Jean de La Fontaine (8 Nyakanga 1621 – 13 Mata 1695) yari umwanditsi w’imigani (fabuliste) w’Umufaransa, akaba umwe mu banditsi b’indirimbo n’imivugo basomwaga cyane mu kinyejana cya 17. Azwi cyane cyane ku bw’igitabo cye gikomeye Fables (Imigani), cyabaye isoko y’icyitegererezo ku bandi banditsi b’imigani hirya no hino i Burayi, ndetse gikorwa mu bisubiramo byinshi mu Gifaransa n’indimi z’uturere tw’u Bufaransa.
Ubuzima bwe bwo mu buto
Jean de La Fontaine yavukiye i Château-Thierry, hafi y’umupaka wo mu majyaruguru ashyira uburasirazuba bwa Île-de-France, mu Bufaransa. Se yari Charles de La Fontaine, maître des eaux et forêts (umuyobozi ushinzwe amashyamba n’amazi) mu karere ka Château-Thierry; nyina yari Françoise Pidoux. Impande zombi z’umuryango we zari iz’abantu bo mu rwego rwo hejuru rw’abakire bo mu ntara, nubwo batari inkorokoro (abanyacyubahiro). Jean yari imfura, yize mu ishuri ryitwa collège i Château-Thierry, nyuma ajya mu ishuri ry’abihaye Imana (Oratoire) muri Gicurasi 1641, akomereza mu iseminari ya Saint-Magloire muri Ukwakira uwo mwaka. Ariko yahavuye vuba kuko yasanze atabereye uwo mwuga. Nyuma, byavuzwe ko yize amategeko ndetse yemejwe nk’umwunganizi mu mategeko (avocat).
Ubuzima bw’urugo
Mu mwaka wa 1647, se yamuhaye inshingano ze zo gucunga amashyamba n’amazi, ndetse amushakira umugeni w’imyaka 14 witwaga Marie Héricart, wazanaga ubukungu bwa livres 20,000 n’icyizere cy’ejo hazaza. Nubwo yari mwiza kandi afite ubwenge, bombi ntibagiranye ubuzima bwiza bw’urugo. Nta kimenyetso gifatika cy’uko umugore we yitwaye nabi nk’uko abanzi ba La Fontaine babyavuze nyuma. Gusa yari umunyeshuri usoma ibitabo by’inkuru nyinshi kandi ntiyitaga ku mirimo yo mu rugo. La Fontaine na we yamaraga igihe kinini atari mu rugo, kandi ntabwo yitwaraga neza mu rukundo rw’abashakanye. Yari inyangamugayo nke mu by’ubucuruzi, ku buryo umutungo we wazambye bikomeye, bituma batandukanya imitungo yabo mu buryo bwemewe n’amategeko mu 1658. Icyo gikorwa cyakozwe mu bwumvikane, nta ntonganya, ku nyungu z’umuryango. Nubwo batigeze batongana ku mugaragaro, ntibakomeje kubana. La Fontaine yamaze imyaka myinshi aba i Paris, mu gihe umugore we yakomeje kuba i Château-Thierry. Baje kubyarana umwana w’umuhungu mu 1653, witaweho kandi arezwe n’umubyeyi we w’umugore.
Ubuzima i Paris
Nubwo mu myaka ya mbere y’ubushyingiranwe bwe yajyaga i Paris, ni kugeza ahagana mu 1656 aho yatangiye kujya ajyayo kenshi. Inshingano ze zasabaga igihe gito, zikumwemerera kubaho atari aho akorera. Umurimo we wa mbere ugaragara ni uko yahinduye cyangwa yahimbye mu Kinyafuransa igice cy’ikinamico Eunuchus ya Terence mu 1654. Yaje kumenyana n’uwari umufatanyabikorwa wa Madame we, Jacques Jannart, wabamuhuje n’umutegetsi w’igihe, Fouquet. Abenshi mu bajyaga kumusaba inkunga ntiyababaga inshuro; La Fontaine na we yahawe imperekeza ya livres 1,000 mu 1659, asabwa gusa kwandika umuvugo buri gihembwe. Yatangiye no kwandika igitabo Le Songe de Vaux kivuga kuri château ya Fouquet.
