SCHMIDT, József. Vác 24.12.1868 — Budapest 1.10.1933. Hungarian Indologist. Professor in Budapest. Son of a house-painter, studied at Budapest under Mayr. In 1899-1908 worked as schoolteacher. In 1908-10 Docent and in 1910-20 Professor of comparative IE linguistics at Budapest (succeeding Mayr). In 1919 he worked in the Ministry of Education of the short-lived Hungarian Soviet Republic and was therefore forced to retire (with pension).
Schmidt was originally a linguist mainly interested in classical and IE linguistics. In retirement he turned to Sanskrit literature and began presenting Indian culture in Hungarian.
Publications: Nasalis infixum névszókban. 40 p. Budapest 1904, and other IE studies in Hungarian.
– Buddha élete, tana é egyhaza. 224 p. Budapest 1920 (Buddha’s Life, Teaching and Church).
– Az ó-ind epic. 148 p. Budapest 1921 (Old Indian Epic Poetry); A szanszkrit irodalom története. 222 p. Budapest 1923 (History of Sanskrit Literature); Kálidásza. n.d. (K. a popular introduction); Az ind filozófia. 119 p. Budapest 1923 (Indian Philosophy).
– Translated into Hungarian: A király és a bajadér. 54 p. Gyoma Kner 1922, 2nd ed. 1961 (The King and the Bayadere, i.e. Mālavikāgnimitra); Pancsatantra azaz Ötös Könyv. 256 p. Budapest 1924, 2nd ed. 1959; Šūdraka, Az agyagkocsika. 104 p. 1925 (The earthen carriage); an unpublished Bhagavadgītā.
– Articles and reviews in Hungarian in Akadémiai Értesitó, etc., listed in Puskás 1991, 130ff., 175f., 223f.
Sources: Bethlenfalvy 1980, 28-30 with photo; J. Harmatta in Skr. Studies Outside India 80f.; *Z. Mády, Antik Tanulmányok 10, 1963, 131-153 & 11, 1964, 157-188 (in Hungarian); Gy. Wojtilla in St. in Indo-Asian Art & Cult. 5, 1977, 179f.; Magyar életrajzi lexikon 2 (with photo); *Hungarian Wikipédia with photo.
Last Updated on 2 years by Admin
