101-555: Ronald Frederick Henry Duncan (6 August 1914 – 3 June 1982) was an English writer , poet and playwright of German descent, now best known for his poem The Horse and for preparing the libretto for Benjamin Britten 's opera The Rape of Lucretia , first performed in 1946. Duncan was born Ronald Frederick Henry Dunkelsbühler, in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare , Zimbabwe ), in 1914. Duncan's mother, Ethel Cannon, moved
202-483: A conscientious objection tribunal. In 1937 Duncan met Ezra Pound , who encouraged him to found the "little magazine" Townsman , 1938-1945. Of the 24 issues, numbers 21-24 (1944–45) appeared as The Scythe , a title that signalled Duncan's increasing interest in agriculture and husbandry. Duncan was also a writer of short stories and a journalist. He wrote the film script for Girl on a Motorcycle (dir. Jack Cardiff, 1968), which starred Marianne Faithfull . His poetry
303-533: A pacifist during the 1930s, publishing The Complete Pacifist in 1936. This was later re-issued in 1937 carrying endorsements from Canon Dick Sheppard of the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), Gerald Heard , and Sylvia Townsend Warner . Later that year he wrote the words for a Pacifist March composed by Benjamin Britten (also a pacifist) for the PPU, but the work was not a success and was soon withdrawn. In
404-459: A Poet , Orpheus , Beauty and the Beast ), is pervaded with homosexual undertones, homoerotic imagery/symbolism or camp . In 1947 Paul Morihien published a clandestine edition of Querelle de Brest by Jean Genet , featuring 29 very explicit erotic drawings by Cocteau. In recent years several albums of Cocteau's homoerotica have been available to the general public. In the 1930s, Cocteau
505-416: A Poet and Orpheus constitute the so-called Orphic Trilogy . He was described as "one of [the] avant-garde 's most successful and influential filmmakers" by AllMovie . Cocteau, according to Annette Insdorf , "left behind a body of work unequalled for its variety of artistic expression." Though his body of work encompassed many different mediums, Cocteau insisted on calling himself a poet , classifying
606-453: A city of the dead. Robert Graves Poets make maximum use of the language to achieve an emotional and sensory effect as well as a cognitive one. To create these effects, they use rhyme and rhythm and they also apply the properties of words with a range of other techniques such as alliteration and assonance . A common topic is love and its vicissitudes. Shakespeare 's best-known love story Romeo and Juliet , for example, written in
707-537: A collection of essays by leading scientists The Encyclopedia of Ignorance with Miranda Weston-Smith, grand-daughter of the cosmologist E.A. Milne . In 1942-43 he helped Britten with the last scene of the opera Peter Grimes , and wrote the whole of the libretto for The Rape of Lucretia in 1945-46. Duncan's play This Way to the Tomb was performed at the Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate in 1945, and
808-653: A considerable income from their work. Every novel worthy of the name is like another planet, whether large or small, which has its own laws just as it has its own flora and fauna. Thus, Faulkner 's technique is certainly the best one with which to paint Faulkner's world, and Kafka 's nightmare has produced its own myths that make it communicable. Benjamin Constant , Stendhal , Eugène Fromentin , Jacques Rivière , Radiguet , all used different techniques, took different liberties, and set themselves different tasks. François Mauriac , novelist A satirist uses wit to ridicule
909-525: A haven for the persecuted, and applauded Picasso's anti-war painting Guernica as a cross that " Franco would always carry on his shoulder." In 1940, Cocteau signed a petition circulated by the Ligue internationale contre l'antisémitisme (International League Against Antisemitism) which protested the rise of racism and antisemitism in France, and declared himself "ashamed of his white skin" after witnessing
1010-566: A later edition of the novel features his foreword and drawings. The novel begins: As far back as I can remember, and even at an age when the mind does not yet influence the senses, I find traces of my love of boys. I have always loved the strong sex that I find legitimate to call the fair sex. My misfortunes came from a society that condemns the rare as a crime and forces us to reform our inclinations. Frequently his work, either literary ( Les enfants terribles ), graphic (erotic drawings, book illustration, paintings) or cinematographic ( The Blood of
1111-511: A lively and entertaining expression of opinion. Some columnists have had collections of their best work published as a collection in a book so that readers can re-read what would otherwise be no longer available. Columns are quite short pieces of writing so columnists often write in other genres as well. An example is the female columnist Elizabeth Farrelly , who besides being a columnist, is also an architecture critic and author of books. Writers who record their experiences, thoughts, or emotions in
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#17327916957711212-506: A long time, the "leading authority on the medical administration of armies". The logs and reports of Master mariner William Bligh contributed to his being honourably acquitted at the court-martial inquiring into the loss of HMS Bounty . Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( UK : / ˈ k ɒ k t oʊ / KOK -toh , US : / k ɒ k ˈ t oʊ / kok- TOH ; French: [ʒɑ̃ mɔʁis øʒɛn klemɑ̃ kɔkto] ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963)
1313-551: A number of French plays including The Apollo of Bellac by Jean Giraudoux and Jean Cocteau's The Typewriter . Don Juan was first performed in 1953, and The Death of Satan: a comedy in 1954. A joint production of the two latter plays was presented by the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre in 1956, directed by George Devine . In 1962 there was controversy over the refusal of
