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Regnard, Jean François

(Encyclopedia)Regnard, Jean François zhäN fräNswäˈ rənyärˈ [key], 1655–1709, French comic dramatist. He traveled widely in Europe; captured by Barbary pirates, he was held in slavery (1678–79) until ran...

Muses

(Encyclopedia)Muses, in Greek religion and mythology, patron goddesses of the arts, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Originally only three, they were later considered as nine. Calliope was the Muse of epic poetry a...

Innes, Michael

(Encyclopedia)Innes, Michael, pseud. of John Innes Mackintosh Stewart, 1906–94, British writer and scholar, b. near Edinburgh. From 1969 to 1973 he was a reader in English literature at Oxford. Under his own name...

Thomas, John Charles

(Encyclopedia)Thomas, John Charles, 1891–1960, American baritone, b. Meyersdale, Pa., studied at the Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore. After a successful career in musical comedy he made his operatic debut in Wash...

Cecco d'Ascoli

(Encyclopedia)Cecco d'Ascoli chĕkˈkō däsˈkōlē [key], 1269?–1327, Italian astrologer, mathematician, poet, and physician, whose real name was Francesco degli Stabili, b. Ascoli. A teacher of astrology at se...

Kupala, Janka

(Encyclopedia)Kupala, Janka yängˈkä ko͞opäˈlä [key], 1888–1942, Belorussian poet and writer, whose original name was Ivan Lutsevich. Kupala was a major figure of the Belorussian national and cultural reviv...

Giannotti, Donato

(Encyclopedia)Giannotti, Donato dōnäˈtō jän-nôtˈtē [key], 1492–1573, Italian political theorist, b. Florence. He studied at Pisa and in 1527 became secretary of the supreme council of the Florentine repub...

Dobrée, Bonamy

(Encyclopedia)Dobrée, Bonamy bŏnˈəmē dōˈbrē [key], 1891–1974, English scholar and critic, b. London, grad. Cambridge (B.A., 1921, M.A., 1924). He served with the Royal Artillery in both world wars, attain...

Held, Anna

(Encyclopedia)Held, Anna, 1873?–1918, American musical comedy actress, b. Paris. She is remembered for her beauty and charm and for her tempestuous off-stage life. After she had small singing and dancing parts in...