Isaline Blew Horner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1896-03-30)30 March 1896 Walthamstow, England |
| Died | 25 April 1981(1981-04-25) (aged 85) |
| Relatives | Ajahn Amaro (cousin) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Newnham College, Cambridge |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Indologist |
| Main interests | Pali literature |
Isaline Blew HornerOBE (30 March 1896 – 25 April 1981), usually cited asI. B. Horner, was an EnglishIndologist, a leading scholar ofPali literature and late president of thePali Text Society (1959–1981).[1]
On 30 March 1896 Horner was born inWalthamstow inEssex,England. Horner was a first cousin once removed of the BritishTheravada monkAjahn Amaro.[2]
In 1917, at theUniversity of Cambridge's women's collegeNewnham College, Horner was awarded the title of aB.A. in moral sciences.[3][4]
After her undergraduate studies, Horner remained at Newnham College, becoming in 1918 an assistant librarian and then, in 1920, acting librarian. In 1921, Horner traveled to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India and Burma where she was first introduced toBuddhism, its literature and related languages.[5] In 1923, Horner returned to England, where she accepted a Fellowship at Newnham College and became its librarian. In 1928, she became the first Sarah Smithson Research Fellow inPali Studies. In 1930, she published her first book,Women Under Primitive Buddhism. In 1933, she edited her first volume of Pali text, the third volume of thePapancasudani (Majjhima Nikayacommentary). In 1934, Horner was awarded the title of anM.A. from Cambridge. From 1939 to 1949, she served on Cambridge's Governing Body.
From 1926 to 1959, Horner lived and traveled with her companion "Elsie,"Eliza Marian Butler (1885–1959).[6][7][8][9]
In 1936, due to Butler's accepting a position at Manchester University,[8][9] Horner left Newnham to live inManchester. There, Horner completed the fourth volume of thePapancasudani (published 1937). In 1938, she published the first volume of a translation of theVinaya Pitaka. (She was to publish a translation of the last Vinaya Pitaka volume in 1966.)
In 1942, Horner became the Honorary Secretary of the Pali Text Society (PTS). In 1943, in response to her parents' needs and greater PTS involvement, Horner moved toLondon where she lived until her death.[8] In 1959, she became the Society's President[10] and Honorary Treasurer.
In 1964, in recognition of her contributions to Pali literature, Horner was awarded an honoraryPh.D by Ceylon University.[3][8]
In 1977, Horner received a second honorary Ph.D from Nava Nalanda Mahavihara.[8]
In 1980,Queen Elizabeth II made Horner an Officer of theOrder of the British Empire (OBE) for her lifelong contribution toBuddhist literature.[6][8]
Horner's books (ordered by first identified publication date) include:
