Samoilovich Aleksander

Samoilovich Aleksander (1880–1938) – specialist in Turkology and Islamic studies.

In 1903, he graduated from the Faculty of Oriental Languages of the St. Petersburg University. He started his research work under the supervision of P. M. Melioransky, V. V. Bartold, V. D. Smirnov, V. A. Zhukovsky, and V. V. Rosen. After the graduation he stayed at the University; in 1906, after the death of P. M. Melioransky, he started to teach Turkic courses as Ass. Docent. Since September 1917, he was Docent; since December – Professor. In 1925, he was elected for Correspondent Member of the Ac. of Sc. of the U.S.S.R.; in 1929 – for Academician (in 1938, he was excluded; in 1957 – restored post mortem).

In 1921-1922, he was Consultant of the Department of the East at the Narkomat of Foreign Affairs of the R.S.F.S.R., he supported the activity of Embassies of the R.S.F.S.R. in Khiva and Bukhara; he actively participated in establishing the Soviet power in the Middle Asia.

He was arrested on October 2 (or 8), 1937; he was accused in espionage and counter-revolutionary and nationalistic activity. On February 13, 1938, he was sentenced to death and shot the same day. He was rehabilitated on August 25, 1956.

Compositions

On the Publication of the ‘Torch of Islam’ Prepared by N. P. Ostroumov // Zapiski of the Oriental Department of the Russian Archeological Society. 1908, vol. 18, iss. 4, pp. 2-10. (in Rus.)
Middle Asian and Turkish Inscriptions on a Clay Jug from Saraychik // Zapiski of the Oriental Department of the Russian Archeological Society. 1912, vol. 21, iss. 1, pp. 38-46. (in Rus.)
Forbidden Words in the Speech of Married Kazakh-Kyrgyz Woman: in the Memory of V. I. Lamansky // Zhivaya starina. 1915, iss. ½, pp. 161-168. (in Rus.)
On the Issue of 12-year Animal Cycle at the Turkic Peoples // Vostochnye zapiski. Leningrad, 1927, vol. 1, pp. 147-162. (in Rus.)
The Guidance for Practical Learning the Ottoman Turkish Language. Part 2, iss. 1, Petrograd, 1917. (in Rus.)
Collection of Verses by Emperor Babur. Part 1: Text. Petrograd, 1917. (in Rus.)
Some Additions to the Classification of the Turkish Languages. Petrograd, 1922. (in Rus.)
Turkic and Mongolian Elements in the Population of Afghanistan // Afghanistan. Moscow, 1924, pp. 98-107. (in Rus.)
Short Practical Grammar of Contemporary Ottoman Turkish Language. Leningrad, 1925. (in Rus.)
The Caucasus and the Turkic World // Izvestiya of the Society for Studying Azebaijan. 1926, No 2, pp. 3-31. (in Rus.)
Iranian Heroic Epic in the Literatures of the Turkic Peoples of the Middle Asia // Ferdovsi. (934-1934). Leningrad, 1934, pp. 161-174. (in Rus.)
A Variant of the Narration on Yediger and Tokhtamysh, Fixed by N. Khakimov // Turkologichesky sbornik 1972. Moscow, 1973. P. 186-211.

Bibliography

Bartold V. V., Oldenburg S. F., Krachkovsky I. Yu. A Note on the Scholarly Works by A. N. Samoilovich // Izvestiya of the Russian Ac. of Sc. 1924, Ser. 6, No 12, pp. 553‒555. (in Rus.)
Bartold V. V. A Note on the Scholarly Works by Prof. A. N. Samoilovich // Notes on Research Work of Academicians of the Ac. of Sc. on the Department of Humanitarian Studies, Elected on January 12 and 13, 1929. Leningrad, 1930, pp. 116-119. (in Rus.)

About him

Ashnin F. D. Aleksander Nickolaevich Samoilovich (1880-1938) // Peoples of Asia and Africa. 1963, No 2, pp. 243-265. (in Rus.)
Ashnin F. D. Aleksander Nickolaevich Samoilovich (1880-1938) // Turkologic Collection for 1974. Moscow, 1978. (in Rus.)
Blagova G. F. From the History of Turkic Textology: A. N. Samoilovich – Researcher of ‘Babur-name’. Moscow, 1993. (in Rus.)
Blagova G. F. A. N. Samoilovich – Researcher of ‘Babur-name’ // Izvestiya of the Russian Ac. of Sc. Series of Literature and Language. 1994, vol. 53, No 1, pp. 72-84. (in Rus.)
Blagova G. F. Academician A. N. Samoilovich and Studying the Literary Heritage of Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad Babur // Vostok. 1997, No 6, pp. 120– 128. (in Rus.)
Persons and Destinies: Bio-Bibliographical Lexicon of Orientalists – Victims of Political terror in the Soviet Period (1917-1991) / Edit. V. Vasilkov, М. Sorokib. St. Peterburg, Peterburgskoe Vostokovedenie Publishing House, 2003. (in Rus.)

A. M.