text:
Jew
actor
Yiddish theater
Odessa
Yiddish Theater District
Yiddish
realistic
Jacob Gordin
The Jewish King Lear
Shakespeare
Shylock
Stella
method acting
Marlon Brando
Odessa
Russian Empire
Ukraine
Berdichev
Kohen
haskala
Russian language
Odessa pogroms
white collar
rubles
Moldovanka
boxer
can-can
Olga Glebova
Ivan Kozelsky
claque
Tolstoy
The Living Corpse
Israel Grodner
Brody singer
vaudeville
operetta
Russo-Turkish War
conscription
Vladimir Petrovich Meshersky
German
Bender
Moldova
typhus
Bucharest
Abraham Goldfaden
Israel Rosenberg
Jacob Spivakofsky
Moldavia
Avrom Markovich Brodsky
Shmendrick
Jacob Gordin
Sonya Oberlander
Jacob Spivakovsky
Abraham Goldfaden
operetta
Breindele Cossack
Israel Rosenberg
Kherson
The Witch of Botoşani
communistic
Chişinău
Kremenchuk
Poltava
Keni Liptzin
Chernigov
Boris Gudonov
Saint Petersburg
Alexander II
Minsk
Bobruisk
Vitebsk
Nezhin
pogrom
Łódź
Karl Gutzkow
Uriel Acosta
Zhytomyr
the Witch
Shmendrick
Rostov
Taganrog
Lithuania
Daugavpils
Latvia
Riga
Annetta
Whitechapel
British Empire
Nathan Marcus Adler
Hebrew
Orthodox Judaism
Felix Pyat
Revolutions of 1848
Holborn
West End
ram's horn
blasphemy
Hermann Adler
Sigmund Mogulesko
David Kessler
Abba and Clara Shoengold
Sara Heine
Schiller
croup
Charles
Dinah Shtettin
Romanian Opera House
Warsaw
Boris Thomashefsky
Philadelphia
Yiddish Theater District
Moses Halevy Horowitz's
Jacob Gordin
Siberia
The Yiddish King Lear
Joseph Lateiner
Lessing
Eugène Scribe
George du Maurier
Trilby
Alexandre Dumas, fils
Camille
Gorky
Ibsen
Shaw
Strindberg
Gerhart Hauptmann
Victor Hugo
Victorien Sardou
Leonid Andreyev
Shylock
The Merchant of Venice
Broadway
Arthur Hopkins
Yiddish
Henry Irving
Antonio
method acting
Kishinev pogrom
St. Mark's Place
Tolstoy
The Power of Darkness
Resurrection
Grand Theater
Yiddish Theater District
Bowery
Canal Street
Riverside Drive
Lincoln Steffens
The Living Corpse
Leon Kobrin
Hebrew Actors' Union
stroke
New York
Tennyson
Enoch Arden
Sophia (Sonya) Oberlander
Dinah Shtettin
Sara Adler
Abram
Allen Adler
Forbidden Planet
Charles Adler
Celia Adler
Luther
Stella Adler
Jay
Frances
Julia
Florence
American Theater Hall of Fame
Francine Larrimore
Jerry Adler
Galicia
Vienna
Whitechapel
Aristophanes
Lope de Vega
Solomon the Wise
Dictionary of National Biography

categories: Jewish male actors,British people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent,People from Odessa,People from Kherson Governorate,Ukrainian Jews,American Theater Hall of Fame inductees,Jewish Ukrainian actors,Yiddish theatre performers,1855 births,1926 deaths

paragraph: Jacob Pavlovich Adler

paragraph: Jacob Pavlovich Adler (born Yankev P. Adler; February 12, 1855 – April 1, 1926) was a Jewish actor and star of Yiddish theater, first in Odessa, and later in London and in New York City's Yiddish Theater District.

paragraph: Nicknamed ""nesher hagodol"", (""the Great Eagle"", "Adler" being the Yiddish for "eagle"), he achieved his first theatrical success in Odessa, but his career there was rapidly cut short when Yiddish theater was banned in Russia in 1883. He became a star in Yiddish theater in London, and in 1889, on his second voyage to the United States, he settled in New York City. Adler soon started a company of his own, ushering in a new, more serious Yiddish theater, most notably by recruiting the Yiddish theater's first realistic playwright, Jacob Gordin. Adler scored a great triumph in the title role of Gordin's "Der Yiddisher King Lear" ("The Jewish King Lear"), set in 19th-century Russia, which along with his portrayal of Shakespeare's Shylock would form the core of the persona he defined as the "Grand Jew".

