Monday, December 5, 2005

 

Spotlight: Considered to be the greatest German-language poet of the 20th century, Rainer Maria Rilke was born on this date in 1875. One of his most famous books of poetry, and the one thought to have been his favorite, is Duino Elegies, published in 1923. His only novel, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, was published in 1910 and said to have been somewhat autobiographical.

Quote: "Surely all art is the result of one's having been in danger, of having gone through an experience all the way to the end, where no one can go any further." – Rainer Maria Rilke

Today in History:

• Prohibition: ended in the US with ratification of Amendment XXI, which repealed XVIII (1933)
• Bermuda Triangle: US Navy squadron disappeared, as did an aircraft sent to search for it (1945)
• AFL-CIO: federation of North American labor unions formed (1955)

Today's Birthdays:

• Martin Van Buren: 8th POTUS, known as "Old Kinderhook" or "OK" (1782-1862)
• Walt Disney: animator, filmmaker, and the original voice of Mickey Mouse (1901-1966)
• Frankie Muniz: actor, Malcolm in the Middle (20)

Word of the Day:  monograph: a scholarly work on a particular subject; in 1902 Rilke went to Paris to write a monograph of the sculptor Auguste Rodin.   (© )