Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 736

REVIEWS
JOHANN OTTO FERDINAND KIRSTE KLEINE SCHRIFTEN
Edited by Walter Slaje, Franzsteiner Verlag, Stuttgart; 1993; Pp. XIII + 374; Price : DM 98/
The present volume No. 33 in The Glasenapp-Stiftung series brings together Kirste's ( 1851-1920) Kleine Schriften only in the field of Indology and a few of his reviews. Kirste's other writings pertain to Iranian and Slavic studies.
Kirste studied at varions universities. His chosen subjects were : Classi. cal Philology, Sapskrit, and Comparative Grammar of Indoeuropean languages. He was graduated in 1876 in Comparative Linguistics at Vienna. After carrying on bis studies further in Sanskrit and in Old Iranian and Middle Persian at Paris, Old Slovenian and Serbian at Belgrade, Kirste returned to Vienna where he worked in close collaboration with G. Bübler. He was then introduced by Bübler to the studies of Indian manuscripts as a result of which he described ( 1889–1892) a number of manuscripts, related to law books, which were made available to him by Bühler from the libraries of Elphinstone College, Bombay, and Deccan College, Pune.
Stand Kinrants for toited for
In 1891 an independent teaching post was established for Oriental Philology in the University of Graz (Austria) and Kirste became its first occupant ( April 1, 1892). Among the three Austrian aspirants for the post, Kirste, Hultzsch and Winternitz, Kirste was considered to be best suited for the post as he could teach, besides Sanskrit, Semitic and Iranian languages. Kirste fully justified these expectations.
As far as Indology is concerned, Kirste's research was centered mainly around Phonetics ( Prātisakhyas ), Grammar and Lexicography of the Jainas (Hemacandra ), Grhyasūtras and the Mahābhārata. The editor of the present volume has given a complete bibliography of Kirste's writings which is extremely useful. His writings are divided into three groups : I Independent Works, II Short papers (1. ladology, 2 Iranistik, 3 Slavic ), and III Reviews (Indology aad Iranistik). Among his short papers, only the papers listed in the section Indology have been published. From among his numerous reviews,
1 The above account is taken from the editor's preface to the Volume,
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