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Brongniart, Alexandre

(Encyclopedia)Brongniart, Alexandre brôNyärˈ [key], 1770–1847, French geologist, mineralogist, and chemist. As director of the Sèvres porcelain factory from 1800, he was responsible for its international fam...

Despiau, Charles

(Encyclopedia)Despiau, Charles shärl dāpēōˈ [key], 1874–1946, French sculptor. He studied at the École des Arts décoratifs and the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and worked in Rodin's studio (1907–14). Hi...

Cohen, Hermann

(Encyclopedia)Cohen, Hermann kōˈən [key], 1842–1918, German philosopher. He was a founder of the Neo-Kantian Marburg school and was known for his commentaries on Kant. His own works include Logik der reinen Er...

Laval, city, Canada

(Encyclopedia)Laval, city (1991 pop. 314,398), coextensive with Île-Jésus (94 sq mi/243 sq km), S Que., Canada, between the Rivière des Mille Îles and the Rivière des Prairies, just NW of Montreal. The second ...

Laplace, Pierre Simon, marquis de

(Encyclopedia)Laplace, Pierre Simon, marquis de pyĕr sēmôNˈ märkēˈ də läpläsˈ [key], 1749–1827, French astronomer and mathematician. At 18 he went to Paris, proved his gift for mathematical analysis to...

Braudel, Fernand

(Encyclopedia)Braudel, Fernand, 1902–85, French historian. He studied under Lucien Febvre and was a founder of the Annales school of historiography. As a German prisoner-of-war during World War II, he wrote his m...

Watanabe, Junya

(Encyclopedia)Watanabe, Junya, 1961–, Japanese fashion designer, b. Fukushima. He apprenticed at Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garçons (1984), where he became a knitwear and menswear designer. Watanabe introduced his...

Aulard, Alphonse

(Encyclopedia)Aulard, Alphonse älfôNsˈ ōlärˈ [key], 1849–1928, French historian. He was the first professional historian of the French Revolution, and he devoted his life to this study. A professor at the U...

Maeterlinck, Maurice

(Encyclopedia)Maeterlinck, Maurice môrēsˈ mätĕrlăNkˈ [key], 1862–1949, Belgian author who wrote in French. After practicing law unsuccessfully for several years, he went to Paris in 1897. He had already be...

Trakl, Georg

(Encyclopedia)Trakl, Georg gāôrk träkˈəl [key], 1887–1914, Austrian expressionist poet. Trakl's work, influenced by French impressionist poetry, reveals his disgust with imperialistic society. An absorption ...