1 best-seller in 2005.īe well, do good work, and keep in touch. The burning down and rebuilding of the theater in Venice, and the reactions of Venetians, are the subject of John Berendt’s book The City of Falling Angels (2005), which was a New York Times No. That same year, 2001, reconstruction of La Fenice began. One of the electricians served a six-year sentence, and the other fled. They’d fallen behind on repair work that they had contracted to do, and they were facing big fines because of it. In 2001 a Venetian court found two electricians guilty of setting the fire. It was a big mystery arson was suspected. In the mid-1800s, it hosted many of Verdi’s premieres, including La Traviata, and for the next century and half it was a busy concert hall. It burned down in 1774, was rebuilt in 1792, destroyed by fire again in 1836, and restored the following year. It wasn’t the first time the theater had burned. The name of the theater, in Italian, means “Phoenix” - the mythical bird that at the end of its life cycle burns itself down to ashes, regenerates, and is reborn as a young firebird to live again. Located in Venice, Italy, it was one of the most beautiful and important opera houses in the world, the site of premieres of many famous works. On this day in 1996 the opera house La Fenice burned to the ground. The success inspired him to go on to write the plays Three Sisters (1901), The Cherry Orchard (1904), and Uncle Vanya (1897), which are now considered classics.Ĭhekhov said, “Any idiot can face a crisis it is this day-to-day living that wears you out.” But two years later, it was produced again, this time to rave reviews. It got horrible reviews, and he walked out on it at intermission and vowed never to write another play. His first play, The Seagull, opened in 1885. They didn’t have big emotional climaxes, and they usually ended with a moment that revealed something about the main characters’ lives. His stories were usually short, full of passive characters, and without much of a plot. Chekhov is one of the inventors of the modern short story. It’s the birthday of writer Anton Chekhov, ( books by this author) born in Taganrog, Russia (1860). The original title Paine came up with for the pamphlet was “Plain Truth.” He’s best known for writing “Common Sense” (1776), the pamphlet that convinced many Americans, including George Washington, to fight for independence from England. It’s the birthday of writer and revolutionary Thomas Paine, ( books by this author) born in Thetford, England (1737). Toward the end of his life, his career fizzled out some - he gained a reputation for being extremely hard to work with, was passed over for some coveted movie roles, and his alcoholism was taking its toll. He went from juggling to doing a witty comedic routine, and then to acting in films. He was a fabulously skilled juggler, and at 14 he honed his juggling act and joined the carnival. He ran away from home as a child, stole to survive, got in a lot of fistfights, and was arrested often. He also wrote screenplays, including for the films The Bank Dick (1940), Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941), and You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939). Fields, ( books by this author) born William Dukenfield in Darby, Pennsylvania (1880). It’s the birthday of the man who said, “There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation,” actor W.C. Aired by permission of University of Pittsburgh Press. “Tomorrow” by Barbara Crooker from Some Glad Morning. Perhaps for the first time, to read the long lines We’ll play flashlight tag, hide and seek, Will cut off cell phones, scramble the internet.
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