1414-765: A number of genres, fictional or non-fictional . Other writers use multiple media such as graphics or illustration to enhance the communication of their ideas. Another recent demand has been created by civil and government readers for the work of non-fictional technical writers, whose skills create understandable, interpretive documents of a practical or scientific kind. Some writers may use images (drawing, painting, graphics) or multimedia to augment their writing. In rare instances, creative writers are able to communicate their ideas via music as well as words. As well as producing their own written works, writers often write about how they write (their writing process ); why they write (that is, their motivation); and also comment on
1515-474: A number of stage plays, above all La Voix humaine and Les Parents terribles , which was a popular success. His 1934 play La Machine infernale was Cocteau's stage version of the Oedipus legend and is considered to be his greatest work for the theatre. During this period Cocteau also published two volumes of journalism, including Mon Premier Voyage: Tour du Monde en 80 jours , a neo- Jules Verne around
1616-493: A play or film. Satire for example, may be written as a poem, an essay, a film, a comic play, or a part of journalism. The writer of a letter may include elements of criticism, biography, or journalism. Many writers work across genres. The genre sets the parameters but all kinds of creative adaptation have been attempted: novel to film; poem to play; history to musical. Writers may begin their career in one genre and change to another. For example, historian William Dalrymple began in
1717-406: A playwright's work may be honest to the original or creatively interpreted. If the writers' purpose in re-writing the play is to make a film, they will have to prepare a screenplay. Shakespeare's plays, for example, while still regularly performed in the original form, are often adapted and abridged, especially for the cinema . An example of a creative modern adaptation of a play that nonetheless used
1818-541: A position to use it as the basis of a decision. Well-written reports influence policies as well as decisions. For example, Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) wrote reports that were intended to effect administrative reform in matters concerning health in the army. She documented her experience in the Crimean War and showed her determination to see improvements: "...after six months of incredible industry she had put together and written with her own hand her Notes affecting
1919-485: A responsibility, to report the facts with context and completeness, to speak truth to power, to hold the feet of politicians and officials to the fire of exposure, to discomfort the comfortable, to comfort those who suffer. Geoffrey Barker, journalist. Writers of memoirs produce accounts from the memories of their own lives, which are considered unusual, important, or scandalous enough to be of interest to general readers. Although meant to be factual, readers are alerted to
2020-505: A sequential form over a period of time in a diary are known as diarists. Their writings can provide valuable insights into historical periods, specific events, or individual personalities. Examples include Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), an English administrator and Member of Parliament, whose detailed private diary provides eyewitness accounts of events during the 17th century, most notably of the Great Fire of London . Anne Frank (1929–1945)
2121-472: A series of “articles and stories on country themes rptd [reported] from the Evening Standard .” Duncan in one of his autobiographies claimed that his father was the illegitimate son of the last Crown Prince of Bavaria, Rupprecht and Julia Wertheimer. Duncan and his partner Rose Marie Hansom moved to Devon in 1939 and married in 1941. Hansom was an artist who illustrated a number of his works. She
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#17327916957712222-477: A severe heart attack on 22 April 1963. A more plausible suggestion for the reason behind this decline in health has been proposed by author Roger Peyrefitte , who notes that Cocteau had been devastated by a breach with his longtime friend, socialite and notable patron Francine Weisweiller , as a result of an affair she had been having with a minor writer. Weisweiller and Cocteau did not reconcile until shortly before Cocteau's death. According to his wishes, Cocteau
2323-416: A single sitting. Libretti (the plural of libretto) are the texts for musical works such as operas. The Venetian poet and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte , for example, wrote the libretto for some of Mozart 's greatest operas. Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa were Italian librettists who wrote for Giacomo Puccini . Most opera composers collaborate with a librettist but unusually, Richard Wagner wrote both
2424-418: A somewhat broader meaning and is used to convey legal responsibility for a piece of writing, even if its composition is anonymous, unknown or collaborative. Author most often refers to the writer of a book. Writers choose from a range of literary genres to express their ideas. Most writing can be adapted for use in another medium. For example, a writer's work may be read privately or recited or performed in
2525-629: A temporary return to the sacraments of the Catholic Church . He again returned to the Church later in life and undertook a number of religious art projects. On 15 June 1926 Cocteau's play Orphée was staged in Paris. It was quickly followed by an exhibition of drawings and "constructions" called Poésie plastique–objets, dessins . Cocteau wrote the libretto for Igor Stravinsky 's opera-oratorio Oedipus rex , which had its original performance in
