 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(July 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Gyula Germanus | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Germanus in the 1930s | |
| Born | Julius Germanus (1884-11-06)6 November 1884 Budapest, Hungary |
| Died | 7 November 1979(1979-11-07) (aged 95) Budapest, Hungary |
| Resting place | Budapest, Farkasréti cemetery |
| Alma mater | University of Istanbul |
| Known for | Academic |
| Spouse | Rózsa Hajnóczy |
Gyula Germanus (6 November 1884, inBudapest – 7 November 1979, in Budapest), aliasJulius Abdulkerim Germanus, was a Hungarian professor of oriental studies, writer and Islamologist, member of theHungarian Parliament and member of multipleArabic academies of science, who made significant contributions to the study of the Arabic language, history of language and cultural history. He was a follower of the famous orientalist, SirÁrmin Vámbéry and became a scholar of world repute.
Germanus was a language professor at the Hungarian Royal Eastern Academy from 1912, and a teacher ofTurkish and Arabic from 1915. DuringWorld War I he made several secret missions toTurkey. In 1915 he was there as member of theTurkish Red Crescent and also joined the battle at theDardanelles.
Julius Germanus was born in Budapest on 6 November 1884 into a middle-class family.[1] Both of his grandfathers were soldiers in theHungarian Revolution of 1848–49. His father, Alexander Germanus (1852–1940), was a leather merchant and shoemaker of Jewish descent; his mother, Rosalia Zobel, was ofZipser German origin. Julius had a brother, Francis and a sister, Johanna.
Young Julius did not do well in the early years of high school and sometimes got very low marks. Despite that he graduated with brilliant results in 1902.[citation needed] His mother spoke German more than Hungarian. Despite this, Hungarian became his mother tongue. Maybe this confusion led him to studying languages, and accompanied with his great strength of mind, to multilingualism as well: just after finishing high school he sat for exams inGreek andLatin, both widespread in the intellectual class in the region, at that time. Beside reading classical and foreign languages and writing books on history, literature and the history of music became his other spare time activities. Germanus devoured historical books in the original French and German. His own first work entitled,The Artillery Lieutenant (A tüzérhadnagy), which discussed the 1870–1871siege of Strasbourg, carried off the first prize of 20 Hungarian Crowns.
From early childhood he played the violin diligently, but at the same time he felt an irresistible attraction to the piano. His parents could not afford to acquire even apianino, and of course they didn't want to see their son wasting his time with another hobby instead of improving as a musician. Julius adapted himself to the situation and began to practice in secrecy on a keyboard made of straw-board. He was not very talented in music, but the great effort had its effect, and at 13 with his sister, he interpreted some pieces ofBach andMozart.
The young Germanus loved nature and, while staying in the country, couldn't help going into the stable to pat the horses. "Once, out on the pasture, [a farm worker] sat me on the back of a steer at my request. I was only five and scarcely weighed anything. My mother caught her breath and turned pale when she saw the herd of cattle coming into the village with the bull at its head and me sitting on the bull."[citation needed]
As an adult Germanus' interest turned to history, and the arts and literature of the East. His first deep impression of the East came from reading a German paper called Gartenlaube. There was a wood-print with a magical view of an unreachable eastern town. "The picture presented small, flat-roofed houses rising among them, here and there, some dome shaped cupola. The light of the half-moon, twinkling in the dark sky, lengthened the shadows of the figuressquatting on the roofs". This was the moment when his affection for the East was born.
Soon after this, Julius started to learn theTurkish language himself, without any help. As he wrote in his great work,Allah Akbar, languages had been the medium of transmission of eastern culture, art and literature, so he acquired several languages—not just out of affection for foreign tongues—he was seeking theMuslim mind, the "soul of the East". How Turkish writers of history viewed the Turkish dominance over Hungary, interested him from the beginning. But he soon found that many sources could not be used without knowingPersian andArabic. He decided to be master of both, but had difficulties with Persian.
