KERBAKER, Michele. Turin 10.9.1836 — Naples 20.9.1914. Italian Indologist. Professor in Naples. Son of Luigi K. Lost early his mother and after the new marriage of father was educated by his ecclesiastic uncle Gaetano K. Studied classical philology at Turin (degree 1857), soon became interested in Indology and learnt it from Gorresio and Flechia. From 1866 in Naples, first as school-teacher of classical languages, also further studies under Lignana, whom he succeeded in 1870/72 as Professore di storia comparata delle lingue classiche e neolatine and Incaricato dell’ insegnamento del sanscrito at Università di Napoli, taught there until his death. In his last years he had eye problems, which restricted his working ability. From 1907 member of Accademia dei Lincei. Married 1873 Assunta Bucci, a translator of English literature, four sons and two daughters.
Kerbaker’s main interests were the Rigveda and Sanskrit epics and drama. He much admired German scholarship and followed its lines. In Vedic studies he followed the nature mythology interpretations of Max Müller and Ad. Kuhn and compared Indian myths to Iranian and Greek. He was greatly admired by Italian colleagues as “impareggiabile maestro”, but not much known outside Italy, because his wrote all his works in Italian. He also made important work in popularizing Indology and translated many Mahābhāratan passages (6500 verses corresponding to 13 000 ślokas of the original) into ottave rimi much lauded by his contemporaries. He studied on the Śakuntalā and translated the Mṛcchakaṭika and Subhāṣitas. Among his students were Baratti, Bartoli, Cimmino, Formichi, La Terza, Pappacena, Ribezzo, and Vallauri.
Publications: “Introduzione alla Bhagavad-gìtà”, Riv. Or. 1, 1867, 706-763; transl. “Bhagavad-gìtà ossia la Cantica Divina”, Ibid. 834-926 & 1018-1031.
– “Introduzione alla studio del Mric’c’hakaṭikā”, Riv. Or. 3, 1872, 243-261; translated: Il carretto d’argilla, dramma indiano di Çūdraka. Arpino 1908 (originally publ. in Rivista Europea, Firenze 1869, and in Giornale Napolitano 9, 1884; the first act also in Riv. Or. 3, 1872, 262-298).
– “Sāvitrī ed Alcesti. Studio di mitologia comparativa”, Giorn. Nap. di Filos. e Lettere 1, 1875, 125-161; translated: “Sāvitrī, episodio del Mahābhārata”, ibid. 225-264.
– “Hermes. Saggio mitologico”, Giorn. Nap. di Filos. e Lettere 5, 1877, 56-81, 165-206 & 6, 1877, 1-29, 133-172; “I demoni dell’ aria”, Atti R. Accad. delle Scienze de Napoli 14, 1890, 103-192; “I Genii delle stagioni”, Ibid. 16, 1897, 1-55; “Saturno-Savitar e la leggenda dell’ Età”, Ibid. 15, 1895, 51-132; “Il Dio Agni nel Rigveda”, Ibid. 17:4, 1896, 1-56; “Varuṇa, genio del cielo sidereo”, Ibid. 21, 1901, 269-319.
– Translated: Storia di Nalo: episodio del Mahābhārata, tradotto in ottava rima. 221 p. Rome 1878, 2nd ed. 1884; Nahusa: episodio del Mahābhārata. 71 p. Naples 1895; “Due leggende del Mahābhārata… Agastya e Astavakra”, Miscellanea Linguistica 1901, 167-204; “Il Sauptika Parva”, Atti R. Accad. delle Scienze de Napoli 22, 1902, 191-375; La morte di Vaca, ossia il Racsaso di Ekaćakra. Racconto del Mahābhārata. 88 p. Naples 1906; Sāvitrī. Racconto del Mahābhārata. 8+96 p. Napoli 1908; Per le nozze Cimmino-Sbordono. Collana di sentenze indiane. 58 p. Naples 1910; Nuovo florilegio di sentenze indiane. 55 p. Florence 1912; Racconti e Drammi classici dell’India. Riuniti … da E. Pappacena. 64 p. Naples 1912.
– “La poesia del Rig-Veda”, GNFL n.s. 1, 1879, 56-93; translated: “Saggi d’ inni vedici”, Ibid. 329-353 & 3, 1880, 119-162, 449-470 & 5, 1881, 26-35, 169f.
– “Leggende buddhistiche del Mahābhārata”, Atti dell’ Accad. Pontaniana 30, 1900, 71 p.; “Sommario del Mahābhārata, coordinato alla traduzione di luoghi scelti del poema”, Atti R. Accad. delle Scienze de Napoli 24, 1904, 37 p.
– “Il Bacco indiano nelle sue attinenze col mito e col culto dionisiaco”, Atti della Réale Accademia di Archeologia, Lettere e Belle Arti (Napoli) 23:1, 1905, 139-196; “Discorso esegetico sulla Çakuntalā di Kālidāsa”, ibid. 24, 1907, 96 p.
– Crestomazia Kerbakeriana. 1. Veda, Epica, Gnomica, Drammatica indiana. A cura di La Terza, Ribezzo & Nobile. 1916.
– Edited by C. Formichi and V. Pisani: Scritti inediti di M. Kerbaker. I. Scritti vari. Il. Mahābhārata tradotto in ottava rima nei suoi principali episodi. 1-6. 1932-39.
– Translated: Sakuntalā. Ed. by V. Pisani. 1946?.
– Also translated from Persian, Greek and modern European languages, wrote on classical and Europan literature, etc.
Sources: G. Boccali, D.B.I. 62, 2004; *Cimmino, Atti Accad. Pontina. 2:21, 1916, 1-13; *F. Dovetto, Lex. Gramm. 1996, 508f.; Formichi, RSO 6, 1914-15, 1413-1420; *E. Pappacena, M.K. 195 p. Bari 1958; G. Pugliese Caratelli, La conoscenza dell’ Asia 2, 1985, 6-12; F. Scalpi, Newsl. Int. Assoc. Skr. St. 6, 1999, 35f. (repr. from Cimino & Scialpi, India and Italy. 1974, 143-146); Fr. Sferra & G. Boccali (eds.), Michele Kerbaker, Napoli e l’India: Studi in memoria di Michele Kerbaker a cento anni dalla scomparsa. Naples 2016 with photo; Tucci 2005, 192f.; Gli studi orientali in Italia 1861–1911; Italian Wikipedia with portrait.
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