BUHOT, 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, née 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 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 É.L.O.V. 1922, from…
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). Born near Paris 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 and…
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, according to his own claim, of local gentry. Joined the army, but was sickly and quitted after the disappointment of being not sent to India and went to Paris.…
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,…
VINSON, Elie Honoré Julien. Paris? (thus French Wikipédia, English Wikip. claims Pondichéry and data.bnf.fr Bagnères-de-Luchon, Haute-Garonne) 21.1.1843 — Libourne (Gironde) 21.11.1926. French Indologist and Scholar of Religion. Professor in Paris. Probably born in France, but grew up in Karikal and Pondichéry, where his father was a civil servant, and thus…