One of the best acknowledgedorientalists andlinguists of that time, SirÁrmin Vámbéry came to his aid. "Several periodicals, like Mesveret and some other shorter or longer reviews of similar subjects, with complimentary copies of books, were arriving for Vámbery in Pest. Those in which the Professor wasn’t interested were thrown into a bathtub for me, from where I could fish out the papers and books that I preferred". Father Alexander Germanus frowned on his sons dreaming; he was worried that Julius might get into evil ways. But Vámbéry stood up for his belovedacolyte. "Mr Germanus, your son shows great promise. Don’t obstruct his career; let him study. Don’t consider his need for books as foolishness! Please, help him; I warrant that you won’t be disappointed".
Having graduated from high school, Germanus decided to spend time inBosnia, the nearest Islamic country to Hungary. This was his first encounter with Muslims. The visit to Bosnia reinforced his decision to pursue oriental studies.[2]
His parents preferred him to become an engineer. But after coming home, Germanus enrolled at the University of Sciences in Budapest[3] to read Latin and History. Among his professors were Ignác Goldziher, considered one of the founders of modern Islamic studies;[citation needed] Bálint Kuzsinszky, professor of Ancient History;Ignác Kúnos, an authority on Turkish languages; István Hegedűs, professor of Greek and Henrik Marczali, lecturer in Hungarian History.
"Germanus was always speaking about Goldziher with the deepest fondness and respect. It was however Vámbery who stood much nearer to him personally. Germanus considered him as a real mentor and supporter". In 1903, through the Eastern Academy, he won a scholarship to better his knowledge of Turkey inConstantinople. He stayed with an Armenian family and read law at theUniversity of Constantinople.
While staying in theOttoman Empire, Julius Germanus got involved in theYoung Turks movement, a coalition of various groups favouring reforms in national administration. The movement intended to overthrow the monarchy of OttomanSultan Abdul Hamid II. Because of his involvement, Germanus was accused of espionage and imprisoned. After a trial he was condemned to death by the regime. Just at the last moment, the Austrian consul took him off the gallows and got him out of the jailhouse.
After the incident Germanus cut himself adrift from the movement, and started a journey to roam the Empire. What he saw and felt on his trip, fulfilled the dreams of his youth. After he got back home, his first scientific work was published in 1905, in a publication of his Turkish teacher, Ignác Kúnos, under the chapter "Arabic and Persian Elements in Turkish". His path led him not only towards East; he was also attending lectures balkanology, archeology and German literature in Leipzig and Vienna.
In 1906 his study titledGeschichte der Osmanischen Dichtkunst (The History of Ottoman Poetry) was published. In 1907 he obtained his degree asDoctor of Philosophy, summa cum laude, in Turkish and Arabic language and literature, literature and world history.
With his workEvlija Cselebi, about Turkish trade guilds in the 18th century, Germanus obtained a scholarship toGreat Britain, where he spent three years between 1908 and 1911 in the Oriental Department of theBritish Museum. The recommendatory letter from his teacher, Ármin Vámbery, the greatest expert on Islamic studies at that time, benefited him greatly. His skill in theEnglish language was helpful, not only for his work and study, but he edited English course books and dictionaries too.
Germanus was fencing and swimming competitively from childhood. In England he tried boxing as well, but his favourite sport was riding. He won prizes at it. It was inEngland, too, where he first found love. His relationship to his beloved Gwendolyn Percyfull remained long-lasting, even though after a few years not in a romantic form. They were exchanging letters more than 50 years later.
During the war years, between 1914 and 1919 he obtained a position in the Prime Ministers Office to monitor the foreign press. As soon as the war started, Germanus had to use his extraordinary knowledge of languages in secret missions inTurkey, then allied with Hungary. He had to escort special ambassadorial carriages, as a deputy of the Hungarian department of theRed Crescent. He was doing this, in July 1915, when a train toAnatolia was found to contain weapons and explosives hidden among medicines and bandages.[citation needed]
At that time the Sultanate was already over, and a parliamentary state had been established. However, conflicts among the minorities of this multinational country were inflamed, and there were power struggles. Seeing the government debt, the war casualties and consequent enormous levels of poverty, filled his heart with sorrow. Germanus was deeply disappointed in the men he had known in his scholarship years spent in Constantinople. They now filled high positions in the state, and played a determining role in the Armenian Genocide, among other things.[citation needed]
Germanus served with the Red Crescent, in theGallipoli campaign in theDardanelles, where he was wounded and taken prisoner. After his release he became acquainted with the commander of the 19th Division, attached to the Fifth Army,Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who later, known as Atatürk, founded the Republic of Turkey in 1923.
