Oral Histories

Interview of Wolf Leslau

Founding chair of the UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages. Instrumental in establishing the Department of Near Eastern Languages and the Gustave E. von Grunebaum Center for Near East Studies.
Subtitle:
New Eastern Center
Series:
UCLA's Gustav E. von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies
Topic:
UCLA and University of California History
UCLA Research Centers and Programs
Biographical Note:
Founding chair of the UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages. Instrumental in establishing the Department of Near Eastern Languages and the Gustave E. von Grunebaum Center for Near East Studies.
Interviewer:
Deemer, Selden S.
Interviewee:
Leslau, Wolf
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Length:
5 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Series Statement:
This series documents the founding and early development of UCLA's Center for Near Eastern Studies.
Abstract:
Wolf Leslau: Early education in Poland; study of Hebrew in Vienna, 1926-31; study of Ethiopic, Arabic, Akkadian, and Syrian in Paris, 1931-35; move to New York, 1942; first field work in Ethiopia, 1946; move to UCLA, 1955; development of Near Eastern Center and faculty; growth of library collection of Near Eastern materials; purpose of Department of Near Eastern Languages; cooperation between UCLA and Haile Selassie I University; influence of Peace Corps on public interest in Ethiopian studies; scholarly awards and conferences; future of Near Eastern studies at UCLA.