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60-463: Notable faculty of the program have included Edward Albee , John Barth , Madison Smartt Bell , J. M. Coetzee , Stephen Dixon , Mark Hertsgaard , Brad Leithauser , John Irwin , J.D. McClatchy , Alice McDermott , Mark Crispin Miller , Wyatt Prunty , Mary Jo Salter , David St. John , Mark Strand , Robert Stone , and Edmund White . Writer Eric Puchner currently chairs the program, which has

120-807: A Distinguished Professor of Playwriting and held the Lyndall Finley Wortham Chair in the Performing Arts at the University of Houston . His plays are published by Dramatists Play Service and Samuel French, Inc. Albee established the Edward F. Albee Foundation, Inc. in 1967, from royalties from his play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? . The foundation funds the William Flanagan Memorial Creative Persons Center (named after

180-792: A bronze sculpture. The first National Book Awards were presented in May 1936 at the annual convention of the American Booksellers Association , one month after The New York Times reported institution of the "new annual award". The winners were authors of four 1935 books selected by a vote of ABA members. Virginia Kirkus chaired the central committee of seven including the ABA president, three bookshops, Publishers Weekly , and American News Company . Three were called "the most distinguished of 1935" (novel, biography, and general nonfiction) and one "the most original" (novel). Two of

240-512: A close friend of English-born Muir Weissinger Jr. and his family. Albee, along with others, referred to Florence, Muir's mother, as "Mummy." For her part, Albee's mother felt he spent too much time at the Weissinger household. Albee dated Muir's sister, Delphine, and escorted her to her coming-out party. Albee and Delphine had a "long and intense relationship" while it lasted; Albee has said they were "unofficially engaged." Albee kept in touch for

300-520: A drama award at all. The two members of the jury, John Mason Brown and John Gassner , subsequently resigned in protest. An Academy Award -winning film adaptation by Ernest Lehman was released in 1966 starring Elizabeth Taylor , Richard Burton , George Segal , and Sandy Dennis , and was directed by Mike Nichols . In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by

360-700: A greater guarantee of reading pleasure than any other literary prizes. In January 1950 three book industry organizations announced that "works by Americans published here" would be recognized by three awards in March (at the annual convention?). There would be three distinct panels of five judges. The fifteen judges were "Elmer Davis, John Kieran, Henry Steele Commager, Fairfield Osborn and Norman Cousins for non-fiction; Mary Colum, Glenway Wescott, Max Gissin, W. G. Rogers and Malcolm Cowley for fiction; and W. H. Auden, Louise Bogan, Babett Duetsch, Horace Gregory and Louise Untermeyer for poetry." The awards were administered by

420-528: A long act play, Schism , and a 500-page novel, The Flesh of Unbelievers (Horn, 1) in 1946. His formal education continued at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he was expelled in 1947 for skipping classes and refusing to attend compulsory chapel. Albee left home for good in his late teens. In a later interview, he said: "I never felt comfortable with the adoptive parents. I don't think they knew how to be parents. I probably didn't know how to be

480-416: A long time with Florence and Muir Weissinger. Albee insisted that he did not want to be known as a "gay writer", saying in his acceptance speech for the 2011 Lambda Literary Foundation 's Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement: "A writer who happens to be gay or lesbian must be able to transcend self. I am not a gay writer. I am a writer who happens to be gay." His longtime partner, Jonathan Richard Thomas,

540-460: A nomination in the spring and mail copies to the panelists. The panelists read all the valid nominees during this time, and the panels compile shortlists in September. The pre-war awards were announced in the winter, usually February, and described with reference to the year of publication, if any; for example, "National Book Awards for 1939" announced February 1940. The 1950 to 1983 awards, as

600-508: A nonagenarian revisits events of her life refracted through both her own dementia and the differing recollections of her younger selves, is a not-quite-memory play filled with regret, resentment, entitlement, various bodily indignities". Georgia State University English professor Matthew Roudane divides Albee's plays into three periods: the Early Plays (1959–1966), characterized by gladiatorial confrontations, bloodied action and fight to

