Rásonyi László: A magyar keletkutatás orosz kapcsolatai (A MTAK kiadványai 26. Budapest, 1962)

RUSSIAN CONNECTIONS 0 F HUNGARIAN ORIENTAL STUDIES This outline is destined to give information not only to young orientalists who are not yet sufficiently experienced in matters of bibliography, but also to librarians, especially to the staff of the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The Academy's Library is particularly interested in the subject: several of the most outstanding Hungarian philologists acted as librarians to the Academy, moreover a considerable part of the correspondence of other Hungarian philologists is preserved here. Both the Hungarian and Russian people have oriental connections with regard to their ethnogenesis, vocabulary, and later history. These connections were with the peoples of the family of Altaic languages; in the case of the Hungarians especially with the Turkish peoples, in that of the Russians, beside the Turkish peoples, to a great extent with the Mongolians. The development and trends of oriental studies both in Hungary and in Russia were for the most part determined by these connections. This outline is by way of being a short guide, and merely points out that any future student of the details of the history of Hungarian oriental studies since the establishment of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and its Library will meet Russian connections at every step. First, with the help of István SZÉCHENYI

, of József TELEKI

, the first President of the Academy, and Gábor DÖBRENTEI

, its Secretary, an exchange of publications was started as early as 1833 which made it possible for Hungarian scholars to become acquainted with innumerable source-publications of the Russian Academy of Sciences founded by Peter the Great in 1725. These publications provided a considerable incentive to Hungarian research workers. On the initiative and with the pecuniary assistance of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and given invaluable moral support by Russian academicians Hungarian scholars made study tours in Russia, Hungarian and Russian academicians established personal connections, and carried on correspondence. The very valuable collection of correspondence, not yet fully explored, makes the Manuscript Department and the Oriental Department of the Library of the Academy a rich mine of the history of learning in the field of oriental studies, too. The outline lists the many Hungarian research workers (REOULY, BESE, JERNEY, BÁLINT, MUNKÁCSI, JANKÓ, POSTA, ALMÁSSY, PRINZ, NÉMETH etc.), whom their aims led to different parts of the Russian Empire. Mention is made of the Russian external members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian ones of the Academy of Leningrad (St. Petersburg). They were in lively correspondence part of which is accessible in the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Among the letters, addressed to REGULY, we may read those of K. E. BAER, A. A KIJNIK, M. P. POGODIN, and C. M. FRAEHN. Of the letters to VÁMBÉRY there are few in the Library of the Academy. On the other hand, in the legacy of József BUOENZ, founder of modern Hungarian linguistics, the letters of the following Russian scholars may be found (The number of the letters is indicated between brackets.): J. BAUDOUIN DE COURTENAY (24), J. K. GROT (2), B. JÜLG (9), V. V. RADLOV (11), A. SCHIEFNER (21), S. KOLUMBOV (20), S. KUZNETSOV (1), A. PETROV (4), I. K. SOKOLOV (5). B. MUNKÁCSY'S legacy is also very rich. Ile received about 450 letters from his Russian friends and acquaintances, distributed from Leningrad to Vladivostok: V. ABAEV (5 letters), N. K. BOBROVNIKOV (3), V. CHERNETSOV (13), K. KUZNETSOV (1 ), P. MELIORANSKY (G), VSEVOLOD MILLER (3), L. MSERIANTS (10), S. PATKANOV (115), N. KATANOV (80), E. PEKARSKY (I), A. POGODIN (2), V. RADLOV (6), A. RUDNEV (I), I. SMIRNOV (2). Among I. GOLDZIHER'S vast correspondence, too, there are letters written by Russian scholars: S. POZNANSKY (232 letters), V. ROZEN (103) P. K. KOKOVTSOV (10), D. A. CHWOLSON (5), A. HARKAVY (8). IS