2626-409: A text to improve its readability, sense or structure. This latter type of editor can go so far as to excise some parts of the text, add new parts, or restructure the whole. The work of editors of ancient texts or manuscripts or collections of works results in differing editions. For example, there are many editions of Shakespeare 's plays by notable editors who also contribute original introductions to
2727-691: A variety of poetic forms, has been performed in innumerable theaters and made into at least eight cinematic versions. John Donne is another poet renowned for his love poetry. A novelist is an author or writer of novels , though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction . Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to support themselves in this way or write as an avocation . Most novelists struggle to have their debut novel published, but once published they often continue to be published, although very few become literary celebrities, thus gaining prestige or
2828-626: A volume he published at twenty-two. Edith Wharton described him as a man "to whom every great line of poetry was a sunrise, every sunset the foundation of the Heavenly City..." In his early twenties, Cocteau became associated with the writers Marcel Proust , André Gide , and Maurice Barrès . In 1912, he collaborated with Léon Bakst on Le Dieu bleu for the Ballets Russes ; the principal dancers being Tamara Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky . During World War I , Cocteau served in
2929-427: A way that you don't feel the effort of the author, so that they shine and bubble and rise and fall, is very, very hard to do. Stephen Sondheim , lyricist A playwright writes plays which may or may not be performed on a stage by actors. A play's narrative is driven by dialogue. Like novelists, playwrights usually explore a theme by showing how people respond to a set of circumstances. As writers, playwrights must make
3030-405: A young Pakistani education activist, rose to prominence due to her blog for BBC . A blog writer is using the technology to create a message that is in some ways like a newsletter and in other ways, like a personal letter. "The greatest difference between a blog and a photocopied school newsletter, or an annual family letter photocopied and mailed to a hundred friends, is the potential audience and
3131-462: Is Jonathan Swift who wrote the four-volume work Gulliver's Travels and many other satires, including A Modest Proposal and The Battle of the Books . It is amazing to me that ... our age is almost wholly illiterate and has hardly produced one writer upon any subject. Jonathan Swift , satirist (1704) A short story writer is a writer of short stories, works of fiction that can be read in
Ronald Duncan - Misplaced Pages Continue
3232-790: Is a bride-witch astride a broom, flying through the ceiling, her hair and train streaming. In 1956 Cocteau decorated the Chapelle Saint-Pierre in Villefranche-sur-Mer with mural paintings. The following year he also decorated the marriage hall at the Hôtel de Ville in Menton . Jean Cocteau never hid his bisexuality . He was the author of the mildly homoerotic and semi-autobiographical Le Livre blanc (translated as The White Paper or The White Book ), published anonymously in 1928. He never repudiated its authorship and
3333-421: Is a smoldering maid's room. One discovers an aerial view of Paris through the wall and ceiling holes. It creates vertigo. On the iron bed lies a fainted bride. Behind her stand several dismayed ladies. On the right, a very elegant lady washes her hands in a flophouse basin. Through the unhinged door on the left, a lady enters with raised arms. Others are pushed against the walls. The vision provoking this catastrophe
3434-552: Is able to incorporate the theory behind the work they are evaluating into their assessment. Some critics are already writers in another genre. For example, they might be novelists or essayists. Influential and respected writer/critics include the art critic Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867) and the literary critic James Wood (born 1965), both of whom have books published containing collections of their criticism. Some critics are poor writers and produce only superficial or unsubstantiated work. Hence, while anyone can be an uninformed critic,
3535-494: Is best known for his novels Le Grand Écart (1923), Le Livre blanc (1928), and Les Enfants Terribles (1929); the stage plays La Voix Humaine (1930), La Machine Infernale (1934), Les Parents terribles (1938), La Machine à écrire (1941), and L'Aigle à deux têtes (1946); and the films The Blood of a Poet (1930), Les Parents Terribles (1948), Beauty and the Beast (1946), Orpheus (1950), and Testament of Orpheus (1960), which alongside Blood of
3636-817: Is buried beneath the floor of the Chapelle Saint-Blaise des Simples in Milly-la-Forêt. The epitaph on his gravestone set in the floor of the chapel reads: "I stay with you" ("Je reste avec vous"). In 1955, Cocteau was made a member of the Académie Française and The Royal Academy of Belgium . During his life, Cocteau was commander of the Legion of Honor , Member of the Mallarmé Academy, German Academy (Berlin), American Academy, Mark Twain (U.S.A) Academy, Honorary President of
3737-412: Is highly critical for the translator to deliver the right information as a drastic impact could be caused if any error occurred. Even if translation is impossible – we have no choice but to do it: to take the next step and start translating. ... The translator's task is to make us either forget or else enjoy the difference. Robert Dessaix , translator, author Writers of blogs, which have appeared on
3838-489: Is rumoured to have had a very brief affair with Princess Natalie Paley , the daughter of a Romanov Grand Duke and herself a sometime actress, model, and former wife of couturier Lucien Lelong . Cocteau's longest-lasting relationships were with French actors Jean Marais and Édouard Dermit [ fr ] , whom Cocteau formally adopted. Cocteau cast Marais in The Eternal Return (1943), Beauty and
