Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Traven, B., 1890–1969, German language novelist. During his life Traven refused to divulge any information concerning himself. His birth name is still uncertain, as is his birthplace. As Ret Marut h...

(Encyclopedia) Acuña, Juan de hwän dā ako͞oˈnyä [key], 1658?–1734, Spanish-American administrator, viceroy of New Spain (1722–34), marqués de Casa Fuerte, b. Lima, Peru. After a distinguished career in Sp...

(Encyclopedia) Staël, Nicholas de nēkôläˈ də stäl [key], 1914–55, French painter, b. St. Petersburg, Russia. Reared in Brussels, he traveled extensively before settling in France in 1940. De Staël evolved ...

(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 ...

(Encyclopedia) Maistre, Xavier de də mĕsˈtrə [key], 1763–1852, French writer, b. Savoy; brother of Joseph de Maistre. He served in the Russian army and lived most of his life in St. Petersburg. His works are ...

(Encyclopedia) Brunhoff, Jean de lôräNˈ [key], 1925–, has continued the Babar series. ...

(Encyclopedia) Bowra, C. M. (Sir Cecil Maurice Bowra) bouˈrə [key], 1898–1971, English classical scholar, b. China. Associated with the Univ. of Oxford throughout his adult life, he was warden of Wadham College ...

(Encyclopedia) Mendoza, Pedro de dā māndōˈthä [key], b. 1501 or 1502, d. 1537, Spanish conquistador, first adelantado [civil and military governor] of Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina). After a military...

(Encyclopedia) Croix, Carlos Francisco de Croix, marqués de kärˈlōs fränthēsˈkō dā krəwäˈ märkāsˈ dā krəwäˈ [key], 1699–1786, Spanish colonial administrator, b. Lille, France. As viceroy of New ...

(Encyclopedia) de Kruif, Paul də krīf [key], 1890–1971, American author, b. Zeeland, Mich., grad. Univ. of Michigan (B.S., 1912). He was bacteriologist at the university from 1912 to 1917. Among his books are Mi...