FORBES, Duncan. Kinnaird, Pertshire 28.4.1798 — London 17.8.1868. British (Scottish) Oriental Scholar (Persian and Urdū). Born in a poor family, in 1801 remained with his grandfather, when the parents moved to the U.S.A. In the age of 12 he still knew not English (or was illiterate in it), but as…
FORBES, Charles James Forbes Smith- (C. J. F. Smith). 1834 — Tharrawaddy, Burma ?.11.1879. British Colonial Officer in Burma, Pāli and Burmese scholar. Came to the East in 1858 as Captain of Queen’s Army, and was sent to Burma with his regiment. He soon became so fascinated with the country…
FOLKERT, Kendall Wayne. 5.3.1942 — Ahmedabad, Gujarat 29.10.1985. U.S. Scholar of Indian Religion. Son of Wallace F. and Myrtle Catherine De Witt. Studies at Western Michigan University (B.A. 1964) and Harvard, also at Göttingen (C. Colpe). Ph.D. 1975 Harvard (under Ingalls), fieldwork for this in Varanasi 1972. Associate Professor at…
FOKKER, Abraham Anthony. Karmat / Batavia 27.9.1862 — the Hague 1.1.1927. Dutch Indonesian Scholar. Born in Indonesia, son of Abraham Marinus F. (1823–1863) and Antonia Neeltje van Rijck. Ph.D. 1894 Leiden. Professor in Batavia (Jakarta), then taught Malay at Amsterdam University. Married 1885 Margaretha Wilhelmina Heemskerck (1869–1954), one daughter, and…
FLORENZ, Karl Adolf. Erfurt 10.1.1865 — Hamburg 9.2.1939 (or 1.4.?). German Indologist and Japanologist. Professor in Tokyo and Hamburg. Son of Eduard Fl., a teacher, and Susanne Walther. Catholic, educated at Erfurt Gymnasium. From 1883 studies of modern and Oriental languages at Leipzig, where G. v. d. Gabelentz prompted him…
FISCHER, Klaus. Zittau (Sachsen) 23.11.1919 — Bonn 25.3.1993. German Archaeologist and Art Historian of South Asia. Professor in Bonn. Studied archaeology and art history at Heidelberg, Ph.D. there 1948 (diss. on barock architecture). In 1952 obtained a travel grant and studied two years art history in Calcutta under J. N. Banerjea…
FINOT, Louis. Bar-sur-Aube (Aube) 20.7.1864 — Toulon (Var) 16.5.1935. French Indologist and South-East Asian Scholar. Son of Bernardin-Florentin F., a notary, and Marie Valentine Doré. After school in Troyes studies of law and economic history in Paris. From 1890 employed in Bibliothèque Nationale as a stagiaire, from 1892 as sous-bibliothécaire.…
FESTUGIÈRE, André-Jean (Jean Paul Philippe). Paris 15.3.1898 — Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne) 13.8.1982. French Dominican Father and Scholar of Classical and Comparative Religion. Son of Paul F. (1869–1950), a philosopher. Educated in Paris (Lycée Condorcet, Collège Stanislas, Lycée Louis-le-Grand). From 1918 studies at École normale supérieure, agrégation 1920, then further studies at…
FERRERO DE GUBERNATIS (y Ventimiglia), Onorio. Turn 21.6.1908 — Lima 1989. Italian Oriental Scholar in Peru, interested in Indian Religion. Born in a noble family. Active Anti-Fascist, moved to Peru in 1942 (or 1948?) with his family. Taught Oriental languages and cultures at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, and…
FENIGER, Siegmund (Nyānaponika Mahāthera). Hanau 29.7.1901 — Forest Hermitage, Kandy 19.10.1994. German Bauddha and Buddhist scholar in Sri Lanka. Born in Hessen in a merchant family and had Jewish education. Lived then in Oberschlesien working in a bookshop. In 1922 the family moved to Berlin, where he became acquainted with…