SCHARPÉ, Adriaan Alberik Maria. Leuven 29.10.1913 — 7.3.1986. Belgian Indologist. Professor in Gent and Amsterdam. Son of Lodewijk (Louis) Sharp (1869–1935), Professor of German, and Esther Legein (1867–1922). Studies of Classics 1931-37 at Leuven, Ph.D. 1937/38, also studies 1934-39 at Utrecht, Ph.D. 1937 under Gonda. In 1939-42 schoolteacher of classics in Berchem, 1944-48 Docent of Sanskrit and Classics at Ghent. In 1948-79 ord. Professor of Sanskrit at Ghent, in 1947-78 also eo. Professor of Sanskrit and Comparative IE at Amsterdam University. Married 1939 Maria Josepha Louisa Switters, six children.

Only auxiliary parts of Scharpé’s great Kālidāsa Lexikon were published, but apparently copies of the work itself were given to some colleagues. He initiated the series Corpus Topographicum Indiae Antiquae. Among his students were J. Loman at Ghent and L. Rocher and Roodbergen at Amsterdam.

Publications: Leuven diss. The classical Sanskrit romance. Manuscript (?) 1937; Utrecht diss. Bāṇa’s Kādambarī. 15+502 p. Leuven 1937 (Dutch transl. & study).

– Handleiding bij de studie van het klassieke Sanskrit. 1. Grammatica. 23?110 p. 2. Oefeningen. 8+90+15 p. 3. Teksten. 7+143 p. Leuven 1943; 4. Vertaling en woordenlijst bij de Sanskrit. 1965; Précis de grammaire du sanskrit classique. 1. Phonétique, déclinaison, conjugaison (système du présent). 135 p. Louvain 1945; Beginselen van het Sanskrit. 32 p. Or. Gand. 3:3. Gent 1970.

– Wezen en wording der klassieke Sanskrit-literatuur. 27 p. Groningen 1950.

– Kālidāsa Lexikon. Vol. 1:1-4. Basic text of the works. Brugge 1954-64: 1. Abhijñānaśakuntalā. 136 p. 1954; 2. Mālavikāgnimitra and Vikramorvaśī. 152 p. 1956; 3. Kumārasaṁbhava, Meghadūta, Ṛtusaṁhāra and incerta. 224 p. 1958; 4. Raghuvaṁśa. 304 p. 1964; Vol. 2. References and Concordances of Quotations. 1-2. 17+276 & 14+253 p. Rijksuniversiteit te Gent, Werken uitgegeven door de Faculteit van de Letteren en Wijsbegeerte 159-160. Brügge 1975.

– “Additions to the Kālidāsa Basic text”, Gonda Vol. 1972, 177-186; “Zur zentral­indischen Toponymie des Meghadūta”, ZDMG Suppl. 1, 1969, 935-939.

– Tentoonstelling Sanskritkunde in de Nederlanden en in Europa in historisch perspectief. 99 p. Werken uitg. door het Rectoraat van de Rijksuniversiteit te Gent 21. Leuven 1966.

– “Topographica Indica”, Or. Gand. 2, 1965, 189-257 & 3, 1966, 223-339 (in Dutch); “Sanskrit Place-names from Inscriptions”, Pratidānam Kuiper 1968, 615-627.

– Edited with others: Corpus Topographicum Indiae Antiquae: A sodalibus Universitatis Gandavensis et Universitatis Lovaniensis editum. 1. O.L.A. 37. Gent 1974 (Epigraphical find-spots, by R. Stroobandt).

Sources: Bibliography and photo in https://www.dutchstudies-satsea.nl/deelnemers/scharpe-adriaan-alberik-maria/; photo in Sardesai, another in Gonda, Indology in the Netherlands. 1964; early career in lib.ugent.be with photo; E. De Clercq in UGentMemorie (2018) with photo; family in myheritage.com..