GERSHEVITCH, Ilya (Il’ja Arkad‘evič Gerševič). Zürich 24.10.1914 — Cambridge 11.4.2001. Russian Iranian Scholar in the U.K. Professor in Cambridge. Born in Switzerland of Russian parents, Arkadi and Mila G., who came from Smolensk. They were fleeing the outbreak of WW I as the father was then studying medicine in Germany. Educated in Switzerland, studies of classical philology in Rome (dottore in Lettere 1937 under Pagliaro) and of Oriental languages in London (Ph.D. 1943 under Henning). Employed in 1942-47 in foreign broadcasting in London. Further studies under Bailey at Cambridge (M.A. 1948). In 1948-65 Lecturer in Iranian Studies and in 1965-82 Reader of the same at Cambridge. From 1962 fellow of Jesus College. Emeritus 1982. In 1956 important field-work in the then nearly unknown West Makran (e.g. dialectology). In 1960-61 and 1965-66 visiting Professor at Columbia University in New York. Fellow of British Academy 1967. Hon.dr. 1971 Bern. Married 1951 Lisbeth Syfrig from Luzern. Keen musician.
Publications: “-t-, -ti-, -to- suffissi di ‘nomina actionis’ in composti omerici e Rigvedici”, Studi ital. di filol. class. N.S. 15, 1938, 131-161.
– Diss. 1943 publ. A Grammar of Manichaean Sogdian. 13+307 p. Oxford 1954.
– Avestan Hymn to Mitra. 14+356 p. Cambr. Or. Publ. 4. Cambridge 1959.
– Cambridge History of Iran. 2. The Median and Achaemenian Periods. 17+946 p. 46 pl. Cambridge 1968.
– Numerous articles (e.g. “Sissoo at Susa (Opers. yakā = Dalbergia Sissoo Roxb.)”, BSOAS 19, 317-320, 1 pl.); for his 70th birthday a collection of them was published: Philologia Iranica. Ed. by N. Sims Williams. 15+303 p. Beitr. zur Iranistik 12. Wb. 1985.
Sources: Who’s Who 1983, 1990; Titus with link to obituary by N. Sims-Williams; *Gh. Gnoli, Studia Iranica 31, 2002 &*VDI 2003:3, 257f.; Wikipedia briefly; photo in *Philologia Iranica. Wb. 1985 (also in TITUS Galeria).
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