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Molière 400 in 2022

15 January marks the 400th anniversary of the birth of French actor, playwright and poet, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known as Molière. Widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language, his works include comedies, farces and tragicomedies, His plays have been translated into every major living language. As a sixth-form student at … Continue reading “Molière 400 in 2022”

15 January 2022 by
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David Bowie 75th anniversary

8 January 2022 marks what would have been the late great David Bowie’s 75th birthday. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, his work was acclaimed by fellow musicians and critics, particularly his innovative work in the 1970s. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career … Continue reading “David Bowie 75th anniversary”

8 January 2022 by
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75th anniversary of the birth of Steve Biko, South African anti-apartheid activist

Steve Biko (1946-1977) was ideologically an African nationalist and social who was at the forefront of a grassroots anti-apartheid campaign known as the Black Consciousness Movement during the late 1960s and 1970s.  Studying medicine at the University of Natal, he became increasingly frustrated that National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) and other anti-apartheid groups … Continue reading “75th anniversary of the birth of Steve Biko, South African anti-apartheid activist”

18 December 2021 by
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75th anniversary of David Lean’s ‘Great Expectations’

Regarded as one of David Lean’s greatest films, ‘Great Expectations’, starring John Mills (as Pip), Alec Guinness, Bernard Miles, Jean Simmons and others, was released on 26 December 1946. On the BFI’s list of 100 top films (1999), it reached 5th place. It was the first of two films Lean directed based of Dickens’ novels … Continue reading “75th anniversary of David Lean’s ‘Great Expectations’”

17 December 2021 by
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200th anniversary of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s birth

Fyodor Dostoevsky (Dostoyevsky) [11 November 1821-9 February 1881], renowned Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist, his literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social and spiritual atmospheres of 19th century Russia. His most notable works were: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov, with his 1864 novella ‘Notes from Underground’ considered to … Continue reading “200th anniversary of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s birth”

11 November 2021 by
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Engelbert Humperdinck centenary

Engelbert Humperdinck (1 September 1854 – 27 September 1921) was a German composer, most widely known for his opera Hansel and Gretel. He produced his first composition aged 7, though his parents disapproved of his plans for a career in music and encouraged him to study architecture. Hänsel und Gretel, conducted by Richard Strauss, was produced at … Continue reading “Engelbert Humperdinck centenary”

27 September 2021 by
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150th anniversary of the birth of Marcel Proust

Considered by critics to be one of the most influential authors of the 20th century, Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (1871–1922), French novelist, critic, and essayist, wrote the monumental novel À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time, earlier rendered as Remembrance of Things Past). By the age of nine, Proust had had … Continue reading “150th anniversary of the birth of Marcel Proust”

10 July 2021 by