660-517: A sculptor, died on May 2, 2005, from bladder cancer. They had been partners from 1971 until Thomas's death. Albee also had a relationship of several years with playwright Terrence McNally during the 1950s. Albee died at his home in Montauk, New York on September 16, 2016, aged 88. Albee lived in a 6,000-square-foot loft that was a former cheese warehouse in New York's Tribeca neighborhood. At

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720-525: A son, either." In a 1994 interview, he said he left home at 18 because "[he] had to get out of that stultifying, suffocating environment." In 2008, he told interviewer Charlie Rose that he was "thrown out" because his parents wanted him to become a "corporate thug" and did not approve of his aspirations to be a writer. Albee moved into New York's Greenwich Village , where he supported himself with odd jobs while learning to write plays. Primarily in his early plays, Albee's work had various representations of

780-720: A strong reputation. It has been ranked "One of the Top Ten Graduate Programs in Creative Writing" by The Atlantic , and in 2020 was ranked as the #1 creative writing program by creativewritingmfa.info. In 1997, U.S. News & World Report ranked the program second in the United States out of sixty-five eligible full-residency MFA programs. In 2011, Poets & Writers ranked Hopkins seventeenth nationally out of 157 eligible full-residency MFA programs. The long respected Science Writing program

840-475: A success-crazed culture they are never forgiven for failing to live up to their own early masterpieces. But if Edward Albee has suffered the same cruel fate as Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams , he has kept on trucking". Billington wrote of Albee's 1987 play, Marriage Play , "At the end the play achieves a metaphorical resonance by suggesting that marriage is an accumulation of meaningless habits and that "nothing has made any difference". In 1991 he wrote

900-586: A translation award from 1967-1983, but did not require the author to be living and was for fiction only. In 2024, the National Book Foundation announced the awards would no longer require U.S. citizenship for eligibility, following a similar decision the Pulitzer Prizes had made in 2023. A book must be published "between December 1 of the previous year and November 30 of the current year" to be eligible. Its publisher must complete

960-404: Is a lovely, poignant and deeply felt play. In no way at all is it an easy play -- this formal minuet of death, this symphony ironically celebrating death's dominion. It is not easy in its structure, a series of almost operatic arias demanding, in their precision, pin-point concentration from the audience, and it is certainly not easy in its subject matter." In 1974 he wrote Seascape , which won

1020-420: The American Booksellers Association , abandoned during World War II , and re-established by three book industry organizations in 1950. Non-U.S. authors and publishers were eligible for the pre-war awards. Since then they are presented to U.S. authors for books published in the United States roughly during the award year. The nonprofit National Book Foundation was established in 1988 to administer and enhance

1080-553: The Billy Rose Theatre on October 13, 1962, and closed on May 16, 1964, after five previews and 664 performances. The opening night cast featured Uta Hagen . Arthur Hill , George Grizzard and Melinda Dillon . The play won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1963 and was selected for the 1963 Pulitzer Prize by the award's drama jury, but the selection was overruled by the advisory committee, which elected not to give

1140-696: The Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts (both in 1996). In 2009, Albee received honorary degree from the Bulgarian National Academy of Theater and Film Arts (NATFA), a member of the Global Alliance of Theater Schools. In 2008, in celebration of Albee's 80th birthday, a number of his plays were mounted in distinguished Off-Broadway venues, including the historic Cherry Lane Theatre where

1200-789: The LGBT QIA community often challenging the image of a heterosexual marriage. Despite challenging society's views about the gay community, he did not view himself as an LGBT advocate. Albee's work typically criticized the American Dream . His first play, The Zoo Story , written in three weeks, was first staged in Berlin in 1959 before premiering Off-Broadway in 1960. His next, The Death of Bessie Smith , similarly premiered in Berlin before arriving in New York. Albee's most iconic play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , opened on Broadway at