Mu 1664, yahawe izina ry’icyubahiro rya “Gentilhomme servant” wa duchesse ya Orléans ndetse atura mu nzu ya Luxembourg i Paris. Nubwo yakomeje kuba ari umuyobozi w’amashyamba, mu 1666 Colbert yamwandikiye amusaba gukurikirana ibibazo byabayemo i Château-Thierry. Muri uwo mwaka, yasohoye igitabo cya kabiri cy’inkuru (Contes), hakurikiraho n’ibice bitandatu bya mbere by’Imigani (Fables) mu 1668, byose bikurikirwa n’ibindi byinshi mu 1671.
Izina n’icyubahiro
Muri icyo gihe, La Fontaine yari yarinjiye mu itsinda ry’abanyabwenge bakomeye b’i Paris ryari rigizwe na Racine, Boileau, Molière na we ubwe. Nubwo bari bafite itandukaniro mu myaka, bahuriraga kenshi bagafatanya mu bikorwa by’ubuvanganzo. Ku myaka 43, La Fontaine yasohoye igitabo cya mbere cy’inkuru z’urwenya (Contes) cyamuhesheje izina rikomeye. Ibihangano bye byasakaye mbere y’uko byandikwa ku mugaragaro, kuko byatangiraga gukoreshwa mu nyandiko z’amaboko.
Muri 1678, yasohoye igice cya kabiri cy’Imigani (Fables) cyavuzweho neza n’umwanditsi w’umuhanga Madame de Sévigné, wari uzwiho kutagirira umuntu icyubahiro ku busa. Bityo, yifuje kwinjira muri Académie française. Mu 1682 yahatanye n’abandi ariko ntiyatorwa. Nyuma y’urupfu rwa Colbert mu 1683, yarongeye atorwa n’amajwi menshi. Umwami Louis XIV yarabyanze, ariko nyuma y’amezi make yahise abyemeza, avuga ko La Fontaine yari yasezeranyije kuzitwara neza.
Ubuzima bwa nyuma n’urupfu
La Fontaine yaje kwinjira mu buzima bwo kwiyoroshya nyuma y’urupfu rwa Duchesse ya Orléans. Yimukiye mu rugo rwa Madame de la Sablière, umugore w’igikundiro n’ubwenge, aho yamaze imyaka hafi 20. Muri iyo myaka, yamaze igihe gito afitanye urukundo na Madame Ulrich, umugore wavugwagaho imyitwarire itaramenyerewe. Mu 1692, yasohoye igitabo kivuguruye cy’inkuru (Contes), ariko mu gihe yari arwaye bikomeye. Nyuma, yahindutse mu myemerere, asubira mu Kiliziya, akemera no gusenya igice cy’ikinamico yari yanditse nk’ikimenyetso cyo kwicuza.
Yapfiriye i Paris ku itariki ya 13 Mata 1695, afite imyaka 73. Nyuma y’urupfu rwe, yashyinguwe mu irimbi rya Père Lachaise. Umugore we yamurushijeho kubaho imyaka hafi 15.
Ibihangano n’umusanzu
Ibihangano bya La Fontaine bigabanyijemo ibyiciro bitatu: Imigani (Fables), Inkuru (Contes et nouvelles en vers), n’ibindi bikorwa bitandukanye birimo n’iby’ikinamico. Azwi cyane ku bw’Imigani ye 12 yasohotse hagati ya 1668 na 1694. Igice cya mbere cyashingiye kuri Aesop na Horace, gikorwa mu mirongo yoroheje ariko irimo ubwenge bwinshi. Ibice byo nyuma bikubiyeho imigani yo mu Burasirazuba n’indi mihinduranyije mu Gifaransa. Bimwe mu mirongo y’iyo migani byinjiye mu mvugo rusange zikoreshwa kugeza n’ubu mu Gifaransa.
Nubwo Inkuru ze (Contes) zari zubakiye ku busambanyi no ku rwenya, zasomwe cyane mu gihe cye kandi zikaba zarashimwe ku buryo zagiye zasohoka no nyuma y’urupfu rwe.
