SIMON, Ernst Julius Walter (Ximen Xuade). Berlin 10.6.1893 — London 22.2.1981. German Sinologist and Sino-Tibetan Scholar in the U.K. Professor in London. Son of mathematician Heinrich Simon (1859–1930) and Cläre Abraham (murdered in Ghetto Theresienstadt). Studies of classical and Romance philology in 1911-14 at Berlin, 1915-18 in army. Employed in the university libraries in Kiel and Berlin (1919-35), now started the study of Sinology under O. Franke. Ph.D. 1922 (diss. on the Jewish dialect of Saloniki). From 1926 PD Berlin, from 1932 ao. Professor there (1934 deprived of the right to teach). In 1932-33 in Peking. During the Nazi regime he was forced to emigrate in 1936 and settled down in London teaching Sinology at S.O.A.S., first as a Lecturer (1936), then as Reader (1938) and eventually as the Professor of Chinese (1947–60). During the war served as army interpreter and translator. Eventually became British citizen (1947). Retired 1960. Then visiting Professor at several universities (Toronto 1961-62, Canberra 1962, Tokyo, Canberra and Melbourne 1970). Married 1921 Käthe Jungmann, two sons (Sinologist Harry Simon, 1923–2013).
Simon did a great work organizing Sinological research and teaching in London. During his later years he was more and more interested in Tibetan.
Publications: “Charakteristik des judenspanischen Dialekts von Saloniki” Z. Rom. Philol. 40, 1920, 655-689.
– A great number of articles on East Asia, especially China, occasionally also on Tibetan, in 1924-80 in AM, Mitt.Sem.Or.Spr., Ostas. Z., OLZ, BSOAS, etc.
– Textbooks of Chinese during the war; Beginner’s Chinese–English Dictionary. 1947.
– “Tibetisch-chinesische Wortgleichungen. Ein Versuch”, Mitt.Sem.Or.Spr. 32, 1929 & sep. 72 p. B. 1930; “Tibetan par, dpar, spar, and cognate words”, BSOAS 25, 1962, 720-780.
– Tibetology also in HJAS 5, 1941, 372-391; BSOS 10, 1940-42, 954-975; AM N.S. 1, 1949, 1-15 & 12, 17, 19; BSOAS 18, 1956, 512f. & 20, 1957, 523-532 & 30, 1967, 117-126 & 31, 1968, 555-562 & 38, 1975, 611-615 & 40, 1977, 51-57 & 42, 1979, 334-336 & 43, 1980, 132-136; TrPhilSoc 1964, 85-107; etc.
– “A Note on Tibetan Bon”, AM N.S. 5, 1955, 5-8.
– Editor of Asia Major 1964-75.
Sources: C.R. Bawdwen, “Prof. em. W.S.”, BSOAS 36:2 (in honour of W.S., with photo), 1973, 221-223; *C.R. Bawden, Proc. Br. Acad. 67, 1981, 459-477; M. Loewe, JRAS 1982, 44-47 (with bibliography 1965-80); U. Maas in Verfolgte deutschsprachige Sprachforscher (zflprojekte.de); *H.L. Shorto, BSOAS 45, 1982, 344; AM 10, 1963 = W. Simon Vol., with bibliography and photo; Wikipedia (more details in German version).
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