ŞĂINEANU, Lazăr (Lazare Sainéan, originally Eliezer Schein, Lazăr Şain). Ploieşti 23.4.1859 — Paris 11.5.1934. Romanian Romance Linguist, also interested in IE and Sanskrit. Born in a modest Jewish family, son of Moisi Schein, a house painter and amateur artist. Studies at Bucharest under Haşdeu, Georgian, et al., further studies in…
SACHAU, Eduard. Neumünster, Holstein 20.7.1845 — Berlin 17.9.1930. German Oriental (Arabic) Scholar. Professor in Berlin. Son of Claus Jacob Sachau, school in Rendsburg. Studies of Oriental, especially Semitic philology at Kiel and Leipzig (Fleischer). Ph.D. 1867 Halle. Catalogued the Persian manuscripts at Bodleian Library in 1869. From 1869 ao. and…
WORTHAM, Biscoe Hale. Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire 1843 — Brentwood, Essex 23.9.1928. Rev. British Priest and Translator of Sanskrit Literature. Son of Biscoe Hill Wortham (1814–1895, Regius Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge) and Martha Lee. From 1863 studies at Trinity College, Oxford, B.A. 1868. Vicar of Shepreth, Hertfordshire, 1874-80, from 1880…
WOOLNER, Alfred Cooper. Etruria Hall near Hanley, Staffordshire 13.5.1878 — Lahore 7.1.1936. British Indologist in India. Professor in Lahore. Son of Captain Henry Woolner (1837–1902), an artist and art teacher, and his wife Catherine Esther Cooper, grew up in Suffolk. Educated in Ipswich, in 1897-1902 studied Sanskrit (Macdonell), Chinese and…
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)…
WINTERNITZ, Moriz. Horn/Nieder-Österreich 23.12.1863 — Prague 9.1. 1937. Austrian Indologist in Czechoslovakia. Professor in Prague. Son of a modest Jewish shop-keeper, Bernhard Winterniz (1821–1900) and Theresia Robitschek. Gymnasium in Horn. In 1880-85 studied at Vienna classics and philosophy, soon also Sanskrit (under Bühler). Ph.D. 1886 Vienna. In 1886-91 Assistant to…
WILSON, Horace Hayman. London 26.9.1786 (date uncertain) — London 8.5.1860. British Indologist. In India 1808-32, then Professor in Oxford. Born in a modest family. Educated at Soho Academy in London and from 1804 studied medicine at St.Thomas’ Hospital, but also learned the elements of minting. In 1808 left forBengal as…
WILLMAN-GRABOWSKA, Helena Antonina Maria. Warsaw 4.1.1870 — Cracow 31.10.1957. Polish Indologist. Professor in Crakow. Daughter of Józef Wojciech Grabowski (1818–1892) and Elżbieta Lipińska (1848–1908). After school in Warsaw she became a schoolteacher in 1887 (when 17). Soon active in anti-Russian movement. Women were then not allowed to the university, but…
WILKINS, Charles. Frome, Somerset bapt. 21.6.1749 (not 1750!) — London 13.5.1833. Sir. British Pioneer of Indology. In India 1770-86. Son of Hugh Wilkins (Sengupta Walter Wilkins) and Mary Wray, a modest family. Trained as a printer. Joining the E.I.C.’s service he came to India as a printer and writer in…
WIKANDER, Oscar Stig. Norrtälje 27.8.1908 — Uppsala 20.12.1983. Swedish Indo-Iranian Scholar. Professor in Uppsala. Son of Åke Magnus Wikander (1875–1949), a pharmacist with classical education and literary activity, and Gerda Eugenia Teresia Holmberg, educated in Uppsala. Studies in 1925-38 at Uppsala, of classics, Semitic (Zetterstéen), Iranian (Nyberg) and Indology (Charpentier),…