In Turkey, Germanus contacted the Sultan. (1909–18) in 1915, and the heir of the throne Abdul Medsid. (1918–22) in 1918. Germanus was given a 'Mecidiye order' from the first and an 'Osmanie order' from the later. During that sojourn in Turkey he became sick withmalaria. His illness was detected much later, which led to a prolonged recovery of more than two years. In the same year, 1918, he marriedRózsa Hajnóczy (1892–1944) fromUpper Hungary. She was his faithful and fond partner during the Indian years.
His book on the Turkish language was published in 1925. Hungarian readers welcomed it with great interest. He became the secretary of theHungarian PEN Club, on the recommendation ofJohn Galsworthy, the English novelist and playwright. Germanus was one of the individuals that inspired the organization of the Bulgarian PEN Club in the fall of 1926 (on this way to Turkey),[4] and the Egyptian PEN Club in 1936.[citation needed]
Germanus saw how the dreams of his youth, about positive changes in Turkey, had gone sour as the years passed. Getting out of financial crisis and poverty, this former country of sultans was faced with increasing Europeanization, leading to the loss of the ancient national dress. At the same time, the intrusive power of capital, and the rush to westernization, was destroying the Eastern soul and mentality. Wherever he looked, he could see only European traditions: western clothes, the Latin alphabet in recently published books, and mechanization. The former bazaars and lifestyle, the eastern feeling and mindset, that was all in the past now.
The era between the two World Wars brought raging change to the young Republic of Turkey. Events spurred him to write two works. Germanus wrote two essays about the Turkish cultural transformation in French:La civilisation turque moderne ("The modern Turkish Civilisation") andPensées sur la révolution turque ("Thinking about the Turkish Revolution", about the role ofKemal Atatürk in the revolution).
As a result, the new Turkish government invited him to Turkey in 1928. Travelling there he could see the transformation of Muslim Turkey into a new European country. He was disappointed, stopped the trip, and visitedBulgaria,Macedonia,Sofia andBelgrade instead. Here he metNikola Vaptsarov and other national[where?] leaders and writers.
His knowledge of the history, cultural history, politics and literature of the Muslim world, gave Germanus an unusual opportunity. In 1928Rabindranath Tagore invited him to India to organize, and then lead as first professor, the Department of the History of Islam (now the Department ofArabic,Persian,Urdu and Islamic Studies) at his universityVisva-Bharati University inSantiniketan.[5]
Germanus gave lectures inLucknow,Lahore andDhaka. In December 1930 he was invited toDelhi. He met Dr.Zakir Husain, later the third President of Republic of India, andSarvepalli Radhakrishnan, later the first Vice President and the second President of the Republic of India. He spent three years inBengal, with his wife Hajnóczy Rózsa, and taught an always a growing group of Islamic pupils under an open sky.
In parallel, he dedicated much time to improving himself, for example he began to studySanskrit, and to work on other smaller projects. During these yearsPál Teleki, the Hungarian Prime Minister, asked him to study theMaori andMunda languages from a linguistic point of view.[6]
He and his wife spent the muggy Indian summers traveling. They visited the tomb ofSándor Kőrösi Csoma, the famous Hungarian orientalist, inDarjeeling. They traveled throughKashmir.[7][8]
In December 1930 he was welcomed in Delhi to work at theAligarh Muslim University, where he became acquainted with Zakir Hussain, President of the University (the third President of India in 1967), and withSarvepalli Radhakrishnan (the second President of India in 1962).
