Nikolai Aleksandrovich Nevsky
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Aleksandrovich Nevsky was a Russian and Soviet linguist, an expert on a number of East Asian languages. He was one of the founders of the modern study of the Tangut language
of the mediaeval Xi Xia Empire, the work for which he
was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science
in Philology during his life, and Lenin Prize
posthumously. He spent most of his research career in Japan before returning to the USSR. He was arrested and executed during the Great Purge
; his surviving manuscripts were published much later, starting in 1960.
Gymnasium
in 1909 with a "silver medal" (the second class of distinction), and entered the St Petersburg Institute of Technology. However, after a year he transferred to the Department of Oriental Languages of the Saint Petersburg University, from which he graduated in 1914. Among his teachers were Vasiliy Mikhaylovich Alekseyev
and Aleksei Ivanovich Ivanov
. In 1915 N.A. Nevsky was sent to Japan for two years, but due to the revolution and Russian Civil War
he ended up staying remained in Japan for a much longer time.
While living in Japan, N.A. Nevsky traveled around the country, studying the language and customs of the Ainu
, Ryukyuans, and the Tsou
people of Taiwan (then a part of the Japanese Empire). He published a number of research articles in Japanese journals.
In 1925, Nevsky began work on the deciphering of Tangut language
manuscripts, which had been discovered in 1909 in Khara-Khoto
by Pyotr Kozlov
.
In the autumn 1929, persudaded by Soviet scholars and officials, Nevsky moved from Japan to Leningrad
. There he worked at the Leningrad State University, LIFLI (Leningrad Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History; Институт философии, литературы и истории), the Institute of Oriental Studies
(then based in Leningrad), and the Hermitage Museum
. In January 1935 he was awarded a Doctor of Science
degree based on the sum of his work, without submitting a thesis.
On the night of 3 / 4 Oct, 1937 N.A. Nevsky was arrested by the NKVD
on the charge of being a Japanese spy. On November 24, 1937 he was executed, along with his wife, I. Mantani-Nevsky (Исо (Исоко) Мантани-Невская, 萬谷イソ, 萬谷磯子, 1901–1937). Their daughter Yelena was brought up by N.I.Konrad (Николай Иосифович Конрад, 1891–1970).
N.A. Nevsky was posthumously acquitted
in 1957, and in 1962 he was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize
for the book "Tangut Philology", which was published in 1960 based on some of his surviving materials on the Tangut language. Other his surviving manuscripts continued being published, but many of his materials appear to be irretrievably lost.
Tangut language
Tangut is an ancient northeastern Tibeto-Burman language once spoken in the Western Xia Dynasty, also known as the Tangut Empire. It is classified by some linguists as one of the Qiangic languages, which also include Qiang and rGyalrong, among others...
of the mediaeval Xi Xia Empire, the work for which he
was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
in Philology during his life, and Lenin Prize
Lenin Prize
The Lenin Prize was one of the most prestigious awards of the USSR, presented to individuals for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was created on June 23, 1925 and was awarded until 1934. During the period from 1935 to 1956, the Lenin Prize was...
posthumously. He spent most of his research career in Japan before returning to the USSR. He was arrested and executed during the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
; his surviving manuscripts were published much later, starting in 1960.
Biography
Nikolai Nevsky, graduated from RybinskRybinsk
Rybinsk is the second largest city of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, which lies at the confluence of the Volga and Sheksna Rivers. Population: It is served by Rybinsk Staroselye airport.-Early history:...
Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in 1909 with a "silver medal" (the second class of distinction), and entered the St Petersburg Institute of Technology. However, after a year he transferred to the Department of Oriental Languages of the Saint Petersburg University, from which he graduated in 1914. Among his teachers were Vasiliy Mikhaylovich Alekseyev
Vasiliy Mikhaylovich Alekseyev
Vasiliy Mikhaylovich Alekseyev was an eminent Soviet sinologist and a member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. In 1902 he finished the Saint Petersburg University and became a professor...
and Aleksei Ivanovich Ivanov
Aleksei Ivanovich Ivanov
Aleksei Ivanovich Ivanov was a Russian Sinologist and Tangutologist. Ivanov entered Saint Petersburg University in 1897, where he studied Chinese and Manchu. After graduating in 1902 he went to China for further study for two years, and on his return in 1904 he went on a study tour of England,...
. In 1915 N.A. Nevsky was sent to Japan for two years, but due to the revolution and Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
he ended up staying remained in Japan for a much longer time.
While living in Japan, N.A. Nevsky traveled around the country, studying the language and customs of the Ainu
Ainu people
The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...
, Ryukyuans, and the Tsou
Tsou language
Tsou is a divergent Austronesian language spoken by the Tsou people of Taiwan.-Classification:Tsou has traditionally been considered part of a Tsouic branch of Austronesian...
people of Taiwan (then a part of the Japanese Empire). He published a number of research articles in Japanese journals.
In 1925, Nevsky began work on the deciphering of Tangut language
Tangut language
Tangut is an ancient northeastern Tibeto-Burman language once spoken in the Western Xia Dynasty, also known as the Tangut Empire. It is classified by some linguists as one of the Qiangic languages, which also include Qiang and rGyalrong, among others...
manuscripts, which had been discovered in 1909 in Khara-Khoto
Khara-Khoto
Khara-Khoto was a Tangut city in the Ejin khoshuu of Alxa League, in western Inner Mongolia, near the former Gashun Lake. It has been identified as the city of Etzina, which appears in The Travels of Marco Polo.-History:...
by Pyotr Kozlov
Pyotr Kozlov
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov was a Russian and Soviet traveler and explorer who continued the studies of Nikolai Przhevalsky in Mongolia and Tibet.Although prepared by his parents for military career, Kozlov chose to join Przhevalsky's expedition. After his mentor's death, Kozlov continued travelling in...
