KNAUER, Friedrich (Russian Fedor Ivanovič Knauèr, Ukrainian Fedir/Fridrih Ivanovič Knauer). Sarata, near Akkerman, Bessarabia (now Belgorod-Dnestrovski in Ukraine) 3.8.(15.8.)1849 — Tomsk 22.12.1918. Russian (German) Indologist in Ukraine. Professor in Kiev. Born in a family of German immigrants in Bessarabia (now Moldova), son of Samuel Johannes Knauer and Magdalena Aldinger. After a while of working as elementary school teacher in Tarutino and Berdjansk began in 1872 studies of theology and philology at Dorpat (Tartu, first gymnasium there 1871-72) in Estonia, i.al. under Leo Meyer and L. von Schroeder. Cand. gramm. comp. 1879. In 1880-83 further studies at Jena (Delbrück and Cappeller) and Tübingen (Roth). Back in Dorpat in 1883 Mag. gramm. comp. In winter 1883/84 in Moscow (V. F. Miller, Fortunatov), 1884 Dr. gr. comp. (Ph.D.) Dorpat. From 1884 PD and from 1885 Docent at Dorpat. In 1886-1914 Professor of Comparative Philology at Kiev (Kiiv) University in Ukraine (ord. 1890). After 1907 living in Germany (Jena) with his family, but in 1914 returned to Russia. After the outbreak of the war he was arrested as supposed pro-German in December 1914 and deported to Siberia. S. F. Oldenburg and others tried to defend him without result, pardon in 1918 came too late. Married Antonia Bendtfeld, four daughters and two sons.
Under influence of Schröder and Delbrück Knauer began his career as a linguist, but soon Roth introduced him into Vedic ritual (GobhGS), and the main part of his work he did in philological research of ritual literature. Among his students were Ahvlediani, Barannikov and Larin.
Publications: Mag.diss. Dorpat 1882 publ. as: “Ueber die betonung der composita mit a privativum im sanskrit”, KZ 27, 1885, 1-68.
– Dr.diss.: edited: Das Gobhilagṛhyasūtra. 7+26+32 p. Dorpat 1884; Teil 2. the same transl. Dorpat 1886.
– “Zu iti und ca”, Festgruss Böhtlingk 1888, 62-67.
– With V. F. Miller: Rukovodstvo k izučeniju sanskrita (Grammatika, teksty i slovar’). 8+124+157 p. St.P. 1891; alone: Učebnik sanskritskogo jazyka. Grammatika, hrestomatija, slovar’. 8+296 p. Lp. 1908.
– Edited: Das Mānava-Gṛhya-Sūtra. 54+191 p. St.P. 1897; Das Mānava-Çrauta-Sūtra. 1-2. 16+74+13+131 & 10+85 p. St.P. 1900-03.
– “Ueber Varunas Ursprung”, OC 14, Alger 1905, 1:1, 1906, 222-231.
– “Der russische Nationalname und die indogermanische Urheimat”, IF 31, 1912-13, 67-88; “Zur Rusь-Frage”, IF 33, 1913-14, 394-407.
Sources: Bongard-Levin & Vigasin 2002, 100f..; Hallik & Klaassen 2002, 138f.; V. Krieger, Jahrbuch der Deutschen aus Bessarabien. Heimatkalender 2022, 155-158; *G.V. Levickij, Biogr. slovar’ professorov … Jur’evskogo, byvšego Derptskogo, universiteta. 2, 1903; I.W. Tscherkasjanowa, Enzyklopädie der Russlanddeutschen in https://enc.rusdeutsch.eu with small photo (long article with some inaccuracies, but also the only one with details of his death and family); *Vigasin 2008, 194f.; Album Academicum Dorpatense 1801-1889, nr. 9096; Ukrains’ka rabjans’ka enciklopedija 6, 1961, s.v.; scattered information in L. von Schröder, Lebenserinnerungen; *http://samskrtam.ru/friedrich-knauer/ with photo (in Russian).
*E.N. Gruzdeva (ed.), “‘I’m Doing Well in the Center of Siberian World under Strict Police Supervision…’: F.I. Knauer’ Letters from His Tomsk Exile in 1915–1917”, Archive of Russian Academy of Sciences 17:3, 2020, 137-156 (in Russian!).
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