Antoine-Léonard de Chézy
Antoine-Léonard de Chézy (born January 15, 1773 in Neuilly-sur-Seine , † August 31, 1832 in Paris ) was a French orientalist and co-founder of Indology .
Life
In 1798, still employed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was supposed to accompany Napoleon Bonaparte on his expedition to Egypt, but fell ill in Toulon and had to stay behind. As a curator of oriental manuscripts at the national library, he began studying Sanskrit as a student of Silvestre de Sacy , the founder of oriental studies, among others . In 1814 he received the first European chair for Sanskrit at the Collège de France, which was specially created for him. In 1816 he became a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres .
Chézy did research and taught in Paris, but was closely connected to German culture. In 1805 in the Paris circle around Schlegel he met the young Wilhelmine von Klencke , whom he married in 1805. The connection resulted in two sons: Wilhelm Theodor von Chézy (born 1806) and Max von Chézy (born 1808). However, the marriage was unhappy and soon failed. His wife separated from him as early as 1810. In 1809 there were plans to found an "oriental magazine" together with August Wilhelm Schlegel , and he corresponded with Goethe . Famous German students of Chézy included Franz Bopp , Wilhelm von Humboldt and Friedrich Schlegel .
From the Sanskrit literature he edited the original with translation and annotations and wrote about the metrics of Sanskrit and the Indian castes . His main work is the edition of Kalidasa's drama "Sakuntala" (Paris 1830), accompanied by a French translation, but also his first translation of "Amarusataka" by Amaru (Paris 1831, under a pseudonym).
He died of cholera in Paris in 1832 .
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Chézy, Antoine-Léonard de |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French orientalist and co-founder of Indology |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 15, 1773 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Neuilly-sur-Seine |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 31, 1832 |
| Place of death | Paris |