.
In the autumn 1929, persudaded by Soviet scholars and officials, Nevsky moved from Japan to Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
. There he worked at the Leningrad State University, LIFLI (Leningrad Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History; Институт философии, литературы и истории), the Institute of Oriental Studies
Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences , formerly Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, is Russia's leading research institution for the study of the countries and cultures of Asia and North Africa...
(then based in Leningrad), and the Hermitage Museum
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
. In January 1935 he was awarded a Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
degree based on the sum of his work, without submitting a thesis.
On the night of 3 / 4 Oct, 1937 N.A. Nevsky was arrested by the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
on the charge of being a Japanese spy. On November 24, 1937 he was executed, along with his wife, I. Mantani-Nevsky (Исо (Исоко) Мантани-Невская, 萬谷イソ, 萬谷磯子, 1901–1937). Their daughter Yelena was brought up by N.I.Konrad (Николай Иосифович Конрад, 1891–1970).
N.A. Nevsky was posthumously acquitted
Rehabilitation (Soviet)
Rehabilitation in the context of the former Soviet Union, and the Post-Soviet states, was the restoration of a person who was criminally prosecuted without due basis, to the state of acquittal...
in 1957, and in 1962 he was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize
Lenin Prize
The Lenin Prize was one of the most prestigious awards of the USSR, presented to individuals for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was created on June 23, 1925 and was awarded until 1934. During the period from 1935 to 1956, the Lenin Prize was...
for the book "Tangut Philology", which was published in 1960 based on some of his surviving materials on the Tangut language. Other his surviving manuscripts continued being published, but many of his materials appear to be irretrievably lost.
Works by N.A. Nevsky
- Колпакчи Е.М., Невский Н.А. Начальный учебник японского разговорного языка. Л., 1933. 128 стр. 500 экз.// Kolpakchi E.M., Nevskiy N.A. Introductory course of spoken Japanese. Leningrad, 1933. 128 p. 500 copies.
- Колпакчи Е.М., Невский Н.А. Японский язык. Начальный курс. Л., 1934. 232 стр. Kolpakchi E.M., Nevskiy N.A. Japanese language: Introductory Course, Leningrad, 1934. 232 p.
- Материалы по говорам языка цоу. М.-Л., Изд-во АН. 1935. 134 стр. 1000 экз. Materials on the Tsou dialects. Moscow-Leningrad, Academy of Sciences Publishing House. 1935. 134 p. 1000 copies.
- Тангутская филология. Исследования и словарь. В 2 кн. М., ИВЛ. 1960. 1000 экз. Кн.1. Исследования. Тангутский словарь. Тетради I-III. 602 стр. Кн.2. Тангутский словарь. Тетради IV-VIII. 684 стр. // Tangut philology. Research and dictionary. In two volumes. Moscow, Oriental Literature Publishing House, 1960. 1000 copies. Volume One: Research. Tangut Dictionary. (Notebooks I-III). 602 pp. Volume Two, Tangut Dictionary. (Notebooks IV-VIII). 684 p.
- Айнский фольклор. / Исследования, тексты и пер. М., Наука. 1972. 175 стр. 2000 экз. * The Ainu Folklore: Research, Texts, and Translagtions. Moscow, Nauka Publishers. 1972. 175 pages 2000 copies.
- Фольклор островов Мияко. М., Наука. 1978. 192 стр. 7000 экз.// The Folklore of the Miyako IslandsMiyako IslandsThe are a group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, east of the Yaeyama Islands.-Islands grouping:*Japanese Archipelago**Nansei Islands***Ryūkyū Shotō****Sakishima Islands*****Miyako Islands-Inhabited islands:*Miyako Islands...
'. Moscow, Nauka Publishers. 1978. 192 pages 7000 copies. - Материалы по говорам языка цоу; Словарь диалекта северных цоу. М., Наука. 1981. 292 стр. 950 экз. Materials on the Tsou dialects; A Dictionary of the Northern Tsou Dialect'. Moscow, Nauka Publishers. 1981. 292 p. 950 copies.
Works about Nevsky
- Громковская Л. Л., Кычанов Е. И. Николай Александрович Невский. (Серия «Русские востоковеды и путешественники»). М., Наука (ГРВЛ). 1978. 216 стр. Тираж: 10000 экз. L. Gromkovskaya, E.I KychanovEvgenij Ivanovich KychanovEvgenij Ivanovich Kychanov is a Soviet and Russian orientalist, an expert on the Tangut people and their mediaeval Xi Xia Empire. He currently serves as the director of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Science in Saint Petersburg - the institution that until 2007 was...
. Nikolai Aleksandrovich Nevsky. Moscow, Nauka Publishers. 1978. 216 pages. 10000 copies. - На стёклах вечности… Николай Невский. Переводы, исследования, материалы к биографии // Петербургское востоковедение. Выпуск 8. СПб., Центр «Петербургское востоковедение», 1996. С. 239—560. ISBN 5-85803-077-7 (вып. 8) ISSN 0869-8392 Тираж: 1000 экз. The Windows of Eternity... Nikolai Nevsky // St. Petersburg Journal of Oriental Studies. Volume 8. St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg Centre for Oriental Studies. 1996. pp. 239–560. 1000 copies.
External links
- N.A. Nevsky - on the site of the Institute of Oriental Manuscript (former St Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies) (main source)