(Encyclopedia) Amadis of GaulAmadis of Gaulămˈədĭs [key], Fr. Amadis de GauleAmadis of Gaulämädēsˈ də gōl [key], famous prose romance of chivalry, first composed in Spain or Portugal and probably…
(Encyclopedia) Hooker, John Lee, 1917–2001, American blues singer and guitarist, b. near Clarksdale, Miss. From a cotton-sharecropping family, he learned the blues from his stepfather and various…
(Encyclopedia) Domingo, PlácidoDomingo, Plácidoplăˈcēdō dōmēˈgō [key], 1941–, Spanish operatic tenor, b. Madrid, Spain. He made his operatic debut in Mexico City in 1961 and his New York debut at the…
(Encyclopedia) Donizetti, GaetanoDonizetti, Gaetanogītäˈnō dōnēdzĕtˈtē [key], 1797–1848, Italian composer. He studied music in Bergamo and Bologna and achieved success with his first opera, Enrico di…
(Encyclopedia) Beresford, Bruce, 1940–, Australian film director, b. Sydney, grad. Sydney Univ. (1962). Beresford moved to England, worked for the British Film Institute (1966–71), and made several…
(Encyclopedia) Webster, Margaret, 1905–72, American actress, producer, and director, b. New York City; daughter of Ben Webster and Dame May Whitty. Webster made her formal acting debut in 1924. After…
Whether we are crossing a street or spelling a word, it seems there are rules for everything. “Look both ways before you cross” or “I before E except after C” are rules that we understand to be…
(Encyclopedia) Montherlant, Henri deMontherlant, Henri deäNrēˈ də môNtĕrläNˈ [key], 1896–1972, French writer. His novels are decadent and egotistical and glorify force and masculinity. Montherlant…
(Encyclopedia) John of Austria, 1545–78, Spanish admiral and general; illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. He was acknowledged in his father's will and was recognized by his half-brother…