Romansh books
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The oldest known records of Romansh date back to the 10th century: the so-called “Würzburg manuscript”, the “Einsiedeln Homily”(an attempted between-the lines translation of a Latin sermon into the language of the people (11th/12th century) and the Müstair” linguistic monument” (a fragment of a document describing grazing rights on common land written in the Val Müstair dialect and dated 1389).
The period between 1527-1562 is regarded the beginning of the written Romansh tradition: Gian Travers, “Chanzun dalla guerra dagl chiaste da Müs”, 1527; Jachiam Bifrun, Catechism, 1552; Durich Chiampel, Biblical Text, 1560).
However, recent findings put this date back several decades by drawing inferences from the language situation (the Romansh-German diglossia), which, at the time, affected the Lower Engadin, the Upper Inn Valley (Nauders), the Val Müstair and the Upper Val Venosta (where only Romansh was spoken up to around 1500).
The main reasons for the breakthrough of Romansh as a written language were the conflicts at the time of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and the political happenings within the State of the Three Leagues. Within only a few decades, four different written variants of Romansh developed. In parallel with religious writings, court statutes and village by-laws in particular were translated from Latin, and more so from German.
Literary writings in Romansh in the belletristic sense of the term did not appear until the second half of the nineteenth century. The creativity was the outcome of the “Renaschientscha rumantscha”, a movement which rediscovered the importance of the Romansh language, culture and tradition.
Following the Second World War, a new form of Romansh literature grew up, and one of its central themes was the crisis in the world in which the authors themselves lived and the gradual collapse of a culture that had grown up over the centuries.
The younger generation of witers is focusing on general current issues.
In addition to this, literary works from other languages are sometimes translated into Romansh.
In 1946, the Romansh writers’ union was set up (USR, since 2004 Uniun per la litteratura rumantscha, ULR). The union publishes the periodical “Litteratura” which generally appears once or twice a year giving writers the opportunity to comment on literary issues and on current affairs.
Since 1990, the ULR has been organising an annual Romansh literary convention (“Dis da Litteratura”) in Domat/Ems. The above mentioned literary convention is a three-day gathering for everyone interested in Romansh literature living in the Grisons or elsewhere.
There are numerous books in Romansh for smaller children, but the number of works for teenagers is rather limited. Without doubt, the most famous children’s book ever written in Romansh and translated into several languages is “A Bell for Ursli” by Selina Chönz and illustrated by Alois Carigiet. Most of the children’s and teenagers’ books are though translations.
For further information and for the biographies of some Romansh writers:
Bezzola, R. (1979). Litteratura dals Rumauntschs e Ladins. Chur.
Deplazes G. (1993). Funtaunas, tom 4. Chur
New publications:
Lia Rumantscha, online shop.