paragraph: Nearly all his family went into theater; probably the most famous was his daughter Stella, who taught method acting to, among others, Marlon Brando.

paragraph: Section::::Childhood and youth.

paragraph: Adler was born in Odessa, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). Adler's father Feivel (Pavel) Abramovitch Adler was a (rather unsuccessful) grain merchant. His mother, née Hessye Halperin, was a tall, beautiful woman, originally from a wealthy family in Berdichev. She became estranged from her family after divorcing her first husband (and leaving behind a son) to marry Adler's father. The marriage to a divorcée cost Feivel Adler (and therefore Jacob Adler) his status as a Kohen (priest). His paternal grandfather lived with them for some eight years; he was a pious man, and the family was much more observant of Jewish religious practices during the time he lived with them. However, according to Adler, the real patriarch of the family was his wealthy uncle Aaron "Arke" Trachtenberg, who would later be the model for his portrayal of roles such as Gordin's Jewish King Lear.

paragraph: Adler grew up with one foot in a traditional Jewish world and one in a more modern, European one. His granddaughter Lulla Rosenfeld writes, "Of the haskala [Jewish Enlightenment] as an organized system of ideas, he probably knew little or nothing." His education was irregular: as the family fortunes rose and fell, he would be sent to "cheder" (Jewish religious school) or to a Russian language county school, pulled out of school entirely, or have a private tutor for a few months. He wrote that "the sum of my learning was a little arithmetic, some Russian grammar, and a few French phrases."

paragraph: He grew up with both Jewish and Christian playmates, but also survived one of the Odessa pogroms around 1862. He played hooky; as a 12-year-old he started going to witness public floggings, brandings, and executions of criminals; later he would develop more of an interest in attending courtroom trials. At 14 he began working in a textile factory, and soon rose to a white collar job there at a salary of 10 rubles a month, which would have been decent even for an adult. Still living at home, he began to frequent the disreputable district of Moldovanka. His first brush with stardom was that he briefly became a boxer, known as "Yankele Kulachnik", "Jake the Fist". He soon got bored with boxing, but not with his new connections to the "sons of rich fathers, attorneys without diplomas", etc. A good dancer, he became part of a crowd of young toughs who regularly crashed wedding parties. His local celebrity continued, with a reputation as Odessa's best can-can dancer.

paragraph: He left the factory, becoming a "raznoschik", a peddler; his memoir hints at back-door assignations with "servant girls and chambermaids"; by his own description, his life at this point was just a step from a life of crime. Through his uncle Arke, "a hot theater lover", he became interested in the theater, at first in the beauty of Olga Glebova and the cut of Ivan Kozelsky's clothes, but he had the good fortune to be in one of the great theater cities of his time.

paragraph: At 17 he became the leader of Glebova's claque, was working as a copyist for lawyers, and going out to a theater, a tavern, or a party every night. He would later draw on his own life at this time for his portrayal of Protosov in Tolstoy's "The Living Corpse". Over the next few years he had numerous love affairs, and was prevented from a love marriage with one Esther Raizel because his own dubious reputation compounded the taint of his mother's divorce. He survived another pogrom, but his family was financially ruined by the destruction of their possessions and the theft of their money.

paragraph: In writing about this period in his memoir, Adler mentions attending and admiring performances by Israel Grodner, a Brody singer and improvisational actor who would soon become one of the founders of professional Yiddish theater. A song of Grodner's about an old father turned away by his children would later be the germ of the idea for "The Yiddish King Lear". He writes that he would have become a Brody singer, like Grodner, except "I had no voice". This lack of a singing voice would be a major factor in the direction of his acting career: according to Rosenfeld, although Yiddish theater was long dominated by vaudevilles and operettas, "He was the only Yiddish actor to rely entirely on classics and translations of modern European plays."

paragraph: Section::::"Sanitar" and Inspector.

