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Humperdinck, Engelbert

(Encyclopedia)Humperdinck, Engelbert hŭmˈpərdĭngk, Ger. ĕngˈəlbĕrt ho͝omˈpərdĭngk [key], 1854–1921, German composer and teacher. He is known chiefly for his first opera, Hänsel und Gretel (1893), suc...

Bevis of Hampton

(Encyclopedia)Bevis of Hampton bēˈvĭs [key], English metrical romance of the early 14th cent. that also appears in Anglo-Norman, French, Italian, Scandinavian, Celtic, and Slavonic versions. Although its adventu...

Kazantzakis, Nikos

(Encyclopedia)Kazantzakis, Nikos nēˈkôs käˌzändzäˈkēs [key], 1883?–1957, Greek writer, b. Crete. After obtaining a law degree he studied philosophy under Henri Bergson in Paris and traveled widely in Eur...

Voinovich, Vladimir Nikolayevich

(Encyclopedia)Voinovich, Vladimir Nikolayevich, 1932–2018, Russian satirist and political dissident. His father was dissident journalist who was jailed for his activities. Voinovich served in the army (1951–55)...

Hakuho

(Encyclopedia)Hakuho, 1985–, Mongolian sumo wrestler, b. Ulaanbaator as Mönkhbatyn Davaajarga. The son of a wrestler, he went to Japan in 2000 to train and made his professional debut in 2001. He won his first c...

crane, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)crane, large wading bird found in marshes in the Northern Hemisphere and in Africa. Although sometimes confused with herons, cranes are more closely related to rails and limpkins. Cranes are known for...

anemone

(Encyclopedia)anemone ənĕmˈənē [key] or windflower, any of the perennial herbs, wild or cultivated, of the genus Anemone of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family). A rich legendary history has gained the ...

König Rother

(Encyclopedia)König Rother könˈĭk rōtˈər [key], earliest heroic minstrel epic from the precourtly period of Middle High German literature. Written in Bavaria in popular verse style by an unknown Rhenish poet...

Mascagni, Pietro

(Encyclopedia)Mascagni, Pietro pyāˈtrō mäskäˈnyē [key], 1863–1945, Italian operatic composer. He is known for his opera Cavalleria rusticana (1890), based on the tale by Giovanni Verga; it is a classic exa...

Weir, Peter

(Encyclopedia)Weir, Peter wēr [key], 1944–, Australian film director, b. Sydney. His early work helped to bring Australian film to world attention; his later films, made in Hollywood, mingle American movie techn...