1260-621: The Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 1971 he wrote All Over , a two-act play originally titled, Death , the second half of a projected double bill with another play called Life (which later became Seascape ). The play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre with John Gielgud directing and starred Jessica Tandy , Madeleine Sherwood , and Colleen Dewhurst . The New York Times writer Clive Barnes wrote, "It

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1320-637: The National Book Award for Translated Literature , was added in 2018, recognizing works in translation for the first time since 1983. At the National Book Awards Ceremony and Dinner held in New York City each November, the chair of each judging panel announces the winners of the year's National Book Awards. Each finalist receives $ 1,000, a medal, and a citation written by the judging panel; winners get $ 10,000 and

1380-474: The Pulitzer Prize for Drama . It debuted on Broadway with Deborah Kerr and Frank Langella . It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play losing to Peter Shaffer 's Equus . Clive Barnes of The New York Times declared the play "a major event", adding, "As Mr. Albee has matured as a playwright, his work has become leaner, sparer and simpler. He depends on strong theatrical strokes to attract

1440-525: The Pulitzer Prizes (not yet announced in February 1938) as potential ratifications. "Unlike the Pulitzer Prize committee, the booksellers merely vote for their favorite books. They do not say it is the best book or the one that will elevate the standard of manhood or womanhood. Twenty years from now we can decide which are the masterpieces. This year we can only decide which books we enjoyed reading

1500-1083: The Rea Award for the Short Story , the Pushcart Prize , the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize , the Giller Prize , the Guggenheim Fellowship , the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award , the Dramatic Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival , a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award , and other accolades. The Writing Seminars hosts the Turnbull Lectures, a yearly lecture series on the topic of poetry. The series

1560-690: The Tony Award for Best Play . His works are often considered frank examinations of the modern condition. His early works reflect a mastery and Americanization of the Theatre of the Absurd that found its peak in works by European playwrights such as Samuel Beckett , Eugène Ionesco , and Jean Genet . His middle period comprised plays that explored the psychology of maturing, marriage and sexual relationships. Younger American playwrights, such as Paula Vogel , credit Albee's mix of theatricality and biting dialogue with helping to reinvent postwar American theatre in

1620-596: The "Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters" and the "Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community". Only publishers nominate books for the National Book Awards, but panelists may request particular nominations from publishers. Each panel comprises five judges, including writers, librarians, booksellers, and literary critics. In 2013, the judging panels were expanded to include experts in

1680-470: The "National Book Awards" were canceled and replaced by "American Book Awards" on the film industry model (Oscars). "It will be run almost exactly the way the Academy Awards are run," a spokesman told reporters." There would be nearly 30 awards presented in an extravagant TV-friendly ceremony, to winners selected by a standing "academy" of more than 2,000 people in the book industry. Implementation

1740-541: The "National" award returned in name. Covering the November ceremony, Edwin McDowell of The New York Times remarked upon the recurring changes in format and contrasted 1983 in particular, when there were 96 finalists in 27 awards categories (listed above). The surviving awards for general Fiction and Nonfiction , now with precisely five finalists each, were administered by National Book Awards, Inc., whose Chairman of

1800-619: The 1937/38 cycle, ballots were received from 319 stores, triple the number who voted in the first rendition early in 1936. In a 1941 advertisement, the Booksellers described the "significance of the awards" thus: In effect, his ballot says, "Of all the books of the year these are the three I enjoyed most – in two ways ! I enjoyed reading them; and I enjoyed selling them." And that to a bookseller means people who, on his recommendation, read and enjoyed – and sent in other people who also read and enjoyed. The National Book Awards give you perhaps

