Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Owen, Wilfred, 1893–1918, English poet, b. Oswestry, Shropshire. He served as a company commander in the Artist's Rifles during World War I and was killed in France on Nov. 4, 1918, one week before ...

(Encyclopedia) Terfel, Bryn, 1965–, Welsh bass-baritone, b. Pant Glas as Bryn Terfel Jones. One of the most acclaimed singers of his era, he has a voice of rare warmth, richness, and power. His rise to public prom...

(Encyclopedia) Asawa, Brian Laurence äsäˈwä [key], 1966–2016, American countertenor, b. Fullerton, Calif., B.A., Univ. of Calif., Los Angeles. Known for the the clear, silvery fluidity of his voice and his ele...

(Encyclopedia) Benjamin, Walter, 1892–1940, German essayist and critic. He is known for his synthesis of eccentric Marxist theory and Jewish messianism. In particular, his essays on Charles Baudelaire and Franz Ka...

(Encyclopedia) Benjamin of Tudela to͞odāˈlä [key], d.1173, rabbi considered the first European to approach the borders of China, b. Tudela, Spain. He traveled (1159–73) through Italy, Greece, Palestine, Persia...

(Encyclopedia) Benjamin [Heb.,=son of fortune], younger son of Jacob and Rachel, eponymous ancestor of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. His mother, dying, named him Benoni bĕnōˈnī [key] [Heb.,=son of my sorrow]. ...

(Encyclopedia) Benjamin, Asher, 1773–1845, American architect, b. Greenfield, Mass. His Country Builder's Assistant was published in 1797 and The American Builder's Companion, with Daniel Reynard, in 1806. Benjami...

(Encyclopedia) Benjamin, Karl Stanley, 1925–2012, American painter, b. Chicago, grad. Univ. of Redlands (B.A., 1949), Claremont Graduate School (M.A., 1960). Largely self-taught, Benjamin was part of an art scene ...

(Encyclopedia) Benjamin, Judah Philip, 1811–84, Confederate statesman and British barrister, b. Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands, of Jewish parents. His family moved (c.1813) to Wilmington, N.C., and final...

(Encyclopedia) Oberlin, Russell Keys, 1928–2016, American countertenor, b. Akron, Ohio, grad. Juilliard, 1951. A boy soprano, he sang in his church choir and on the radio, and won a nationwide radio talent competi...