Lavengro by George Borrow (read me a book txt) 📕
Description
Lavengro, the Scholar, the Gypsy, the Priest, published in 1851, is a heavily fictionalized account of George Borrow’s early years. Borrow, born in 1803, was a writer and self-taught polyglot, fluent in many European languages, and a lover of literature.
The Romany Rye, published six years later in 1857, is sometimes described as the “sequel” to Lavengro, but in fact it begins with a straight continuation of the action of the first book, which breaks off rather suddenly. The two books therefore are best considered as a whole and read together, and this Standard Ebooks edition combines the two into one volume.
In the novel Borrow tells of his upbringing as the son of an army recruiting officer, moving with the regiment to different locations in Britain, including Scotland and Ireland. It is in Ireland that he first encounters a strange new language which he is keen to learn, leading to a life-long passion for acquiring new tongues. A couple of years later in England, he comes across a camp of gypsies and meets the gypsy Jasper Petulengro, who becomes a life-long friend. Borrow is delighted to discover that the Romany have their own language, which of course he immediately sets out to learn.
Borrow’s subsequent life, up to his mid-twenties, is that of a wanderer, traveling from place to place in Britain, encountering many interesting individuals and having a variety of entertaining adventures. He constantly comes in contact with the gypsies and with Petulengro, and becomes familiar with their language and culture.
The book also includes a considerable amount of criticism of the Catholic Church and its priests. Several chapters are devoted to Borrow’s discussions with “the man in black,” depicted as a cynical Catholic priest who has no real belief in the religious teachings of the Church but who is devoted to seeing it reinstated in England in order for its revenues to increase.
Lavengro was not an immediate critical success on its release, but after Borrow died in 1881, it began to grow in popularity and critical acclaim. It is now considered a classic of English Literature. This Standard Ebooks edition of Lavengro and The Romany Rye is based on the editions published by John Murray and edited by W. I. Knapp, with many clarifying notes.
Read free book «Lavengro by George Borrow (read me a book txt) 📕» - read online or download for free at americanlibrarybooks.com
- Author: George Borrow
Read book online «Lavengro by George Borrow (read me a book txt) 📕». Author - George Borrow
—Knapp ↩
L⸺, read Liverpool. —Knapp ↩
C⸺, read Chester. —Knapp ↩
Brooke of Borneo: Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (1803–68), George Borrow’s schoolmate at Norwich in 1816–18. —Knapp ↩
“Vails:” He means, of course, “vale.” —Knapp ↩
Romanvile: London. See The English Rogue, the Life of Meriton Latroon, a Witty Extravagant. Being a Compleat History of the Most Eminent Cheats of Both Sexes. London, 1665–80. —Knapp ↩
The chi she is kaulo (read “kauley”), etc.: “The lass she is black, she sleeps upon her back.” —Knapp ↩
Sivord: Or Sivard, the same as Sigurd, called the Snaresvend (“Snareswayne” on the next page). See Romantic Ballads, 1826, pp. 83 and 90. For the reason of Borrow’s changing the Danish svend into “swayne,” see Life, II, p. 269. —Knapp ↩
The horse Grayman: i.e., the “Skimming gray” of p. 96, Romantic Ballads —Knapp ↩
The Maugrabin sorcerer: The “African Magician” in Lane’s translation. There is in this passage of The Romany Rye evidently a confusion of two of the tales in the Arabian Nights—those of Aladdin and Sindbad, fifth voyage. —Knapp ↩