1860-739: The AAP Board voted to fund a new version of the Awards, which had been "close to expiring from lack of support". At the time, AAP and Harper & Row president Brooks Thomas anticipated "probably fewer than ten" categories, including some "only for original paperbacks, not reprints". Edwin McDowell reported that "many book-industry officials hope ... [to] rank in importance with the $ 15,000 Booker McConnell Prize for Fiction " (British). For 1983 publications (January to October) there would be no awards. A committee comprising American Book Awards executive director Barbara Prete and four publishers designed

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1920-476: The Board was the president of Hearst Trade Book Group. He declaimed that "Book people are really not actors, and there's a realization now that we should not try to reward things like who did the best book blurb." The fixed number five finalists was retained through 2012, while the number of book categories has doubled with the addition of Poetry in 1991 and Young People's Literature in 1996. Beginning with 2013,

1980-553: The Foundation announced there would be a "longlist" of 10 titles in each of the four categories in September (40 titles), followed by a "finalist" list of 5 titles in October (20 titles), and then the winners in November (4 titles). In 2018 a fifth award category was announced, the National Book Award for Translated Literature . It is for living translators and authors and for fiction and non-fiction. The foundation previously gave

2040-479: The Foundation at the final ceremony for the Book Awards. The medal comes with a cash prize of $ 10,000. It recognizes someone who "has enriched [American] literary heritage over a life of service, or a corpus of work." Five of the seventeen medalists through 2004 were previous National Book Award winners (Bellow, Welty, McCullough, Updike, and Roth, all but McCullough for fiction). Between 2005 and 2018, all of

2100-614: The National Book Awards and "move beyond [them] into the fields of education and literacy", primarily by sponsoring public appearances by writers. Its mission is "to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture." In 2018, there were 1,637 books nominated for the five award categories, led by the Nonfiction category with 546 nominations. The 2018 ceremony

2160-743: The National Book Committee from 1950 to 1974, when the Committee disbanded after publishers withdrew support. In 1950 and 1967, at least, the prize sponsors were three book-industry organizations American Booksellers Association, the American Book Publishers Council and the Book Manufacturers Institute . In 1973 NYTimes still called the National Book Committee a nonprofit funded "by publishers and by organizations involved in

2220-419: The National Book Committee was disbanded. In 1975 the temporary administrator"begged" judges not to split awards. Three of 27 awards were split in 1983 before the drastic cutback that also required selection of a single winner in all three categories for 1984. The currently active Poetry category was added in 1991, followed by Young People's Literature in 1996, and Translated Literature in 2018. In 1980

2280-461: The National Book Foundation labeled them, were presented in the spring to works published during the preceding calendar year. Since 1984 the NBA have been presented in the fall, usually November, to books published roughly during the calendar year (December of the previous year through November). The Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters is a lifetime achievement award presented by

2340-905: The Writing Seminars have won the Pulitzer Prize , the MacArthur “Genius” Award , the National Book Award , the National Book Critics Circle Award , the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction , the Whiting Award , the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction , the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Fiction, the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism ,

2400-493: The attention of the audience, but the tone of the writing is always thoughtful, even careful, even philosophic." He compared his work alongside Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter . Albee continued to write plays including Listening (1976), Counting the Ways (1976) before a brief break before The Lady from Dubuque (1980) which had a short run on Broadway. He wrote the three act play The Man Who Had Three Arms (1983) which

2460-408: The book trade" A temporary Committee on Awards Policy handled 1975. In 1964 Nonfiction was divided in three. The National Book Award for Translation was introduced in 1967 and split between two books, the first split. Children's literature was first recognized as one of seven categories in 1969. Two awards were split in 1973 for the first time. Publishers dropped their support after 1974 and

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2520-627: The books were advertised by their publishers as "The most distinguished autobiography of 1935" and "The most distinguished general non-fiction book of 1935" in NYTimes on May 12, the same day that the newspaper reported yesterday's awards. For the next six years, 1937 to 1942, the awards were announced from mid-February to early March. The "Most Distinguished" Nonfiction, Biography, and Novel (for 1935 and 1936) were reduced to two and termed "Favorite" Nonfiction and Fiction beginning 1937. Master of ceremonies Clifton Fadiman declined to consider

