Literarna pisma Nergisija kao izvor za rekonstrukciju biografskih i društvenih okolnosti u 17. stoljeću / Nergisî’s literary letters (17th century) as biographical and historical sources

Abstract

Munsheats (literary letters), though primarily literary form, are important sources for the general, cultural, and political history of a society. The most interesting are the 17th century munsheats, in which the authors reached the stylistic peak by conveying all the values of the Ottoman cultural code. Among them are the letters by the famous qadi of Muhammed Nergisî, whose content directly and indirectly provides a variety of information on the vocational, cultural and social context in the first half of the 17th century. Nergisî’s letters as well as his works may be used to reconstruct both biographical and social circumstances which defined his career. The correspondence network Nergisî built may be taken as an example of penetration into the class of ulamā in a constant pursuit of patronage, and his letters – a blend of erudition and talent – as a model of career currency ascending on the qadi ladder.