paragraph: The outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War brought on universal conscription of young men. At his family's urging, Adler bribed his way into becoming a "sanitar", an assistant in the Red Cross Medical Corps. He was selected (apparently on little more than his appearance) by Prince Vladimir Petrovich Meshersky to work at a German hospital in Bender, Moldova, dealing mainly with typhus patients. In his four months there, he became a favorite with the established Jewish families there, and earned a Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement for his brief service to the Tsar.

paragraph: Returning to Odessa, he got a job distributing newspapers. This respectable work required getting up at 6 a.m., not good for a carouser. Still, newspaper connection meant that he soon heard of one of the war's other effects: the many Jewish merchants and middlemen war brought to Bucharest were a boon to Abraham Goldfaden's nascent Yiddish theater there. Two of his Odessa acquaintances—Israel Rosenberg, a personable con-man, and Jacob Spivakofsky, scion of a wealthy Jewish family—had become actors there, then had left Goldfaden to found their own company, touring in Moldavia. Adler wrote them to urge them to bring their troupe to Odessa.

paragraph: Adler managed to leverage a recommendation from Prince Meshersky and another from Avrom Markovich Brodsky—a businessman so successful as to have earned the nickname "the Jewish Tsar"—to get a job as a marketplace inspector for the Department of Weights and Measures, rather unusual for a Jew at that time. His mildly corrupt tenure there gave him good contacts with the police. These would soon come in handy for smoothing over certain problems of a young and unlicensed theater troupe when Rosenberg and Spivakofsky returned from Romania, penniless because the end of the war had meant the collapse of Yiddish theater in the provinces, and ready to start a troupe in Odessa.

paragraph: Adler aspired to be an actor, but found himself at first serving the troupe more as critic and theoretician, making use of his now-vast knowledge of Russian theater. The first productions (Goldfaden's "Grandmother and Granddaughter" and "Shmendrick") were popular successes, but Adler's own account suggests that they were basically mediocre, and his Uncle Arke was appalled: "Is this theater? No my child, this is a circus."

paragraph: Section::::Acting career.

paragraph: Lulla Rosenfeld's remark that Adler "...rel[ied] entirely on classics and translations of modern European plays" does not quite tell the whole story. On one hand, he was also responsible for recruiting the Yiddish theater's first naturalistic playwright, Jacob Gordin, and he scored a great triumph in the title role of Gordin's "Der Yiddisher King Lear" ("The Jewish King Lear"), set in 19th-century Russia. On the other, until his 50s, he was not hesitant to take advantage of his prowess as a dancer, and even occasionally took on roles that called for some singing, although by all accounts (including his own) this was not his forte.

paragraph: Section::::Acting career.:Russia.

paragraph: Adler wrote in his memoir that the passion of his future wife Sonya Oberlander (and of her family) for theater, and their vision of what Yiddish theater could become, kept him in the profession despite his uncle's view. When she was cast by Rosenberg opposite Jacob Spivakovsky in the title role of Abraham Goldfaden's darkly comic operetta "Breindele Cossack", she pulled strings so that the role of Guberman would be reassigned to Adler.

paragraph: His success in the role was cut short by the news that Goldfaden, whose plays they were using without permission, was coming with his troupe to Odessa. Goldfaden's own account says he came there at the urging of his father; Adler attributes it to Rosenberg and Spivakovsky's "enemies". Rosenberg, never the most ethical of men, withdrew his troupe from Odessa to tour the hinterland. (Soon, though, he would come to an accommodation by which his troupe would be an officially recognized touring company attached to Goldfaden's own troupe.) "(For greater detail on Adler's time with Rosenberg's company, see Israel Rosenberg.)"

paragraph: By his own account, Adler took a leave of absence from his job to travel with Rosenberg's troupe to Kherson, where he made a successful acting debut as the lover Marcus in "The Witch of Botoşani". He overstayed his leave, lost his government post, and the decision to become a full-time actor was effectively made for him. Adler was unhappy that under Tulya Goldfaden there were "No more communistic shares, no more idealistic comradeship". Still, under this same Goldfaden regime he had his first taste of real stardom when people in Chişinău camped in the courtyards awaiting performances. Even the police seemed to have "fallen in love" with the troupe, dressing up the actors in their uniforms at riotous parties after shows, while trying on the troupe's costumes themselves.