3939-598: The Encyclopédie . The encyclopaedist Bernardino de Sahagún (1499–1590) was a Franciscan whose Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España is a vast encyclopedia of Mesoamerican civilization, commonly referred to as the Florentine Codex , after the Italian manuscript library which holds the best-preserved copy. Essayists write essays, which are original pieces of writing of moderate length in which
4040-537: The Ballets Russes at Monte Carlo . His opium addiction at the time, Cocteau said, was only coincidental, due to a chance meeting with Louis Laloy , the administrator of the Monte Carlo Opera . Cocteau's opium use and his efforts to stop profoundly changed his literary style. His most notable book, Les Enfants Terribles , was written in a week during a strenuous opium weaning. In Opium: Journal of drug rehabilitation [ fr ] , he recounts
4141-648: The Georges V Hotel in Paris , including Cocteau, the writers Ernst Jünger , Paul Morand and Henry Millon de Montherlant , the publisher Gaston Gallimard and the Nazi legal scholar Carl Schmitt . In his diary, Cocteau accused France of disrespect towards Hitler and speculated on the Führer's sexuality. Cocteau effusively praised Breker's sculptures in an article entitled 'Salut à Breker' published in 1942. This piece caused him to be arraigned on charges of collaboration after
Ronald Duncan - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-714: The Lord Chamberlain to permit public performance of The Catalyst , a play about a ménage à trois . These verse plays in the manner of T. S. Eliot became less popular from the mid-1960s. Ronald Duncan was instrumental in setting up and naming the English Stage Company at London's Royal Court Theatre, which opened in 1956. Regrettably, during its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2006, the theatre did not acknowledge his initial work. Yet theatre historian Irving Wardle wrote, "without Duncan there would have been no English Stage Company". Jan at Blue Fox
4343-523: The Paris Salon of 1845 An editor prepares literary material for publication. The material may be the editor's own original work but more commonly, an editor works with the material of one or more other people. There are different types of editor. Copy editors format text to a particular style and/or correct errors in grammar and spelling without changing the text substantively. On the other hand, an editor may suggest or undertake significant changes to
4444-519: The Red Cross as an ambulance driver. This was the period in which he met the poet Guillaume Apollinaire , artists Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani , and numerous other writers and artists with whom he later collaborated. Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev persuaded Cocteau to write a scenario for a ballet, which resulted in Parade in 1917. It was produced by Diaghilev , with sets by Picasso,
4545-537: The Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt in Paris on 30 May 1927. In 1929 one of his most celebrated and well-known works, the novel Les Enfants terribles was published. In 1930 Cocteau made his first film The Blood of a Poet , publicly shown in 1932. Though now generally accepted as a surrealist film, the surrealists themselves did not accept it as a truly surrealist work. Although this is one of Cocteau's best-known works, his 1930s are notable rather for
4646-506: The World Wide Web since the 1990s, need no authorisation to be published. The contents of these short opinion pieces or "posts" form a commentary on issues of specific interest to readers who can use the same technology to interact with the author, with an immediacy hitherto impossible. The ability to link to other sites means that some blog writers – and their writing – may become suddenly and unpredictably popular. Malala Yousafzai ,
4747-507: The general public . Writers' works are nowadays published across a wide range of media . Skilled writers who are able to use language to express ideas well, often contribute significantly to the cultural content of a society. The term "writer" is also used elsewhere in the arts and music, such as songwriter or a screenwriter, but also a stand-alone "writer" typically refers to the creation of written language. Some writers work from an oral tradition . Writers can produce material across
4848-409: The libretto by Apollinaire and the music by Erik Satie . "If it had not been for Apollinaire in uniform," wrote Cocteau, "with his skull shaved, the scar on his temple and the bandage around his head, women would have gouged our eyes out with hairpins." An important exponent of avant-garde art , Cocteau had great influence on the work of others, including a group of composers known as Les Six . In
4949-593: The Beast (1946), Ruy Blas (1947), and Orpheus (1949). Cocteau died of a heart attack at his château in Milly-la-Forêt , Essonne , France , on 11 October 1963 at the age of 74. His friend, French singer Édith Piaf , died the day before but that was announced on the morning of Cocteau's day of death; it has been said, in a story which is almost certainly apocryphal , that his heart failed upon hearing of Piaf's death. Cocteau's health had already been in decline for several months, and he had previously had
5050-817: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire influenced the development of historiography . Writers who create dictionaries are called lexicographers. One of the most famous is Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), whose Dictionary of the English Language was regarded not only as a great personal scholarly achievement but was also a dictionary of such pre-eminence, that would have been referred to by such writers as Jane Austen . Researchers and scholars who write about their discoveries and ideas sometimes have profound effects on society. Scientists and philosophers are good examples because their new ideas can revolutionise