This period of his life was enormously rich in experience and the development of his notions and emotions on beingMuslim. He increased his knowledge of Islamic culture and history. By this time he was living theQur'an and took part in the Friday prayers inJama Masjid, Delhi. Once he gave a speech to 5,000 people about the new blossoming of Islam. It was so popular that he had to escape from the thankful listeners, and possible death from the crush.
News of Germanus' speech spread round the Muslim world.[citation needed] Leading articles were published in newspapers about him[citation needed] and hundreds of believers went on pilgrimage to his humble flat to get advice. The proceedings made a great impression on him. He chose a Muslim name, Abdul-Karim ("servant of the gracious God").
In 1934, with financial support from the state, Germanus travelled through theMiddle East,Egypt andSaudi Arabia. Travelling through England, he metT. E. Lawrence. After landing in Cairo, he had difficulty enteringAl-Azhar University. He was supported by his Egyptian writer friends, who mellowed the rigour of grand sheik Muhammad al-Ahmadi al-Zawahiri, the uncompromising head of the University, who had not wanted Europeans to enter his Institute.
Eventually, Germanus was allowed to be student for some months, and then to be a member of the teaching staff of the thousand year old mosque-university in the heart of Cairo. At that time there was deep poverty among the students of Al-Azhar, but for Germanus it was like Mecca, being able to experience the feeling of being a Muslim student, the inspiration of Quran studies, and the everyday life of the students.
Through friends he could meet the most famous members of contemporary Egyptian literature, likeMahmud Taimur, the most influential 20th-century Egyptian writerTaha Hussein, Muhammed Abdullah Enan, the poet Ibrahim Naji, the drama composerTawfiq el-Hakim, the novelist and philosopherMuhammad Husayn Haykal, Sauki Amin, the secretary of Academy of Sciences in Cairo and the romantic writerAbbas Mahmud al-Aqqad.[9][10]
Leaving Egypt Germanus took ship to Saudi Arabia, to stay first inJeddah and then in Mecca. In 1935 he was the first Hungarian Muslim to perform theHajj in Mecca. He travelled incognito through the hidden territories of theArabian Peninsula. It was not without danger, even though he had been living according toQur'anic law.
Germanus was also hiding his favourite Hungarian flag under hisihram clothing, and a pocket camera—most unusual in that era. Together with photos, he wrote descriptions of wall inscriptions and documents, never before seen in Western Europe. He was even able to investigate theBlack Stone, since he was once a leading student of Geology. Germanus considered a great honour when he was invited to the royal tent ofKing Abdul Aziz ibn Saud during the Hajj.[9]
A book about his journeys in the Holy Land came out one year later (1936), first in Hungarian, and after a great success it was translated into German (Allah Akbar. Im Banne des Islams) and Italian (Sulle orme di Maometto).
_2006.jpg)
Having fulfilled the annual pilgrimage, the Hungarian Hajji went to Medina to visit the tomb of the Prophet. A two-week journey with a caravan under the scorching sun, and the unbearable heat, wore out his health and he succumbed to fever. He had to give up his scientific research work and to return to Europe. He spent several days inAthens recovering from the illness.
Since had to leaveMedina so suddenly, forced by illness, Germanus considered his work incomplete. He thought that only he would enter the holy territories of Arabia to finish further studies. Anyway, the return seemed even more circumstantial[clarification needed] because of the wartime and Hungary's clogging diplomacy.[clarification needed] Finally on 23 September 1939, he embarked on the 'Kassa', later changing to the 'Duna'. after the shipwreck of the former, and went through theBosphorus toAlexandria, as acrew member.
At this time he completed his 55th year; he wrote about himself: "I’m the oldest sailor in the world". That was not enough; he was awarded a high honor,[which?] because, with his fellow sailors, he succeeded in saving the ship from sinking in a terrible storm.[citation needed]
InEgypt Germanus visited his writer and scholar friends again. After some weeks he went to explore all overLebanon, and Saudi Arabia. In Mecca, Medina and in the city ofBadr he completed the research work and also his second Hajj.