paragraph: Unsatisfied with the low pay, in Kremenchuk Adler led an unsuccessful actors' strike. A series of intrigues almost led to a breakup with Sonya, but ultimately led both back into Rosenberg's troupe and led to their marriage in Poltava. When this particular troupe broke up, the Adlers were among the few players to remain with Rosenberg to form a new one that included the actress who later became famous under the name of Keni Liptzin. In Chernigov, Adler turned down the opportunity to act in a Russian-language production of "Boris Gudonov". Around this time Goldfaden appeared again and, after using an elaborate intrigue to demonstrate to the Adlers that Rosenberg had no loyalty to them, recruited them to his own troupe, which at the time appeared to be headed for a triumphant entry into Saint Petersburg.

paragraph: All that changed with the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. The mourning for the tsar meant there would be no performances in the capital; in addition the political climate of Russia turned sharply against the Jews. Goldfaden's troupe soldiered on for a time—to Minsk, to Bobruisk where they played mainly to Russian soldiers, and to Vitebsk, where he and Sonya ended up having to sue Goldfaden for their pay, and left to rejoin Rosenberg, who was playing in a tent theater in Nezhin. However, matters there proved even worse: Nezhin soon fell prey to a pogrom. The troupe managed to avoid bodily harm, partly by convincing the rioters that they were a French theater troupe and partly by making judicious use of the money the Adlers had won in court from Goldfaden.

paragraph: In Łódź, Adler triumphantly played the title role in Karl Gutzkow's "Uriel Acosta", the first of a series of roles through which he developed a persona he would later call "the Grand Jew". After Łódź, they landed in Zhytomyr, under an incompetent investor/director named Hartenstein. They thought they had found "a quiet corner" of the Russian Empire in which "to make a bit of a livelihood", but in fact Hartenstein was simply running through his money.

paragraph: The financial consequences of the collapse of their company were mitigated by a series of three benefit performances, in coordination with the local Russian-language theater company. Sonya returned to Odessa to give birth to their daughter Rivka; Adler stayed on six weeks in Zhytomyr and had sort of a belated apprenticeship with two Russian character actors of national fame, Borisov and Philipovsky. However, he returned to Odessa thinking that he would most likely leave theater behind.

paragraph: Late in life, when he looked back at his years acting in Adler and Goldfaden's companies, Adler saw it as merely the "childhood" of his career. He describes his thoughts toward the end of this period, "For three years I had wandered in the cave of the Witch in the clown's rags of Shmendrick and what did I really know of my trade?... If someday I return to the Yiddish theater, let me at least not be so ignorant."

paragraph: Returning to Odessa, he discovered that no one would employ him in any job other than as an actor. In 1882, he put together a troupe of his own with Keni Liptzin, and brought Rosenberg in as a partner. This troupe toured to Rostov, Taganrog, around Lithuania, to Dünaburg (now Daugavpils, Latvia). Aiming to bring the troupe to Saint Petersburg, they brought back their sometime manager Chaikel Bain. They were in Riga in August 1883 when the news arrived that a total ban was about to be placed on Yiddish theater in Russia.

paragraph: The troupe were left stranded in Riga. Chaikel Bain took ill and died. With some difficulty, passage to London for the troupe was arranged on a cattle ship, in exchange for entertaining the crew. However, about this time Israel Grodner and his wife Annetta reappeared. Adler wanted to include them in the group headed for London. According to Adler, Rosenberg, who played many of the same roles as Israel Grodner, essentially told Adler "it's him or me". Adler attempted to convince him to change his mind, but insisted on including Grodner in the travel party: Adler considered him one of the best actors in Yiddish theater, a great asset to any performances they would give in London, while he felt Rosenberg lacked depth as an actor. He tried to get Rosenberg to come with them to London, but Rosenberg would not budge.

paragraph: Section::::Acting career.:London.

paragraph: Of his time in London, Adler wrote, "... if Yiddish theater was destined to go through its infancy in Russia, and in America grew to manhood and success, then London was its school."

