ZETTERSTÉEN, Karl Vilhelm. Orsa, Dalarne 18.8.1866 — Uppsala 1.6.1953. Swedish Oriental Scholar. Professor in Uppsala. Son of Captain Alexander Mauritz Z. and Maria Augusta Thalén. Studied at Uppsala from 1884: FK 1889 (M.A.), FL 1894, FT 1895 (Ph.D.), student of H. N. Almkvist. Further studies under Sachau at Berlin. Docent i semitiska språk, Uppsala 1895 & Lund 1895-1904. Also acting Professor at Lund in 1895-1904. Professor of Oriental Studies (“i semitiska språk”, mainly Arabic) at Uppsala from 1904, emeritus 1931. A well-known scholar of Arabic, Persian and Turkish, also interested in Nuba. Travelled in the Near East and north Africa. Among his many students was H. S. Nyberg.

Publications: Published several text editions, a Swedish translation of the Qur’an (1917) a catalogue of Arabic, Persian and Turkish manuscripts in Uppsala (1930-35), popular books and articles, etc. Editor of the Le Monde Oriental in 1906-28.

– “Report on the Manuscripts left by the late Professor O. F. Tullberg and now in the library of Uppsala University”, MO 2, 1907-08, 66-83 (1-7 Syriac, 66-75; 8-9 Hebrew, 75-77; 10:1-5 & 11:1-13 Sanskrit, 77-83).

– Edited: “An old translation of the Ṛtusaṁhāra”, MO 4, 1910, 1-23 (from Tullberg’s papers, probably by H. H. Wilson).

Sources: Fück 1955, 308; Upsala Univ. matr. 1936; Wikipedia with photo (more in Swedish version).