In the course of his journeys he was the first European to pass through the Wadi Djadak and Ghureir. On the testing 28-day trip the caravan ran out of food and water. They had to eat the camels. After three days without water Germanus lost consciousness. His companions thought that his life was already beyond hope, but his faithful Arab friend was intractable and did not allow the others to leave the European traveller in the desert, or to kill his camel.
Arriving at the Oasis of Hamellie, Germanus came to his senses after five days of unconsciousness. The caravan arrived inRiyadh where King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud received the Hungarian scholar.[11]
In 1941 he became the director of the Eastern Institute.DuringWorld War II he was on the streets of Budapest to help family, friends and the university, to hide people and secure them, and to save lives and goods. His library remained miraculously unharmed. His wife, Rozsa Hajnoczy suffered from the attacks, so he decided to find a calm place in a village for her. By the time he returned to Budapest she had committed suicide. She could not live with the thought that her husband's life was in continuous danger under theNyilas regime.One person helped him through these days. He had met Kajari Kato, at an exhibition in 1939. He found a good student, a helpful colleague and a good wife in her.[12]
In 1948 he became director of the professorship[clarification needed] of Italian culture and economical policy. His works were published in Italian: the book "Sulle orme di Maometto",1938,Milan, and the translation of "Allah Akbar". The Eastern Institute closed and the teachers were dismissed, with no hope of revival.
He worked at the Turkish philologic professorship in thePéter Pázmány University,Eötvös Loránd University from November 1949, under the leadership ofGyula Németh. In 1955 he succeeded Németh.
During these years he prepared a work about the life and legacy of Arabic poetIbn al-Rumi.
From 1958 to 1966, he was a member ofparliament in Hungary. He was a university delegate and did not join theParty. He continued working at the professorship of Arabic literature and cultural history as a lecturer. Later he became the senior lecturer. He was released from duty only in 1964, at the age of 80.
Between 1955 and 1965 he traveled again, at the age of 71, accompanied by his wife and follower, Kato Kajari. His bookEastern Lights is about these experiences. He accepted invitations from the Scientific Academy of Cairo, other universities inAlexandria,Cairo,Damascus, and eight Indian universities to give lectures about Islamic cultural history in English and Arabic.
On 30 December 1957, he gave an inaugural speech at the Academy of Sciences in Cairo. His Egyptian colleagues organized a special 'Germanus lecture-week' in his honor. He also visitedDina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid, Queen of Jordan, andTalal ibn Abd al-Aziz, Prince of Saud.
He revisited Indian cities to refresh his memories ofBombay,Delhi,Aligarh,Patna,Agra,Hyderabad,Calcutta,Lucknow andSantiniketan.Jawaharlal Nehru, the prime minister of India invited him to visit. Here he witnessed the development and rapid change of Muslim societies.
In February 1961 he gave lectures inMorocco, at the universities ofFez,Rabat,Casablanca. He kept[clarification needed] his inauguration at the Academy of Baghdad in 1962. The topic was the history of Islam in Hungary. He was also invited to the 'Festival for the 1200th anniversary of the foundation ofBaghdad'.
In February 1964, the government of the United Arabic Republic (the union of Egypt and Syria) asked him to give lectures in the refurbished school of theAl-Azhar Mosque, on the occasion its 1,000-year anniversary.
On 15 March 1965, the Saudi ambassador visited Germanus in Budapest with an invitation from KingFaisal of Saudi Arabia. He was asked to visit Mecca (for the third time), to take part in the Islamic Conference (seeOrganisation of the Islamic Conference). The task was enormous, both for the scholar in his 80s and his wife, Aisha, also Muslim by that time. The trip meant walking round the sacred place and running between Safa and Marwa seven times, on a hot surface in a huge crowd. He accepted the invitation.
He worked his entire life until his last days. His final wish was to see the third reprint of his book about the history of the Arabic literature.[which?] So he could get the quick print[clarification needed] of the first pages into his hand.His last words on his death-bed summarize his life:
(the list contains solely the latest editions of each work)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
