Page:A biographical dictionary of modern rationalists.djvu/349

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PSICHABI


PUTNAM


PSICHARI, Professor Jean, French Hellenist and novelist. B. May 15, 1854. Ed. Lyc6o Condorcet and Sorbonne, Paris. In 1880 Psichari, who was of Greek extraction his real name being Joannes Psuchares was appointed Treasurer to the University, and four years later he became lecturer on Neo-Greek philology at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes. In 1903 he succeeded to the chair of modern Greek at the Ecole des Langues Orientales Vivantes. Of his numerous works on modern Greece and Greek his Essai de grammaire historique neo-qrecque (1887) won the Volney Prize of the Institut, and his Autour de la Grece (1895) was crowned by the Academy. He married Kenan s daughter, and he has given us a deeply sympathetic account of Eenan s last days in his novel, Sceur Anselme (1919). Pro fessor Psichari is Vice-President of the Ligue des Droits de 1 Homme, and member of various learned societies.

PULSZKY, Franz Aurel, Hungarian writer and politician. B. Sep. 17, 1814. Ed. Miskolcz and Eperies. He studied philosophy and law, and then spent several years travelling over Europe. His account of England (Aus dem Tagebuch eines in Grossbritannien reisenden Ungarn, 1837) opened the doors of the Hungarian Academy to him, and at Borne he was admitted to the Archaeological Institute. He was elected to the Diet in 3839, and in 1848 he was appointed Under- Secretary of State in the Ministry of Finance. For his share in the revolutionary movement of 1849 he was compelled to fly to England, where he became a friend of G. J. Holy- oake. The Austrian Government con demned him to death. After 1860 he lived in Italy, taking part in the work of liberation, until 1866, when he was allowed to return to his country. He was again in the Diet from 1867 to 1876. Pulszky wrote a number of scholarly works, and was Director of the National Museum at Buda-Pesth (1869-94) and President of Section of the Hungarian Academy of G25


Philology and the Fine Arts. D. Sep. 9, 1897.

PUSHKIN, Alexandr Sergeyevich,

Bussian poet. B. June 6, 1799. Ed. private tutors, and Imperial Lyceum, Tsarkoe Selo. As early as 1815 Pushkin, who was of aristocratic birth, attracted attention by a poem, Recollections of Tsarkoe Selo. He entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but he continued to cultivate letters, and he adopted very advanced ideas. His romantic epic, liusland and Ludmila, was published in 1820. Some of his poems, inspired by the French Bationalists, so heavily satirized religion that he was, while still a young man, banished to South Bussia. In 1824 he was allowed to settle on his mother s estate, and in 1826 to return to St. Peters burg. During these years he continued to produce Byronic poetry which classes him among the very greatest poets of Bussia. In 1831 he again entered the Government service, and he was after that date largely occupied in writing official histories. In 1836 he founded the review Sovremennik. He was mortally wounded in a duel, on his wife s behalf, with Baron Heeckeren. His complete works were published in twelve volumes (1838-41), but the best edition is that issued by the Bussian Imperial Academy of Science (1899-1916). D. Feb. 10, 1837.

PUTNAM, George Haven, A.M., LL.D., American publisher. B. (London) Apr. 2, 1844. Ed. Columbia Grammar School, New York, the Sorbonne, Paris, and Got- tingen University. Mr. Putnam quitted the university for the army at the outbreak of the Civil War, and he rose from the ranks to the position of Major. He was a prisoner during 1864-65. In 1866 he became deputy-collector (to his father) of internal revenue ; but in a few months father and son left the Civil Service to open a publishing business. He is now President of G. P. Putnam s Sons and Director of the Knickerbocker Press. 626