G. (2013). The Caretakers of the Cosmos: Living Responsibly in an Unfinished World. United Kingdom: Floris Books.
^Linguist. (1962). United Kingdom: Linguists' Club..
^Simpson, Harold L. (1967). "The Poetic Image of the Soldier from Baudelaire to the First World War". The South Central Bulletin. 27 (4): 23–33.
doi:
10.2307/3188918.
JSTOR3188918.
^Elliott, Mark (2003). "Beyond Left and Right: The Poetic Reception of Stefan George and Rainer Maria Rilke, 1933-1945". The Modern Language Review. 98 (4): 908–928.
doi:
10.2307/3737933.
JSTOR3737933.
S2CID161795959.
^Karamercan, Axel Onur (29 December 2022). "Heidegger on Hölderlin's Hymn Der Ister. The Dwelling of the Poet and the Place-Making of the River". Synthesis Philosophica. 37 (2): 395–414.
doi:
10.21464/sp37207.
^Decker, G. (2018:157). Hesse: The Wanderer and His Shadow. United States: Harvard University Press.
^Dović, Marijan; Helgason, Jón Karl (2017). "Commemorative Cults of Poets and Writers: A Historical Perspective". National Poets, Cultural Saints: Canonization and Commemorative Cults of Writers in Europe. pp. 35–70.
doi:
10.1163/9789004335400_004.
ISBN978-90-04-33539-4.
^KučInskienė, Aistė (2021). "The Making of the Lithuanian National Poet: Maironis". Literary Canon Formation as Nation-Building in Central Europe and the Baltics. pp. 256–272.
doi:
10.1163/9789004457713_016.
ISBN978-90-04-45771-3.
^Zilys, Arunas (12 March 1989).
"1941-1952" – via Victoria & Albert Museum.
^Ippolito, Marguerite-Marie (11 January 2003). Troubadour Limousin du XIIème siècle, prince de l'amour et de la poésie romane. Editions L'Harmattan.
ISBN9782747500173.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (
link)
^Giergielewicz, Mieczysław (1960). "KRASIŃSKI IN THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD (A Bibliographical Review)". The Polish Review. 5 (4): 68–102.
JSTOR25776332.
^Neghina, Raul; Neghina, Adriana M (March 2011). "Medical Controversies and Dilemmas in Discussions about the Illness and Death of Mihai Eminescu (1850–1889), Romania's National Poet". Medical Problems of Performing Artists. 26 (1): 44–50.
doi:
10.21091/mppa.2011.1007.
PMID21442137.
^McVay, Gordon (1972). "Yesenin's Posthumous Fame, and the Fate of His Friends". The Modern Language Review. 67 (3): 590–602.
doi:
10.2307/3726127.
JSTOR3726127.
^Porter, Richard N. (1969). "The Criteria of Turgenev's Literary Criticism". The Russian Review. 28 (4): 441–452.
doi:
10.2307/127163.
JSTOR127163.
^MacDiarmid, H., MacGill-Eain, S. (2010:44). The Correspondence Between Hugh MacDiarmid and Sorley MacLean: An Annotated Edition. United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press.
^Foundation, Poetry (11 March 2024).
"Robert Burns". Poetry Foundation.
^Balazsr2=Michal Kopecek (1 November 2006).
National Romanticism: The Formation of National Movements. Central European University Press. p. 431.
ISBN978-963-7326-60-8. Characteristically, although Njegoš saw himself as a definitely Serbian poet, his epic came to be later canonized as the most important work of 'Yugoslav' literature [...]{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)
^James Woodall, Borges: A Life, Basic Books (1996).
ISBN0-465-04361-5. Relevant excerpt
available on the New York Times web site, accessed 9 March 2007.
A national poet or national bard is a
poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular
national culture.[1] The national poet as
culture hero is a long-standing symbol, to be distinguished from successive holders of a bureaucratically-appointed
poet-laureate office. The idea and honoring of national poets emerged primarily during
Romanticism, as a figure that helped consolidation of the
nation states, as it provided validation of their
ethno-linguistic groups.[1]
Most national poets are historic figures, though a few contemporary writers working in relatively new or revived national literatures are also considered "national poets". Though not formally elected, national poets play a role in shaping a country's understanding of itself.[2] Some nations may have more than one national poet; the idea of a single one is always a simplification. It has been argued that a national poet "must write poetry that closely identifies with the nation's cause – or is thought to do so",[3] with an additional assumption being that "a national poet must write in a national language".[4]
The following is a list of nations, with their associated national poets. It is not a list of
sovereignstates or
countries, though many of the nations listed may also be such. The terms "
nation" (as cultural concept), "
country" (as geographical concept) and "
state" (as political concept) are not
synonyms.
^Morgenstierne, G. (1960). "Khushhal Khan—the national poet of the Afghans". Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society. 47: 49–57.
doi:
10.1080/03068376008731684.
^Hao, Tianhu (2012). "Milton in Late-Qing China (1837-1911) and the Production of Cross-Cultural Knowledge". Milton Quarterly. 46 (2): 86–105.
doi:
10.1111/j.1094-348X.2012.00330.x.
JSTOR24463978.
^Mahfouz, Safi; Al Hweitat, Dr. Mufleh (2022). "'Arār, "Jordan's Wandering Poet among the Gypsies," and Maxwell Bodenheim, "The Village Rogue": A Comparative Study of the Two Bohemians' Lives and Poetic Styles". The International Journal of Literary Humanities. 20 (2): 121–137.
doi:
10.18848/2327-7912/CGP/v20i02/121-137.