5151-527: The Health, Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the British Army. This extraordinary composition, filling more than eight hundred closely printed pages, laying down vast principles of far-reaching reform, discussing the minutest detail of a multitude of controversial subjects, containing an enormous mass of information of the most varied kinds – military, statistical, sanitary, architectural" became for
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#17327916957715252-615: The Wreck No footage remains of this programme, as all of the episodes were aired live and never recorded for posterity. The only existing visual record today of the show consists of still photographs. Duncan's "Jan's Journal" columns were published in three compilations volumes: "Jan's Journal", "The Blue Fox" and "Jan at the Blue Fox", described by the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature as one of
5353-596: The author makes a case in support of an opinion. They are usually in prose , but some writers have used poetry to present their argument. A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. The purpose of a historian is to employ historical analysis to create coherent narratives that explain "what happened" and "why or how it happened". Professional historians typically work in colleges and universities, archival centers, government agencies, museums, and as freelance writers and consultants. Edward Gibbon 's six-volume History of
5454-420: The case of Tom Lehrer , these were satirical. Lyricist Noël Coward , who wrote musicals and songs such as " Mad Dogs and Englishmen " and the recited song " I Went to a Marvellous Party ", also wrote plays and films and performed on stage and screen as well. Writers of lyrics, such as these two, adapt other writers' work as well as create entirely original parts. Making lyrics feel natural, sit on music in such
5555-484: The classic themes and often use similar and familiar plot devices to explore them. For example, in Shakespeare's Hamlet is a "play within a play", which the hero uses to demonstrate the king's guilt. Hamlet hives the co-operation of the actors to set up the play as a thing "wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king". Teleplay writer Joe Menosky deploys the same "play within a play" device in an episode of
5656-633: The early twenties, he and other members of Les Six frequented a wildly popular bar named Le Boeuf sur le Toit , a name that Cocteau himself had a hand in picking. The popularity was due in no small measure to the presence of Cocteau and his friends. In 1918 he met the French poet Raymond Radiguet . They collaborated extensively, socialized, and undertook many journeys and vacations together. Cocteau also got Radiguet exempted from military service. Admiring of Radiguet's great literary talent, Cocteau promoted his friend's works in his artistic circle and arranged for
5757-418: The experience of his recovery from opium addiction in 1929. His account, which includes vivid pen-and-ink illustrations, alternates between his moment-to-moment experiences of drug withdrawal and his current thoughts about people and events in his world. Cocteau was supported throughout his recovery by his friend and correspondent, Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain . Under Maritain's influence, Cocteau made
5858-403: The family to London after the outbreak of World War One , though his father, Reginald Dunkelsbühler, remained behind and owing to his German origins was interned as an alien and died of influenza contracted whilst giving medical aid during an epidemic in 1918 before he could rejoin the family. Duncan attended Downing College, Cambridge , in 1933, reading English under F. R. Leavis . He became
5959-461: The film. In 1945 Cocteau was one of several designers who created sets for the Théâtre de la Mode . He drew inspiration from filmmaker René Clair while making Tribute to René Clair: I Married a Witch . The maquette is described in his "Journal 1942–1945", in his entry for 12 February 1945: I saw the model of my set. Fashion bores me, but I am amused by the set and fashion placed together. It
6060-464: The first of a series of lively and sometimes contentious and contradictory autobiographies. How to Make Enemies followed in 1968, and Obsessed in 1977. A final controversial autobiography, Working with Britten: A Personal Memoir appeared from Duncan's own Rebel Press in 1981 after being rejected by a mainstream publisher. In the late 1960s and early 1970s he worked on a long poem about science, Man , in five parts (1970–74), and in 1978 he co-edited
6161-590: The genre of travel literature and also writes as a journalist. Many writers have produced both fiction and non-fiction works and others write in a genre that crosses the two. For example, writers of historical romances , such as Georgette Heyer , create characters and stories set in historical periods. In this genre, the accuracy of the history and the level of factual detail in the work both tend to be debated. Some writers write both creative fiction and serious analysis, sometimes using other names to separate their work. Dorothy Sayers , for example, wrote crime fiction but
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#17327916957716262-484: The great variety of his works – poems, novels, plays, essays, drawings, films – as "poésie", "poésie de roman", "poésie de thêatre", "poésie critique", "poésie graphique" and "poésie cinématographique". Cocteau was born in Maisons-Laffitte , Yvelines , to Georges Cocteau and his wife, Eugénie Lecomte, a socially prominent Parisian family. His father, a lawyer and amateur painter, died by suicide when Cocteau
6363-596: The heresy contained in some of his work, and the punishment of having to burn his own book, but also for the letters he wrote to Héloïse d'Argenteuil (1090?–1164) . The letters (or epistles ) of Paul the Apostle were so influential that over the two thousand years of Christian history, Paul became "second only to Jesus in influence and the amount of discussion and interpretation generated". Report writers are people who gather information, organise and document it so that it can be presented to some person or authority in
