PHILIPPI, Friedrich Wilhelm Martin (Fritz). Dorpat (Tartu) 3.11.1843 — Rostock 6.3.1905. German (born in Estonia) Semitic Scholar. Professor in Rostock. Son of Friedrich Adolf Philippi (1809–1882), who was later Professor of Theology at Rostock, and Jeannette Pincson, the family was from Germany and only lived in Estonia in 1840-51. After…
PAX, Elpidius (born Wolfgang Pax). Breslau 22.4.1912 — Lippstadt, Kr. Soest 14.4.1993. German Linguist and Catholic Theologian. Son of Ferdinand Albert Pax (1885–1964), a marine biologist, and Elisabeth Nohr. Studied classics, comparative linguistics, archaeology and philosophy at Breslau, especially under Havers and Strauss. Ph.D. 1936 Breslau. PD 1937 Breslau. From…
PAULI, Carl Eugen. Barth, Vorpommern 14.10.1839 — Lugano, Switzerland 7.8.1901. German IE Scholar and Etruscologist. Son of Carl Johann Christian Pauli (1789–1856) and Henrica Roepke. Matriculated from Putbus, studies at Erlangen and Greifswald. Ph.D. 1862 Greifswald. Worked as schoolteacher in Stettin, from 1867 Lauenburg/Pommern, 1860 Hannoversch-Münden, 1873 Hannover and 1876-83…
OPPERT, Gustav Salomon. Hamburg 30.7.1836 — Berlin 1.3.1908 (or 17.3.). German Indologist in India. Professor in Madras. Son of Eduard Oppert (until 1812 Oppenheimer, 1792–1874) and Henriette Gans (1800–1875), brother of —> Jules Oppert (1825–1905) and Ernst Jacob Oppert (1832–1903) who was a merchant in Shanghai and visited three times…
MEYER-FRANCK, Helene (née Franck). 1873 — 1946. German Teacher and Translator of Tagore, from 1906 wife of —> H. Meyer-Benfey (1869–1945). Worked as schoolteacher in Hamburg.Learned Bengali for her translating work. Publications: Translated the majority of Rabindranath’s English books into German: Nationalismus. 151 p. Lp. 1919; Die Gabe des Liebenden.…
MEIER, Franz Josef. 1906 — 1987. German Librarian, began his career as Indologist. Librarian in Munich. Ph.D. 1931 München. In 1937-70 librarian at Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich, after the WW II as director of the Ostasiensammlung. Thus he turned from Indian studies to East Asia. Publications: Diss. publ. as “Der…
MATZEL, Klaus Hellmuth. Borsdorf near Leipzig 11.10.1923 — 1992. German Linguist, Germanic and Sinhalese Scholar. Professor in Regensburg. Son of Hellmuth Paul Matzel and Margaretha Werner. Educated in Hamburg. Studies at Halle, Leipzig, Jena and Berlin, mainly German, but also classics, Slavic, IE and Indology. Four years in a G.D.R.…
LEYDEN, Rudolf von. Berlin 8.8.1908 — Vienna 25.3.1983. German Geologist. Son of Victor von Leyden, a lawyer. As a geologist travelled in India and became interested in art, especially in playing cards. Fleeing Nazis as a Marxist he settled in Bombay (1940-53) socializing with Indian artists and making modern Indian…
LEIDECKER, Kurt Friedrich. Gera 11.9.1902 — Fredericksburg, Va. 17.11.1991. U.S. (of German origin) Scholar of Comparative Religion. U.S. Citizen. Professor in Fredericksburg. In 1920 immigrated to the U.S.A., first studied botany, soon philosophy and Sanskrit. B.A. 1924 and M.A. 1925 Oberlin College. Ph.D. 1927 University of Chicago, in Sanskrit. In…
LAUENSTEIN, Diether. Herford 8.4.1914 — Windhoek, Namibia 28.12.1990. German Student of Indology, Anthroposophist. Of modest background. In 1934-38 studied Theology at Tübingen, also Sanskrit under Nobel at Marburg. After one year at seminary of Christengemeinschaft (Christian sect, close to anthroposophy) served in army, but was wounded and lost one leg.…