paragraph: Adler arrived in London with few contacts. In Whitechapel, the center of Jewish London at that time, he encountered extremes of poverty that he describes as exceeding any he had ever seen in Russia or would ever see in New York. The quite distinguished Chief Rabbi of the British Empire at that time, Dr. Nathan Marcus Adler, was a relative. Adler's father had written him a letter of introduction in Hebrew, but nothing could have been farther from the rabbi's desires than to assist Yiddish-language theater. Nathan Marcus Adler viewed Yiddish as a "jargon" that existed at the expense of both liturgical Hebrew and the English necessary for upward mobility, and his Orthodox Judaism "could not endure so much as a blessing given on stage, for such a blessing would be given "in vain"..."; further, he was afraid that the portrayals of Jews on stage would give aid and comfort to their enemies.

paragraph: At this time, Yiddish theater in London meant amateur clubs. The arrival of professional Yiddish actors from Russia worked great changes, bringing Yiddish theater in London to a new level and allowing a modest professionalism, though never at much more than a poverty wage. Adler's memoir acknowledges many people who helped him out in various ways. Eventually, with the aid in particular of Sonya's relative Herman Fiedler—a playwright, orchestra leader, and stage manager—the Adlers and the Grodners were able to take over the Prescott Street Club. There they presented generally serious theater to audiences of about 150. Fiedler adapted "The Odessa Beggar" from Felix Pyat's "The Ragpicker of Paris", a tragicomic play written on the eve of the Revolutions of 1848. Adler starred in it, in a role he would continue to play throughout his career.

paragraph: Two months later, he played "Uriel Acosta" at the Holborn Theatre to an audience of 500, including the "Jewish aristocrats of the West End". The piety of the London Jews was such that they had to use an (unplayable) cardboard ram's horn so as to avoid blasphemy. Chief Rabbi Adler and his son and eventual successor Hermann Adler were present, and both, especially the younger rabbi, were favorably impressed. There were even mentions in the English-language press.

paragraph: Playing to small audiences, on tiny stages, in communal troupes where all but the stars had day jobs, and playing only Saturday and Sunday (the pious London Jews would never have tolerated Friday performances), Adler focused on serious theater like never before. However, he and Grodner soon fell out: they wrangled over ideology and over parts, and their verbal duels boiled over into improvised stage dialogue. The Grodners ultimately left to do theater in a series of other locations, notably Paris, but eventually came back to London, where Israel Grodner died in 1887.

paragraph: By November 1885, Adler had a theatrical club of his own, the Princes Street Club, No. 3 Princes Street (now Princelet Street, E1), purpose-built, financed by a butcher named David Smith. It seated 300; playing every night except Friday, he was earning about £3 s.10 a week, but with a fame well out of proportion to the meagre money. Many of the most prominent figures in Yiddish theater, including Sigmund Mogulesko, David Kessler, Abba and Clara Shoengold, and Sara Heine (the future Sara Adler), gave guest performances when they passed through London.

paragraph: One of Adler's most famous roles from this period was as the villain Franz Moore in Herman Fiedler's adaptation of Schiller's "The Robbers", which introduced Schiller into Yiddish theater. On at least one occasion in 1886, he played both Franz Moore and the play's hero, Franz's brother Karl Moore: in the play they never meet.

paragraph: 1886 was to prove a terrible year for Adler. His daughter Rivka died of croup; Sonya died of an infection contracted while giving birth to their son Abram; meanwhile, he had been carrying on an affair with a young woman, Jenny ("Jennya") Kaiser, who was also pregnant, with his son Charles. Depressed after Sonya's death, he passed up an offer to relocate to the United States, which was taken up instead by Mogulesko and Finkel. In winter 1887, an audience at the Princes Street Club panicked when they thought a simulated stage fire was real; 17 people died in the stampede. While the authorities determined that this was not Adler's fault, and the club was allowed to reopen, the crowds did not return; "the theater," he writes, "was so cold, dark, and empty you could hunt wolves in the gallery."

paragraph: Adler's affair with Jennya continued; he also took up with a young chorus girl from an Orthodox Jewish family, Dinah Shtettin. His memoir is extremely unclear on the sequence of this, and hints at other affairs at this time. The memoir does make clear that the "hot-blooded" Jennya had little interest in a marriage, while Dinah's father insisted on a marriage, even though he despised Alder and made it clear that he doubted the marriage would last.

paragraph: Section::::Acting career.:Coming to America.