6464-646: The increased potential for direct communication between audience members". Thus, as with other forms of letters the writer knows some of the readers, but one of the main differences is that "some of the audience will be random" and "that presumably changes the way we [writers] write." It has been argued that blogs owe a debt to Renaissance essayist Michel de Montaigne , whose Essais ("attempts"), were published in 1580, because Montaigne "wrote as if he were chatting to his readers: just two friends, whiling away an afternoon in conversation". Columnists write regular parts for newspapers and other periodicals, usually containing
6565-930: The language and the dialogue succeed in terms of the characters who speak the lines as well as in the play as a whole. Since most plays are performed, rather than read privately, the playwright has to produce a text that works in spoken form and can also hold an audience's attention over the period of the performance. Plays tell "a story the audience should care about", so writers have to cut anything that worked against that. Plays may be written in prose or verse. Shakespeare wrote plays in iambic pentameter as does Mike Bartlett in his play King Charles III (2014). Playwrights also adapt or re-write other works, such as plays written earlier or literary works originally in another genre. Famous playwrights such as Henrik Ibsen or Anton Chekhov have had their works adapted several times. The plays of early Greek playwrights Sophocles , Euripides , and Aeschylus are still performed. Adaptations of
6666-405: The likelihood of some inaccuracies or bias towards an idiosyncratic perception by the choice of genre. A memoir, for example, is allowed to have a much more selective set of experiences than an autobiography which is expected to be more complete and make a greater attempt at balance. Well-known memoirists include Frances Vane, Viscountess Vane , and Giacomo Casanova . Ghostwriters write for, or in
6767-476: The music and the libretti for his works himself. Chi son? Sono poeta. Che cosa faccio? Scrivo. E come vivo? Vivo. ("Who am I? I'm a poet. What do I do? I write. And how do I live? I live.") Rodolpho, in Puccini 's La bohème Usually writing in verses and choruses, a lyricist specializes in writing lyrics , the words that accompany or underscore a song or opera. Lyricists also write the words for songs. In
6868-477: The notable characteristics of a good critic are understanding, insight, and an ability to write well. We can claim with at least as much accuracy as a well-known writer claims of his little books, that no newspaper would dare print what we have to say. Are we going to be very cruel and abusive, then? By no means: on the contrary, we are going to be impartial. We have no friends – that is a great thing – and no enemies. Charles Baudelaire , introducing his Review of
6969-441: The notion that their relationship was sexual in nature. There is disagreement over Cocteau's reaction to Radiguet's sudden death in 1923, with some claiming that it left him stunned, despondent and prey to opium addiction. Opponents of that interpretation point out that he did not attend the funeral (he generally did not attend funerals) and immediately left Paris with Diaghilev for a performance of Les noces ( The Wedding ) by
7070-415: The original writer's words, is Baz Luhrmann 's version of Romeo and Juliet . The amendment of the name to Romeo + Juliet indicates to the audience that the version will be different from the original. Tom Stoppard 's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a play inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet that takes two of Shakespeare's most minor characters and creates a new play in which they are
7171-497: The plight of colonized peoples during his travels. Although in 1938 Cocteau had compared Adolf Hitler to an evil demiurge who wished to perpetrate a Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre against Jews, his friend Arno Breker convinced him that Hitler was a pacifist and patron of the arts with France's best interests in mind. During the Nazi occupation of France , he was in a "round-table" of French and German intellectuals who met at
7272-522: The protagonists. Player : It's what the actors do best. They have to exploit whatever talent is given to them, and their talent is dying. They can die heroically, comically, ironically, slowly, suddenly, disgustingly, charmingly or from a great height. Tom Stoppard , Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Act Two) Screenwriters write a screenplay – or script – that provides the words for media productions such as films, television series and video games. Screenwriters may start their careers by writing
7373-438: The publication by Grasset of Le Diable au corps (a largely autobiographical story of an adulterous relationship between a married woman and a younger man), exerting his influence to have the novel awarded the "Nouveau Monde" literary prize. Some contemporaries and later commentators thought there might have been a romantic component to their friendship. Cocteau himself was aware of this perception, and worked earnestly to dispel
7474-419: The resulting publication. Editors who work on journals and newspapers have varying levels of responsibility for the text. They may write original material, in particular editorials, select what is to be included from a range of items on offer, format the material, and/or fact check its accuracy. Encyclopaedists create organised bodies of knowledge. Denis Diderot (1713–1784) is renowned for his contributions to
7575-664: The same year he was invited by Gandhi to visit him in India after reading an essay Duncan had sent him that he had written on the subject of passive resistance, and from 1938 was on friendly terms with the British Hispanist Gerald Brenan . His pacifism led him to set up a co-operative farming enterprise at Gooseham and Mead Farm, near Welcombe , Devon , during the Second World War , but it failed by 1943, and in 1944 Duncan successfully faced
