(Encyclopedia) Goldsmith, Oliver, 1730?–1774, Anglo-Irish author. The son of an Irish clergyman, he was graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1749. He studied medicine at Edinburgh and Leiden,…
(Encyclopedia) Ellison, Ralph (Ralph Waldo Ellison), 1914–94, African-American author, b. Oklahoma City, studied Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee Univ.). Originally a trumpet player and aspiring…
(Encyclopedia) Smith, W. Eugene (William Eugene Smith), 1918–78, American photojournalist, b. Wichita, Kan. Smith is considered one of the principal masters of modern photojournalism. The distorted…
(Encyclopedia) Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni, ContePico della Mirandola, Giovanni, Contejōvänˈnē kōnˈtā pēˈkō dĕlˈlä mēränˈdōlä [key], 1463–94, Italian philosopher and humanist. To many in the age…
(Encyclopedia) Richter, HansRichter, Hanshäns [key]Richter, Hans rĭkhˈtər [key], 1888–1976, American artist, b. Germany. A painter and filmmaker, Richter was influenced by cubism and Dada and was a…
(Encyclopedia) Ortega y Gasset, JoséOrtega y Gasset, Joséhōsāˈ ôrtāˈgä ē gäsĕtˈ [key], 1883–1955, Spanish essayist and philosopher. He studied in Germany and was influenced by neo-Kantian thought. He…
(Encyclopedia) Wajda, AndrzejWajda, Andrzejänˈjā vīˈdä [key], 1926–2016, Polish film director, leading member of the Polish Film School, which began in the 1950s. His films are typically studies of…
(Encyclopedia) Wolf, Markus JohannesWolf, Markus Johannesmärˈk&oobreve;s yōhänˈəs [key]Wolf, Markus Johannes vôlf [key], 1923–2006, East German spymaster. A legendary cold-war espionage chief, he…
Hindu poet According to tradition, Valmiki was the author of the Indian epic poem Ramayana (“journey of Rama”), which is thought to have been created in the third century B.C. Legend says that…
