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The Writer's Almanac from Tuesday, February 20, 2001
The Writer's Almanac from Tuesday, February 20, 2001"The Instrument," by Robert Winner, from The Sanity of Earth and Grass (Tilbury House). It's the birthday of South African writer Alex La Guma, born in Cape Town, South Africa (1925). He grew up in an impoverished black neighborhood, the son of a political activist. He wrote dozens of novels, short stories, and essays, combining pieces of his own life story with criticisms of his country's policies. Imprisoned for several years in South Africa, he spent his later life in London and in Cuba as the representative of the African National Congress. It's the birthday of novelist and short-story writer Pierre Boulle, born in Avignon, France (1912). Boulle was on an intelligence mission in Indochina in World War Two when he was captured by the Japanese and sentenced to forced labor. This experience was the inspiration for one of his best-known works, The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952; filmed in 1957). At the end of the film, the bridge is destroyed, which does not happen in the novel. Boulle was not pleased. He said, "For three years I fought them over this change. In the end I gave up. Now I don't bother. I just take the money and shrug." He also took the money for the filming of his novel, Planet of the Apes (1963; filmed 1968). It's the birthday of bacteriologist René Dubos, born in Saint-Brice, France (1901). In 1939 he discovered tyrothricin, the first commercially produced antibiotic. It's the birthday of boogie-woogie pioneer Jimmy Yancey (James Edward Yancey), born in Chicago (1898). He was a mainstay in the jazz and blues circles in Chicago, playing at after-hours joints and rent parties. Piano pieces such as "Yancey Stomp," and "State Street Special," were his signature songs. No matter what key he played in, he ended every song in the key of E flat. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, but, despite his success as a musician, he earned his living for 26 years as a groundskeeper at Comiskey Park for the Chicago White Sox. It's the birthday of playwright and producer Russel Crouse, born in Findlay, Ohio (1893). His writing partnership with Howard Lindsay lasted twenty-eight years. They first teamed up to salvage the book for Cole Porter's musical "Anything Goes." Perhaps most famous as the librettists for "The Sound of Music," they also adapted Clarence Day's "Life with Father." It's the birthday of novelist Georges Bernanos, born in Paris, France (1888). His best-known work was The Diary of a Country Priest (1937). He also wrote a number of pamphlets attacking the Fascists during the Spanish Civil War, and a play, Dialogues of the Carmelites (1938). Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.® Our “For the Love of Poetry” donation resulted in 138 new paid subscriptions. Consider joining this group of supporters. As a free service, we send out 365 newsletters a year featuring material from our archive. You can read anniversary information and with a couple clicks hear the original Writer’s Almanac episode. We have 88,000 free subscribers, and it looks like our average open rate is over 40%. That is extraordinary. While we love offering this to you for free, we do have costs involved. We have 2,000 paid subscribers (either $5 per month or $50 for the year). This is what allows us to continue offering the newsletter for free to the majority. Please consider joining the paid subscriber group — we could use a little bump in revenue.As a paid subscriber, you receive about ten special newsletters featuring a poet’s birthday — with a photo, history, link to their books, and a video poetry reading or documentary on their life. You also receive a 20% discount every time you purchase something from our store at https://shop.garrisonkeillor.com/ .We would love to continue this daily anniversary newsletter, so please consider a paid subscription. Thank you. If you are a paid subscriber to The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor, thank you! Your financial support is used to maintain these newsletters, websites, and archive. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber and would like to become one, support can be made through our garrisonkeillor.com store, by check to Prairie Home Productions, P.O. Box 2090, Minneapolis, MN 55402, or by clicking the SUBSCRIBE button. This financial support is not tax deductible.
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