2580-524: The composer William Flanagan , but better known as "The Barn") in Montauk, New York , as a residence for writers and visual artists. The foundation's mission is "to serve writers and visual artists from all walks of life, by providing time and space in which to work without disturbance." Albee was gay and stated that he first knew he was gay at age 12 and a half. As a teen in Larchmont, Albee became

2640-562: The early 1960s. Later in life, Albee continued to experiment in works such as The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (2002). Edward Albee was born in 1928. His biological father left his mother, Louise Harvey, and he was placed for adoption two weeks later and taken to Larchmont, New York, where he grew up. Albee's adoptive father, Reed A. Albee , the wealthy son of vaudeville magnate Edward Franklin Albee ;II , owned several theaters. His adoptive mother, Reed's second wife, Frances (Cotter),

2700-399: The literary field in addition to established writers. Each panel considers hundreds of books each year in each of the five categories. In 2013, the Foundation announced the addition of a National Book Awards longlist—announced in September and consisting of ten titles per category—to precede the finalists list, announced in October and comprising five titles per category. The fifth category,

2760-423: The medalists except Leonard and Allende have been previous National Book Award winners. The Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community is a lifetime achievement award presented by the Foundation annually from 2005. It recognizes "an individual for outstanding service to the American literary community, whose life and work exemplify the goals of the National Book Foundation to expand

2820-721: The metaphorical death; the Middle Plays (1971–1987), when Albee lost the favor of Broadway audience and started premiering in the U.S. regional theaters and in Europe; and the Later Plays (1991–2016), received as a remarkable comeback and watched by appreciative audiences and critics the world over. According to The New York Times , Albee was "widely considered to be the foremost American playwright of his generation." The less-than-diligent student later dedicated much of his time to promoting American university theatre. He served as

2880-492: The most." The Bookseller Discovery officially recognized "outstanding merit which failed to receive adequate sales and recognition" (quoted by NYT) Finally that award stood alone for 1941 and the New York Times frankly called it "a sort of consolation prize that the booksellers hope will draw attention to his work." The winning authors and books were selected by a nationwide poll of booksellers (ABA members); during

2940-426: The new and improved program, implemented fall 1984 for a publication year beginning November 1983. They cut the roster to merely three (Nonfiction, Fiction, and First Work of Fiction), moved the ceremony from early spring to late fall, and redefined eligibility to require publication during the calendar year of the awards (roughly, see Annual eligibility). There were only fiction and nonfiction awards in 1986. In 1987

3000-473: The play Three Tall Women , a two act play that premiered at the Vienna's English Theatre about three unnamed women. The play was revived in 2018 directed by Joe Mantello starring Glenda Jackson , Laurie Metcalf , and Allison Pill . The 2018 production received the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play . Allison Adato of Entertainment Weekly wrote of the play, "Edward Albee's Three Tall Women, in which

3060-577: The playwright directed two of his early one-acts, The American Dream and The Sandbox . Honorary awards " Edward Albee ". Charlie Rose , May 27, 2008. National Book Award The National Book Awards ( NBA ) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards . At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The National Book Awards were established in 1936 by

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3120-562: The time of his death Albee held an expansive collection of fine art, utilitarian works and sculptures. Albee was especially interested in artworks created by indigenous cultures in Africa and Oceania. Works written or adapted by Albee: A member of the Dramatists Guild Council, Albee received three Pulitzer Prizes for drama —for A Delicate Balance (1967), Seascape (1975), and Three Tall Women (1994). Albee

3180-933: Was a socialite. He later based the main character of his 1991 play Three Tall Women on his mother, with whom he had a conflicted relationship. Albee attended the Rye Country Day School, then the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, from which he was expelled. He then was sent to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania, where he was dismissed in less than a year. He enrolled at The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut , graduating in 1946. He had attracted theatre attention by having scripted and published nine poems, eleven short stories, essays,

