A laureate is generally considered to be a prize-winner and consequently a person who is honored with a prize, an order, or a comparable award, such as a Nobel Prize winner who is awarded the Nobel Prize for his work or work. Most of these are scientists, politicians, poets and winners of a competition. In connection with poetry, there is the so-called Poeta laureatus, a crowned poet, who was already symbolically selected with a laurel wreath in the ancient world (see Dionysia), and he was also endowed with money, partly a pension, and additional rights , The Poet Laureate is derived from Poet Laureate, a poet who is distinguished by the state, which is especially common in Canada, England, and the United States.
The term is derived from the Latin word laureatus, which means “laurel wreath”, the laurel wreath being a symbol and an insigne of honor since antiquity. An artist or scientist who is honored with a Lorbeerkranz is regarded as a coryphae in his field or as a winner in a particular discipline. Even today the Lorbeerkranz is used for certificates, medals, trophies and badges as a sign of victory and special honor. Symbolic award of a Lorbeerkranz
Poeta laureatus
Poeta laureatus is a poet who has been crowned and crowned with an evergreen laurel wreath, that is, with a poet’s crown. Even today, this title is regarded as the highest honor for a poet in a transposed sense. The term “national poet” is used.
This tradition has its origins in ancient times: here it was customary to officially honor the poet who won a competition (Agon) with a laurel wreath and to give him permanent fame in this way. The custom can be found in the Roman and Greek antiquities.
This tradition, however, was subsequently neglected for a long time, and only resumed in the High Middle Ages and then, above all, in Italian humanism. Emperors and kings, as well as universities, were crowned more and more as poets, although this privilege also entailed rights and duties. For example, Maximilian I, who was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1508, allowed the crowned poets to hold lectures on rhetoric and poetics at universities. In the Baroque, the award was partly even accompanied by the appointment as court priest.
However, the award was soon given almost inflationarily, since, among other things, the appointed Holfpfalzgrafen were allowed to give the award independently, so that the title Poeta laureatus lost more and more its original social significance. At the latest since the Enlightenment, the poets showed little interest in this title, so Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, for example, even rejected the award. The last imperial coronation was 1804.
Poet Laureate
In the English-speaking countries, however, the title was preserved in the poet Laureate. Poet Laureate is a poet who has been distinguished by the state, especially in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The title includes either prize money or obligations.
In the United Kingdom, the title is linked to the head of the Court. In this case, the poet Laureate has to write lyrical works for official occasions or to compose national events. The respective poet is proposed by the Prime Minister and subsequently appointed by the King or the Queen. Until 1999, the Office was lent for life and then limited to a period of 10 years. The editors included Edmund Spenser, John Dryden and Robert Bridges.
In the United States, Poet Laureate is only elected for a few months, with less emphasis on duty, rather the distinction of the respective poet. The future magistrate is determined by the current Poet Laureate and selected critics and, after the appointment of the Library of Congress, provides support in lyric matters. The title is endowed with 35,000 dollars and includes a travel grant over 5000 dollars. The appointment is made annually for October to May.
Short overview: The most important part of the term at a glance
A laureate is generally called a prize bearer, and consequently a person who is honored with a prize, an order, or a comparable award, such as a Nobel Prize winner, who is distinguished for his work or work.
The term, however, goes back to Latin and originally meant a person who was crowned with laurels and thus as a victor from a contest