Hermann Brockhaus

Hermann Brockhaus (January 28, 1806 – January 5, 1877) was a German Orientalist born in Amsterdam. He was a leading authority on Sanskrit and Persian languages. He was the son of publisher Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus and brother-in-law to composer Richard Wagner.

Academic career

He studied Oriental languages at the Universities of Leipzig, Göttingen and Bonn where he was a student of August Wilhelm von Schlegel, the founder of German Indology. Afterwards he spent several years in France and England. In 1839 he was appointed professor at the University of Jena, teaching Sanskrit and Persian beginning in the summer term of 1840. Together with his colleague Johann Gustav Stickel (who taught Semitic languages), Brockhaus established Oriental Philology at the School of Humanities at Jena. In 1842 Brockhaus followed an appointment to Leipzig, where in 1848 he was appointed a full professor of ancient languages and literature at the university.

Written works

Among his better written works was an edition of tales by Somadeva Bhatta known as Kathâsarit-sâgara, and an edition of songs by the Persian lyric poet Hafez (Lieder des Hafis). He also published an edition of the Vendidâd Sâde, an edition of a philosophical drama by Krishna Mishra called Prabodhachandrodaya and was the author of the influential Über den Druck sanskritischer Werke mit lateinischen Buchstaben (Concerning Sanskrit Works Printed in Latin letters).

From 1853 he was editor of the Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (Journal of the German Oriental Society), and for a period of time was editor of the Ersch-Gruber Allgemeine Encyklopädie.

References

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