3240-557: Was an American playwright known for works such as The Zoo Story (1958), The Sandbox (1959), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), A Delicate Balance (1966), and Three Tall Women (1994). Some critics have argued that some of his work constitutes an American variant of what Martin Esslin identified as and named the Theater of the Absurd . Three of his plays won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and two of his other works won

3300-1362: Was closed down in 2013 as an on-campus program, but was re-established as an online/low residency program shortly thereafter. The Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars has produced many prominent authors and writers including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie , Gina Apostol , John Astin , Jami Attenberg , Beth Bachmann , Russell Baker , Ned Balbo , John Barth , Frederick Barthelme , Jill Bialosky , Jeffrey Blitz , Paul Harris Boardman , Jennifer Finney Boylan , Lucie Brock-Broido , John Gregory Brown , Vikram Chandra (novelist) , Iris Chang , Wes Craven , Erica Dawson , Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn , Louise Erdrich , Nell Greenfieldboyce , Martha Grimes , Rachel Hadas , Gil Scott-Heron , Elin Hilderbrand , Lawrence Hill , Richie Hofmann , Jay Hopler , Kimberly Johnson , Pagan Kennedy , Porochista Khakpour , Wayne Koestenbaum , Tim Kreider , Phillis Levin , David Lipsky , Rosemary Mahoney , Emma Marris , Michael Martone , P.J. O'Rourke , ZZ Packer , Molly Peacock , Joanna Pearson , Hollis Robbins , Mary Robison , Deborah Rudacille , Karl Shapiro , Tom Sleigh , Elizabeth Spires , Lorin Stein , Susan Stewart , Rosanna Warren , Rachel Wetzsteon , Greg Williamson , and Jenny Xie . Graduates from

3360-414: Was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1972. In 1985, Albee was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame . In 1999, Albee received the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award as a Master American Dramatist. He received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement (2005); the gold medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters (1980); as well as

3420-683: Was established in 1891 and has run almost continuously between the years 1891-1984 and 2000–present. Over the history of the series, lectures have been given by Ramón Menéndez Pidal , T.S. Eliot , W.H. Auden , Marianne Moore , Robert Frost , Jacques Derrida , W.S. Merwin , Helen Vendler , and many others. Recent lecturers have included Anne Carson , Natasha Trethewey , Robin Coste Lewis , Alice Oswald , Tracy K. Smith , Terrance Hayes , Richard Wilbur , Paul Muldoon , Stanley Plumly , Edward Mendelson , and Edna Longley . Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( / ˈ ɔː l b iː / AWL -bee ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016)

3480-412: Was held on November 14 in New York City. National Book Awards are given to one book (author) annually in each of five categories: fiction , nonfiction , poetry , translation , and young people's literature . There have previously been many other categories but they have been retired or subsumed in the existing five. The National Book Foundation also presents two lifetime achievement awards each year:

3540-499: Was poor, the episode a disaster. Most new categories survived only one to four cycles, 1980 to 1983. There were seven awards categories in 1979, twenty-eight in 1980, nineteen in 1983 (plus graphics awards, see below), three in 1984. In 1983 there were 30 award winners in 27 categories including 14 categories of literary achievement in writing for adults; in turn, five for hardcover editions, six for paperback editions, and three general. 1983 awards categories (27) Late that year,

3600-546: Was received negatively with Frank Rich of The New York Times writing, "isn't a play - it's a temper tantrum in two acts... One of the more shocking lapses of Mr. Albee's writing is that he makes almost no attempt even to pretend that Himself is anything other than a maudlin stand-in for himself, with the disappearing arm representing an atrophied talent." Albee's plays during the 1980s received mixed reviews with Michael Billington of The Guardian writing, "American dramatists invariably end up as victims of their own myth: in

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