WESSELSKI, Albert. Vienna 3.9.1871 — Prague 2.2.1939. Austrian Journalist and Folklorist in Czechoslovakia. Son of gymnasium professor Franz W. (d. 1875) and Franziska Reinkenhof. Gymnasium in Vienna, then studied there history of literature, but soon switched to engineering. Engineer 1897 Technische Hochschule Wien. In 1902-06 worked in Landesbauamt in Graz,…
SCALIGERO, Massimo (nom-de-plume of Antonio Massimo Sgabelloni). Veroli, Lazio 17.9.1906 — Rome 26.1.1980. Italian Esoterist (Follower of Evola) and Steinerian Anthroposophist, also an Antisemitist. Journalist in Rome, no scholar. Publications: As a friend of Tucci he was the editor of the E & W in 1970-78 and wrote some articles…
MCGOVERN, William Montgomery. New York 28.12.1897 — Evanston, Ill. 12.12.1964. U.S.Anthropologist and Journalist. Professor in Evanston. Son of Janet Blair (née Montgomery) and Felix Daniel McGovern. Grew up in Japan, then studied at Sorbonne and Berlin. D.Phil. 1922 Oxford (Christ Church). Taught Chinese at S.O.A.S. 1918-24. In 1922-23 visited Tibet…
SPITZER, Moritz (Moshe Shpitzer). Boskowitz, Moravia (then Austria, now Boskovice in Czech) 8.7.1900 — Kfar Saba, Israel 16.11.1982. Jewish Student of Indology in Austria and Germany, later Publisher in Israel. Son of German-speaking Jewish parents, Maximilian Spitzer and his wife Eva, attended Czech gymnasium. After a brief time in Austrian…
SMITH, George. Leith near Edinburgh 28.4.1833 — Edinburgh 24.12.1919. British (Scottish) Teacher in India, Historian and Geographer. Son of Adam Smith (1809–1837) and Isabella Anderson. Educated at the Royal High School, studies at University of Edinburgh: LL.D. 1868. Professor 1854 and Principal 1855-58 of the Doveton College, Madras. Then worked…
SEGERSTEDT, Torgny Karl. Karlstad 1.11.1876 — Göteborg 31.3.1945. Swedish Journalist and Historian of Religion. Son of Albrekt S. (1844–1894), a teacher and publisher, and Fredrika Sofia Bohman (d. 1884). After school in Karlstad studied theology at Lund, kand.teol. 1901. Continued studies at Uppsala,brief periods also at Berlin and Rostock,and presented…
WOLLHEIM DA FONSECA, Anton Eduard (also known as Wollheim von Secka). Hamburg 12.2.1810 — Berlin 24.10.1884. German Indologist. Born in a Catholic family (?) of Jewish origin as A. E. Wollheim (Wikipedia says he himself adopted catholicism only later), son of merchant Hirsch Jakob Wollheim and Antonie von Secka (Wikipedia)…
POŠKA, Antanas Jonas (until 1929 Paškevicius). Gripkeliai, dt. Panévezys 24.3.1903 — Vilnius 16.10.1992. Lithuanian Oriental Scholar, Anthropologist and Archaeologist. Born in a peasant family, son of Jonas Paškevičius and Elena Stapulionis. In 1926-29 studied physical Anthropology at Kaunas University. Interested in the affinity of Lithuanian and Sanskrit he started in…
OLSCHAK, Blanche Christine. Vienna 24.7.1913 — Zürich 25.6.1989. Austrian Journalist and Tibetan Scholar in Switzerland. Daughter of Joseph Olschak, an officer (General-Major), and Lilly Helene Bücheler. Studied Political Science at Graz (Ph.D. 1937), then Tibetan and Buddhism, a follower of A. David-Neel. From 1946 living in Zürich (after her husband…
NOVIKOV, Nikolaj Ivanovič. Tihvinskoje-Avdotjino near Bronnicky (SE of Moscow) 8.5.(27.4.)1744 — ibid. 12.8.(31.7.)1818. Russian Literate, one of the leading representatives of Enlightenment in Russia. Born in a noble family, educated in Moscow. After military service in 1762-67 worked in the committee for the renovation of legislature. When this was closed…