Nikolai Iosifovich Konrad

Born Mar. 1 (13), 1891, in Riga; died Sept. 30, 1970, in Moscow. Soviet Orientalist; founder of the Soviet school of Japanese scholars; academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1958; corresponding member, 1934).

Konrad graduated from the University of St. Petersburg and the Practical Oriental Academy in 1912. From 1913 to 1950 he taught in institutions of higher education in Kiev, Orel, Lenin-grad, and Moscow (becoming a professor in 1926) and trained many scholars and specialists in Oriental studies. His major works were devoted to the study of the literature, linguistics, history, and cultural history of Japan, China, and Korea; they also included translations into Russian of the literary masterpieces of these countries. He was a member of the Chief Editorial Staff of Vsemirnaia istoriia (World History) and wrote many of its sections. Konrad’s comprehensive analysis of the historical development of the countries of Asia and Europe allowed him to raise a number of important questions concerning the comparative historical and cultural development of the East and West from the point of view of the unity of the worldwide historical process. He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, two other orders, and various medals.