Isten (pronounced “ishten”): Hungarian for God. —Knapp ↩
Magyar (pronounced “mädjr”): A Hungarian. —Knapp ↩
L’Eau de la Reine d’Hongrie, read “de Hongrie,” h being aspirate in this word. —Knapp ↩
Tékéli (1658–1705). —Knapp ↩
Pigault Lebrun (Charles), 1753–1835; Les Barons de Felsheim, Paris, 1822. —Knapp ↩
Ersebet, read “Erszebet,” Elisabeth. —Knapp ↩
Florentius of Buda: Flourished 1790–1805. See Magyar Ország Poigári Históriá-járá való Lexicon. Nagy-Varad (Gross-Wardein), by Budai Ferencz, 1804–5. —Knapp ↩
Álmus, or Álmos (“älmosh”), died 889. The Hungarian scholar Vámbéri, has exploded the “dream” (or rather “sleep”) theory heretofore entertained with regard to the origin of the name Almos; he says it is an epithet, meaning the Great, the Sublime, the Noble, the Glorious (Ursprung, pp. 62, 156). —Knapp ↩
Dunau, read “Donau,” German for Danube. —Knapp ↩
Király and Ház: The former comes from the Serbian Králj (lj like Spanish ll or Portugese lh), which the Hungarian lengthened into kir-ály, not finding it convenient to pronounce kr.413 As for haz, from haus (Austrian popular pronunciation hôs), we are told by Vámbéri that the ancient form was not ház, but hos (Ursprung, p. 556). —Knapp ↩
Janos (pronounced “Yánosh”): John. —Knapp ↩
Szava (Hungarian): The Save. —Knapp ↩
Laszlo: Ladislaus. —Knapp ↩
Cilejia: The Roman Claudia Celleia, now Cilly, in Carinthia. —Knapp ↩
Matyas: In English “Matthias.” —Knapp ↩
Huz, read “husz” (Hungarian): Twenty. Vámbéri questions this etymology of “hussar” (p. 283), but unsatisfactorily, we think. —Knapp ↩
Ulazslo: Wladislaus. —Knapp ↩
Tché Drak: The Romanian cé dracŭ, but pronounced as in the text, and equivalent to the exclamation que diable! —Knapp ↩
Mohacs Veszedelem, read “Mohacsi Veszedelem:” The Disaster of Mohács, the title of a poem by Baron Liszti. —Knapp ↩
Lajos (“laï-osh”), Louis or Lewis. —Knapp ↩
Bátory: A mere epithet, the “valiant.” —Knapp ↩
Mufti: The ulémas or Doctors of the (Mahomedan) law. —Knapp ↩
Coloscvar, read “Koloszvár,” in German, “Klausenburg.” —Knapp ↩
Budáï Ferencz: Flourished 1790–1805. See Magyar Ország Poigári Históriá-járá való Lexicon. Nagy-Varad (Gross-Wardein), by Budai Ferencz, 1804–5. —Knapp ↩
Rysckie Tsar, read “Russki Tsar:” The Russian Emperor. —Knapp ↩
Plescova, now Pskov. —Knapp ↩
Iván Basilowitz, read “Vasiliévitch,” known as Iván the Terrible. —Knapp ↩
Izbushka (Russian): Hut. —Knapp ↩
Tyzza, read “Tisza:” The river Theiss. —Knapp ↩
Kopacs Teto, read “Kopász Tetö.” —Knapp ↩
Kassau, read “Kaschau.” —Knapp ↩
Eljen edes, etc. (pronounced “elyen edesh tsigáñ oor, elyen gool eraï”): “Long live the sweet Gypsy gentleman, long live the gudlo Rye.” —Knapp ↩
Roth-Welsch: The German for Thieves’ Slang. —Knapp ↩
Tzernebock, read “Tchernobog” (g like German ch): Black god, evil principle. —Knapp ↩
Bielebock, read “Bielbog:” White god, the good principle. —Knapp ↩
Saxo-Gramaticus, read “Grammaticus.” —Knapp ↩
Fekete (Hungarian): Black. —Knapp ↩
Erik Bloodaxe (Danish Blodöxe): King of Norway [c. 947–948]. —Knapp ↩
Regner Lodbrok: “Regnar” in Icelandic; Borrow gives the Danish term of this king’s name. See his famous “Death Song” in Mallet, Northern Antiquities; or, an Historical Account of the Manners, Customs, Religion and Laws, Language and Literature of the Ancient Scandinavians. London: Bonn, 1859, pp. 383–85. —Knapp ↩
Halgerdr, read “Halgerda,” Mallet, Northern Antiquities; or, an Historical Account of the Manners, Customs, Religion and Laws, Language and Literature of the Ancient Scandinavians. London: Bonn, 1859, pp. 340–41. —Knapp ↩
Comments (0)