ProQuest2730090789.
^Toledo Lezeta, Ana María (2008). "Linguae Vasconum Primitiae, bi partetan banaturik". Jean Haritschelhar-i omenaldia. pp. 625–644.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (
link)
^Martin, T. D. (2001:436). The Affirmative Action Empire: Nations and Nationalism in the Soviet Union, 1923-1939. United Kingdom: Cornell University Press.
^Tourist Mosaic of Belarus. (2017:480). Russia: ЛитРес.
^Mahmutćehajić, R. (2015). The Praised and the Virgin. Netherlands: Brill.
^Brennan & O'Dea, Paul & Michael (2004). Entrelacs franco-irlandais, langue, mémoire, imaginaire. Presses universitaires de Caen. p. 81.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (
link)
^Ioannides, C. P. (2018:12). Cyprus Under British Colonial Rule: Culture, Politics, and the Movement Toward Union with Greece, 1878–1954. United States: Lexington Books.
^
abDović, Marijan; Helgason, Jón Karl (2017). National Poets, Cultural Saints: Canonization and Commemorative Cults of Writers in Europe. p. 63.
doi:
10.1163/9789004335400.
ISBN978-90-04-33539-4.
^Salcman, M. (2016:90). A Prague Spring, Before & After. United States: Evening Street Press.
^Michael Dobson (17 November 1994), The Making of the National Poet - Shakespeare, Adaptation and Authorship, 1660-1769, Clarendon Press,
ISBN978-0-19-818323-5
^Lachman, G. (2013). The Caretakers of the Cosmos: Living Responsibly in an Unfinished World. United Kingdom: Floris Books.
^Linguist. (1962). United Kingdom: Linguists' Club..
^Simpson, Harold L. (1967). "The Poetic Image of the Soldier from Baudelaire to the First World War". The South Central Bulletin. 27 (4): 23–33.
doi:
10.2307/3188918.
JSTOR3188918.
^Elliott, Mark (2003). "Beyond Left and Right: The Poetic Reception of Stefan George and Rainer Maria Rilke, 1933-1945". The Modern Language Review. 98 (4): 908–928.
doi:
10.2307/3737933.
JSTOR3737933.
S2CID161795959.
^Karamercan, Axel Onur (29 December 2022). "Heidegger on Hölderlin's Hymn Der Ister. The Dwelling of the Poet and the Place-Making of the River". Synthesis Philosophica. 37 (2): 395–414.
doi:
10.21464/sp37207.
^Decker, G. (2018:157). Hesse: The Wanderer and His Shadow. United States: Harvard University Press.
^Dović, Marijan; Helgason, Jón Karl (2017). "Commemorative Cults of Poets and Writers: A Historical Perspective". National Poets, Cultural Saints: Canonization and Commemorative Cults of Writers in Europe. pp. 35–70.
doi:
10.1163/9789004335400_004.
ISBN978-90-04-33539-4.
^KučInskienė, Aistė (2021). "The Making of the Lithuanian National Poet: Maironis". Literary Canon Formation as Nation-Building in Central Europe and the Baltics. pp. 256–272.
doi:
10.1163/9789004457713_016.
ISBN978-90-04-45771-3.
^Zilys, Arunas (12 March 1989).
"1941-1952" – via Victoria & Albert Museum.
^Ippolito, Marguerite-Marie (11 January 2003). Troubadour Limousin du XIIème siècle, prince de l'amour et de la poésie romane. Editions L'Harmattan.
ISBN9782747500173.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (
link)
^Giergielewicz, Mieczysław (1960). "KRASIŃSKI IN THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD (A Bibliographical Review)". The Polish Review. 5 (4): 68–102.
JSTOR25776332.
^Neghina, Raul; Neghina, Adriana M (March 2011). "Medical Controversies and Dilemmas in Discussions about the Illness and Death of Mihai Eminescu (1850–1889), Romania's National Poet". Medical Problems of Performing Artists. 26 (1): 44–50.
doi:
10.21091/mppa.2011.1007.
PMID21442137.
^McVay, Gordon (1972). "Yesenin's Posthumous Fame, and the Fate of His Friends". The Modern Language Review. 67 (3): 590–602.
doi:
10.2307/3726127.
JSTOR3726127.
^Porter, Richard N. (1969). "The Criteria of Turgenev's Literary Criticism". The Russian Review. 28 (4): 441–452.
doi:
10.2307/127163.
JSTOR127163.
^MacDiarmid, H., MacGill-Eain, S. (2010:44). The Correspondence Between Hugh MacDiarmid and Sorley MacLean: An Annotated Edition. United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press.
^Foundation, Poetry (11 March 2024).
"Robert Burns". Poetry Foundation.
^Balazsr2=Michal Kopecek (1 November 2006).
National Romanticism: The Formation of National Movements. Central European University Press. p. 431.
ISBN978-963-7326-60-8. Characteristically, although Njegoš saw himself as a definitely Serbian poet, his epic came to be later canonized as the most important work of 'Yugoslav' literature [...]{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)
^James Woodall, Borges: A Life, Basic Books (1996).
ISBN0-465-04361-5. Relevant excerpt
available on the New York Times web site, accessed 9 March 2007.