BUHOT, Henry Jean. Paris 13.8.1885 — Paris 5.9.1952. French Painter and Art Historian. The only child of painter Félix B. (1847–1898) and his English wife, Henriette Johnston. After school in Paris travelled much in France, England, Germany and Italy. During WW I worked as English interpreter in a Canadian regiment. Only…
MARTINI, François. Can Tho, Vietnam, near Cambodian border 20.5.1895 — 18.6.1965. French Indologist and South-East Asian Scholar. Son of Corsican father and Cambodian mother. Studied law and philosophy, participated in the WW I (wounded) and after war studied languages in Paris, soon Sanskrit under S. Lévi. Diplom of Thai at…
HOMBURGER, Lilias. U.K. 1880 — 1969. Mlle. French Linguist, with mixed German-English-French background. Began her career as missionary. Studied linguistics (Meillet), Dravidian and African languages. As directeur d’études taught African linguistics at É.P.H.É. L. S. Senghor was among her students there. Also taught Peul and Mandingo at É.L.O.V. She proposed…
SILVESTRE DE SACY, Antoine Isaac (baron 1814). Paris 21.9.1758 — Paris 21.2.1838. French Oriental (Arabic and Persian) Scholar. Professor in Paris. Son of Abraham Jacques Silvestre (1722–1765), a notary, and Marie Marguerite Judde, a Jansenist Jewish family, lost early his father. Privately educated, studied law. In 1781-92 worked in financial…
MEILLET, Paul Jules Antoine. Moulins (Allier) 11.11.1866 — Châteaumeillant (Cher) 12.9.1936. French Linguist. Professor in Paris. Lost his mother when 11. Spent his childhood in Moulins (home of his grandparents) and Châteaumeillant,where his father worked as notary. After Lycée Banville of Moulins he came to Paris in 1884 intending to…
MEILE, Pierre. Asnières near Paris 23.2.1911 — Saint-Georges-de-Dionne (Charente-Maritime) 31.7.1963. French Indologist (Tamil Scholar). After École normale supérieure he became one of the last students of S. Lévi, also studied under Foucher, Bloch, Vendryes, Meillet, and Benveniste. Agrégé de grammaire 1935. In 1936-39 further studies in India, mainly at Santiniketan…
LANGLÈS, Louis-Mathieu. Perenne (Welles-Pérennes) near St.Didier (Montdidier, Oise) 23.8.1763 — Paris 28.5.(28.1.?)1824. French Oriental (especially Persian) Scholar. Son of a farmer, Antoine Langlès and Marie Levavasseur, according to his own claim, of local gentry. Joined the army, but was sickly and quitted after the disappointment of being not sent to…
REINAUD, Joseph-Toussaint. Lambesc (Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence) 4.12.1795 — Paris 14.5.1867. Abbé. French Oriental (Arabic and Persian) Scholar and Historian. Professor in Paris. After seminary in Aix-en-Provence studied theology from 1814 in Paris, where he soon became student of Silvestre de Sacy. As secretary of de Portalis he continued his studies in…
QUATREMÈRE, Étienne-Marc. Paris 12.7.1782 — Paris 18.9.1857. French Oriental (Arabic and Persian) Scholar and Historian. Professor in Paris. Born in a Jansenist family, son of Marc-Étienne Q. and Suzanne Sophie Lesueur-Florent. Lost in revolution his father who was cloth merchant and member of minor nobility and was executed in 1793,…
PRZYLUSKI, Jean (Jan Przyłuski). Le Mans 17.8.1885 — Mareil-sur-Loir 27.10.1944. French Indologist, South East Asian scholar and Linguist. Professor in Paris. Born of an originally Polish family, educated in Rennes and Paris. In 1907-13 at E.F.E.O. in Indochina, 1912 visited China. In 1913 returned to Paris and continued his studies under Lévi,…