Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Huygens, Constantijn

(Encyclopedia)Huygens, Constantijn hoiˈgəns [key], 1596–1687, Dutch humanist and poet, b. The Hague; father of Christiaan Huygens. He was broadly educated in languages, law, and social protocol to follow a pub...

Kalb, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Kalb, Johann Ger. yōˈhän kälp [key], 1721–80, American general in the Revolution, known generally as Baron de Kalb, b. Hüttendorf, Germany. He assumed his title for military reasons and as Jean...

Weiss, Peter

(Encyclopedia)Weiss, Peter pāˈtər vīs [key], 1916–82, German-Swedish dramatist, novelist, film director, and painter. Weiss's early novels Abschied von den Eltern (1961; tr. Leavetaking, 1962) and Fluchtpunkt...

Cardin, Pierre

(Encyclopedia)Cardin, Pierre pyĕr kärdăNˈ [key], 1922–2020, French fashion designer, b. Italy. He spent most of his early years working in Paris for such firms as Schiaparelli and Dior and designed the costum...

Bologna, Giovanni

(Encyclopedia)Bologna, Giovanni, or Giambologna jōvänˈnē bōlōˈnyä, jämˌbōlōˈnyä [key], 1524–1608, Flemish sculptor, whose real name was Jean Bologne or Boulogne. Though born in Douai, France, he tra...

Bourbaki, Nicolas

(Encyclopedia)Bourbaki, Nicolas, pseudonym under which a group of 20th cent. mathematicians has written a series of treatises on pure mathematics. The mathematicians have all been associated with the Ecole Normale ...

Saguenay

(Encyclopedia)Saguenay săgˈənā, săgˌənāˈ [key], river, c.125 mi (200 km) long, S Que., Canada. It issues from Lac Saint Jean, or Lake Saint John (c.375 sq mi/970 sq km), in two channels, the Grande Déchar...

Reinhardt, Django

(Encyclopedia)Reinhardt, Django (Jean Baptiste Reinhardt), 1910–53, Belgian jazz guitarist of Romani (Gypsy) descent. Reinhardt began playing the guitar professionally at 12. He was severely burned in a fire in 1...

Richter, Johann Paul Friedrich

(Encyclopedia)Richter, Johann Paul Friedrich rĭkhˈtər [key], pseud. Jean Paul, 1763–1825, German novelist. He studied theology at the Univ. of Leipzig and later taught in that city. His novels combine the ide...

Roman de la Rose, Le

(Encyclopedia)Roman de la Rose, Le lə rōmäNˈ də lä rōz [key], French poem of 22,000 lines in eight-syllable couplets. It is in two parts. The first (4,058 lines) was written (c.1237) by Guillaume de Lorris a...

Browse by Subject