Erwin von Zach

Erwin Ritter von Zach was an Austrian diplomat and sinologist noted for his studies of Chinese literature and its translation, as well as his often harsh criticism of other scholars work. His German translation of the early Chinese anthology Selections of Refined Literature was the works first complete translation in a Western language.

Erwin von Zach was born onApril 1872 in Vienna, which was then a part of the AustroHungarian Empire. His family was aristocratic and frequently moved throughout Europe. He attended school in Krakow, Lemburg , and Vienna, studying Greek and the natural sciences. He enrolled at the University of Vienna as a student of medicine, but audited classes in a wide variety of subjects, including mathematics and Chinese. Following an emergency appendectomy in 1895, von Zach moved to Leiden to recuperate. While in Leiden, von Zach attended the Dutch sinologist Gustaaf Schlegels Chinese classes and began studying Manchu and Tibetan.

Source: Wikipedia