SIMENSCHY, Theofil. Iaşi 27.1.1892 — Iaşi 15.12.1968. Romanian Indologist and Linguist. Professor in Iaşi (Jassy). After lyceum in Iaşi studied from 1910 classical philology and German at University of Iaşi, graduated 1913. Worked as schoolteacher and participated in the WW I. From 1926 Assistant at Iaşi University, Ph.D. there 1927. For a while taught at Chişinău. From 1938 Docent and in 1942-68 Professor of Classical Languages and Comparative IE Philology at Iaşi.
Simenschy was also interested in classical philology and IE linguistics, but mainly in Sanskrit. He was the first to teach Sanskrit at the University of Iaşi and translated many texts into Romanian. He wrote the first Sanskrit grammar in Romanian and studied the relations between Romania and India (Eminescu, Caragiale, and especially folktales). His full bibliography contains nearly 100 items and his posthumous papers thousands of pages.
Publications: Diss. Les verbes qui signifient “entendre” chez Homère. Étude de syntaxe historique et comparative. 91 p. Bucharest 1927.
– Translated: Panciatantra, Cele cinci cărţi ale intelepciunii. Traducere din limba sanscrita. 1-2. 218+75 p. Bucharest & Chişinău 1932-35, 2nd ed. 1969; Povestea lui Nala. Episod din Mahabharata. 83 p. Chişinău 1937; Kaṭha-Upaniṣad. 20 p. 1937; Muṇḍaka-Upaniṣad. 1939; a selection from the Rigveda. 1943; Bhagavadgītā. 1944.
– “Originea universului în concepţia indienilor şi a grecilor”, Revista fundaţiilor regale 2:5, 1935; “Mahatma Gandhi”, ibid. 10:6, 1943; “Morala hindusă”, Cetatea Moldovei 10:8-9, 1943;
– Traciţia ĭnvăţăturii în patria lui Gandhi. 1938.
– “Anthologia sanscrită a lui Goşbuc”, Analele ştiinţifice ale Universităţii Iaşi 3:2:1, 1956, 66-140; “Drama Sacuntala a lui Kalidasa în traducerea lui Goşbuc”, Analele ştiinţifice ale Universităţii Iaşi 3:13:1, 1967.
– “Gramatica lui Pāṇini: sintaxa cazurilor”, Analele şt. ale Univ. Iaşi 3:3:3, 1957.
– Gramatica limbii sanscrite. Bucharest 1959.
– Transl. by Th.S., ed. by C. Poghirc: Cultură şi Filosofie Indiană în Texte şi Studii. 1. 412 p. Bucharest 1978.
– La construction du verbe dans les langues indo-européennes. 11+279 p. Iaşi 1949; translations of Greek and Latin classics, Greek and Latin grammars, etc.
Sources: S. N. Ionescu, Who Was Who in 20th century Romania. N.Y. 1994; R. Simionescu in Contructorii României (ies.is.edu.ro) with photo; *H.H. Varga, “Alcoves of Indian Knowledge in Theofil Simenschy’s Works”, Romanian Journal of Indian Studies 2022, 33-43.
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