7676-445: The science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager . The bronze-age playwright/hero enlists the support of a Star Trek crew member to create a play that will convince the ruler (or "patron" as he is called), of the futility of war. A speechwriter prepares the text for a speech to be given before a group or crowd on a specific occasion and for a specific purpose. They are often intended to be persuasive or inspiring, such as
7777-437: The screenplay speculatively ; that is, they write a script with no advance payment, solicitation or contract. On the other hand, they may be employed or commissioned to adapt the work of a playwright or novelist or other writer. Self-employed writers who are paid by contract to write are known as freelancers and screenwriters often work under this type of arrangement. Screenwriters, playwrights and other writers are inspired by
7878-561: The shortcomings of society or individuals, with the intent of revealing stupidity. Usually, the subject of the satire is a contemporary issue such as ineffective political decisions or politicians, although human vices such as greed are also a common and prevalent subject. Philosopher Voltaire wrote a satire about optimism called Candide , which was subsequently turned into an opera, and many well known lyricists wrote for it. There are elements of Absurdism in Candide , just as there are in
7979-557: The speeches given by skilled orators like Cicero ; charismatic or influential political leaders like Nelson Mandela ; or for use in a court of law or parliament. The writer of the speech may be the person intended to deliver it, or it might be prepared by a person hired for the task on behalf of someone else. Such is the case when speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in both government and private sectors. Biographers write an account of another person's life. Richard Ellmann (1918–1987), for example,
8080-404: The style of, someone else so the credit goes to the person on whose behalf the writing is done. Writers of letters use a reliable form of transmission of messages between individuals, and surviving sets of letters provide insight into the motivations, cultural contexts, and events in the lives of their writers. Peter Abelard (1079–1142), philosopher, logician, and theologian is known not only for
8181-402: The success of a work, the critic takes account of why it was done – for example, why a text was written, for whom, in what style, and under what circumstances. After making such an assessment, critics write and publish their evaluation, adding the value of their scholarship and thinking to substantiate any opinion. The theory of criticism is an area of study in itself: a good critic understands and
8282-699: The task of finding some equivalence in another language to a writer's meaning, intention and style. Translators whose work has had very significant cultural effect include Al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf ibn Maṭar , who translated Elements from Greek into Arabic and Jean-François Champollion , who deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs with the result that he could publish the first translation of the Rosetta Stone hieroglyphs in 1822. Difficulties with translation are exacerbated when words or phrases incorporate rhymes, rhythms, or puns ; or when they have connotations in one language that are non-existent in another. For example,
8383-441: The title of Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier is supposedly untranslatable because "no English adjective will convey all the shades of meaning that can be read into the simple [French] word 'grand' which takes on overtones as the story progresses." Translators have also become a part of events where political figures who speak different languages meet to look into the relations between countries or solve political conflicts. It
8484-403: The war, though he was cleared of any wrongdoing and had used his contacts for his failed attempt to save friends such as Max Jacob . Later, after growing closer with communists such as Louis Aragon , Cocteau would name Joseph Stalin as "the only great politician of the era." In 1940, Le Bel Indifférent , Cocteau's play written for and starring Édith Piaf (who died the day before Cocteau),
8585-462: The way people think and how they behave. Three of the best known examples of such a revolutionary effect are Nicolaus Copernicus , who wrote De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (1543); Charles Darwin , who wrote On the Origin of Species (1859); and Sigmund Freud , who wrote The Interpretation of Dreams (1899). These three highly influential, and initially very controversial, works changed
8686-449: The way people understood their place in the world. Copernicus's heliocentric view of the cosmos displaced humans from their previously accepted place at the center of the universe; Darwin's evolutionary theory placed humans firmly within, as opposed to above, the order of manner; and Freud's ideas about the power of the unconscious mind overcame the belief that humans were consciously in control of all their own actions. Translators have
8787-406: The work of contemporary satirist Barry Humphries , who writes comic satire for his character Dame Edna Everage to perform on stage. Satirists use different techniques such as irony , sarcasm , and hyperbole to make their point and they choose from the full range of genres – the satire may be in the form of prose or poetry or dialogue in a film, for example. One of the most well-known satirists
8888-400: The work of other writers (criticism). Writers work professionally or non-professionally, that is, for payment or without payment and may be paid either in advance, or on acceptance, or only after their work is published. Payment is only one of the motivations of writers and many are not paid for their work. The term writer has been used as a synonym of author , although the latter term has
