Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Girardon, François fräNswäˈ zhērärdôNˈ [key], 1628–1715, French sculptor. Chancellor Séguier sent him to study in Paris with François Anguier and later to Rome. On his return he was commis...

(Encyclopedia) Freyssinet, Eugène özhĕnˈ frāsēnāˈ [key], 1879–1962, French engineer. Freyssinet was noted as a designer of bridges and industrial buildings. He was the inventor of the internationally used ...

(Encyclopedia) Péguy, Charles shärl pāgēˈ [key], 1873–1914, French poet and writer. Of a poor, working family, he won scholarships and made a brilliant record as a student. He left the École normale supérie...

(Encyclopedia) Machaut, Guillaume de gēyōmˈ də mäshōˈ [key], c.1300–1377, French poet and composer. Variants of his name include Machault, de Machaudio, and de Mascaudio. He studied theology and took holy o...

(Encyclopedia) Constant, Benjamin (Henri Benjamin Constant de Rebecque) äNrēˈ bäNzhämăNˈ kôNstäNˈ də rəbĕkˈ [key], 1767–1830, French-Swiss political writer and novelist, b. Lausanne. His affair (1794...

(Encyclopedia) Lemonnier, Camille kämēˈyə ləmônyāˈ [key], 1844–1913, Belgian novelist and art critic. After abandoning law, Lemonnier published his first work, Salon de Bruxelles (1863), a collection of ar...

(Encyclopedia) Ogier the Dane ōˈjēər, ōzhyāˈ [key], in the chansons de geste, a paladin of Charlemagne. Although his military feats save emperor and kingdom, he is for a time at odds with Charlemagne. In some...

(Encyclopedia) Picard, Edmond ĕdmôNˈ pēkärˈ [key], 1836–1924, Belgian jurist and author. A brilliant lawyer, he was at various times president of the Belgian bar association and a member of the supreme court...

(Encyclopedia) Montreux môNtröˈ [key], resort area (1990 pop. 22,917), on the northeast shore of the Lake of Geneva, Vaud canton, W Switzerland. It is composed of the communes of Le Châtelard, Les Planches, and ...

(Encyclopedia) Renart, Jean zhäN rənärˈ [key], fl. 1212, French poet. He is believed to be the author of two charming romans courtois, or metrical romances—Guillaume de Dole and L'Escoufle [the hawk] as well a...