8989-402: The world travel reportage he made for the newspaper Paris-Soir . Throughout his life, Cocteau tried to maintain a distance from political movements, confessing to a friend that "my politics are non-existent." According to Claude Arnaud , from the 1920s on, Cocteau's only deeply held political convictions were a marked pacifism and antiracism . He praised the French republic for serving as
9090-624: Was a light entertainment show created by the BBC in 1952. The show was derived from the "Jan's Journal" columns written by Duncan for the Evening Standard . The columns were loosely based on Duncan's life as a farmer in North Devon. They were adapted for television by Duncan and George F. Kerr, and starred Philip Ray as 'Jan'. The episodes were: 1: The Day the Tramp Came 2: Fruit and Flower Show Day 3: A Day of Visitors 4: The Day of
9191-617: Was a 13-year-old Dutch girl whose diary from 1942 to 1944 records both her experiences as a persecuted Jew in World War II and an adolescent dealing with intra-family relationships. Journalists write reports about current events after investigating them and gathering information. Some journalists write reports about predictable or scheduled events such as social or political meetings. Others are investigative journalists who need to undertake considerable research and analysis in order to write an explanation or account of something complex that
9292-416: Was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost artists of the surrealist , avant-garde , and Dadaist movements and an influential figure in early 20th-century art. The National Observer suggested that, "of the artistic generation whose daring gave birth to Twentieth Century Art, Cocteau came closest to being a Renaissance man." He
9393-525: Was a member of a family of successful architects and engineers including Joseph Hansom the inventor of the eponymous horse-drawn cab . They had a daughter Briony who went on to become a successful sculptrice and a son, Roger who became a lawyer. Duncan died in Bideford hospital, Barnstaple , Devon, England, on 3 June 1982. Duncan was a keen horseman and breeder of Arabian Horses on his farm in Devon. Duncan
9494-473: Was also a playwright, essayist, translator, and critic. I Will Write He had done for her all that a man could, And some might say, more than a man should, Then was ever a flame so recklessly blown out Or a last goodbye so negligent as this? ‘I will write to you,' she muttered briefly, Tilting her cheek for a polite kiss; Then walked away, nor ever turned about. ... Long letters written and mailed in her own head – There are no mails in
9595-508: Was an eminent and award-winning biographer whose work focused on the Irish writers James Joyce , William Butler Yeats , and Oscar Wilde . For the Wilde biography, he won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Biography . Critics consider and assess the extent to which a work succeeds in its purpose. The work under consideration may be literary, theatrical, musical, artistic, or architectural. In assessing
9696-995: Was co-promotor along with his friend Michael Ansell of one the UK's oldest long distance equestrian competitions, the Golden Horseshoe, created by the British Horse Society in 1965. The first edition covered 50 miles across Exmoor from Malsmead and finished at Duncan's farm in Welcombe. Writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles , genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels , short stories , monographs , travelogues , plays , screenplays , teleplays , songs , and essays as well as reports , educational material, and news articles that may be of interest to
9797-664: Was enormously successful. Cocteau's later years are mostly associated with his films. Cocteau's films, most of which he both wrote and directed, were particularly important in introducing the avant-garde into French cinema and influenced to a certain degree the upcoming French New Wave genre. Following The Blood of a Poet (1930), his best known films include Beauty and the Beast (1946), Les Parents terribles (1948), and Orpheus (1949). His final film, Le Testament d'Orphée ( The Testament of Orpheus ) (1960), featured appearances by Picasso and matador Luis Miguel Dominguín , along with Yul Brynner , who also helped finance
9898-542: Was followed by his adaptation of Cocteau 's L’aigle à deux têtes as The Eagle has Two Heads (1946). Tallulah Bankhead and Marlon Brando appeared in the U.S. production. Stratton was published in 1950. Our Lady's Tumbler was performed in Salisbury Cathedral for the Festival of Britain in on 5 June 1951, in front of the 7th Earl and Countess of Harewood. In the early 1950s he translated and adapted
9999-464: Was hitherto unknown or not understood. Often investigative journalists are reporting criminal or corrupt activity which puts them at risk personally and means that what it is likely that attempts may be made to attack or suppress what they write. An example is Bob Woodward , a journalist who investigated and wrote about criminal activities by the US President . Journalism ... is a public trust,
10100-526: Was nine. From 1900 to 1904, Cocteau attended the Lycée Condorcet where he met and began a relationship with schoolmate Pierre Dargelos, who reappeared throughout Cocteau's work, "John Cocteau: Erotic Drawings." He left home at fifteen. He published his first volume of poems, Aladdin's Lamp , at nineteen. Cocteau soon became known in Bohemian artistic circles as The Frivolous Prince , the title of
10201-441: Was published at Faber and Faber by T. S. Eliot , who became a friend. In 1950, Faber and Faber published Duncan's, The Mongrel and Other Poems. In this volume are included his verse interpolations into his adaptation of Jean Cocteau's The Eagle Has Two Heads . In 1960 he published The Solitudes a collection of poems that he dedicated to his favourite horse, Dil Fareb. In 1964 Duncan published All Men are Islands ,
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