paragraph: With the aid of a small sum of money from his distant relative the Chief Rabbi, Adler got together the money to travel by steerage to New York, with his infant son Abrom, Alexander Oberlander and his family, Keni and Volodya Liptzin, and Herman Fiedler, among others. Adler did not doubt that the rabbi was glad to see Yiddish actors leaving London. In New York, they promptly discovered that neither Mogulesko and Finkel at the Romanian Opera House nor Maurice Heine at the Oriental Theater had any use for them. They headed on to Chicago, where, after a brief initial success, the troupe fell apart due to a combination of labor disputes and cutthroat competition. The Oberlanders managed to start a restaurant; he and Keni Liptzin headed to New York that autumn, where she managed to sign on at the Romanian Opera House; failing to find a similar situation for himself, he returned to London, drawn back to the charms of both Dinah and Jennya.

paragraph: He did not remain long in London. After some major successes in Warsaw, which was under Austrian rule, he returned to London in the spring of 1889, and then again to New York, this time to play for Heine at Poole's Theater. After an initial failure in "The Odessa Beggar" (he writes that the New York audience of the time was not ready for "tragicomedy"), he was a success in the melodrama "Moishele Soldat", and "a more worthy success" in "Uriel Acosta". This gave him the basis to bring Dinah to America. Their marriage didn't last, though the divorce was amicable: she remarried, to Siegmund Feinman. Adler fell out with Heine, initially over business; at this time Heine's marriage was also falling apart, and Sara Heine would eventually become Sara Adler.

paragraph: Adler went on the road with Boris Thomashefsky, who at the time was pioneering the touring circuit for Yiddish theater in America. They played in Philadelphia and Chicago, where word arrived of an opportunity to take over Poole's, Heine having moved on to the Thalia. Adler returned to New York, where he managed also to win Mogulesko and Kessler away from Heine.

paragraph: Section::::Acting career.:New York.

paragraph: Renaming Poole's as the Union Theater, Adler attempted to produce the most serious Yiddish-language theater New York had yet seen in the Yiddish Theater District, with plays such as Scribe's "La Juive", Zolotkev's "Samson the Great", and Sinckievich's "Quo Vadis". However, after Thomashefsky became an enormous popular success in Moses Halevy Horowitz's operetta "David ben Jesse" at Moishe Finkel's National Theater, the Union Theater temporarily to abandon its highbrow programming and competed head on, with operettas "Judith and Holofernes", "Titus Andronicus, or the Second Destruction of the Temple", and "Hymie in America".

paragraph: Adler was not content to continue long in this mode, and sought a playwright who could create pieces that would appeal to the Jewish public, while still providing a type of theater he could be proud to perform. He recruited Jacob Gordin, already a well-respected novelist and intellectual, recently arrived in New York and eking out a living as a journalist at the "Arbeiter Zeitung", precursor to "The Forward". Gordin's first two plays, "Siberia" and "Two Worlds" were commercial failures—so much so that Mogulesko and Kessler quit the company—but "The Yiddish King Lear", starring Adler and his new wife Sara was such a success that the play eventually transferred to Finkel's larger National Theater. This play (based only very loosely on Shakespeare) played well with the popular audience, but also with Jewish intellectuals who until this time had largely ignored Yiddish Theater, ending for a time the commercial dominance of operettas such as those of Horowitz and Joseph Lateiner. The next year, Gordin's "The Wild Man" solidified this change in the direction of Yiddish theater, which was entering what is retrospectively seen as its first period of greatness.

paragraph: Over the next decades, Adler would play in (or, in some cases, merely produce) numerous plays by Gordin, but also classics by Shakespeare, Schiller, Lessing; Eugène Scribe's "La Juive"; dramatizations of George du Maurier's "Trilby" and Alexandre Dumas, fils' "Camille"; and the works of modern playwrights such as Gorky, Ibsen, Shaw, Strindberg, Gerhart Hauptmann, Victor Hugo, Victorien Sardou, and Leonid Andreyev. Frequently the works of the great contemporary playwrights—even Shaw, who was writing in English—would be staged in New York in Yiddish years, even decades, before they were ever staged there in English.

paragraph: Having already famously played Shylock in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" on the Yiddish stage at the People's Theater, he played the role again in a 1903 Broadway production, directed by Arthur Hopkins. In this production, Adler spoke his lines in Yiddish while the rest of the cast spoke in English. The "New York Times" review of Adler's performance was not favorable: in particular his naturalistic acting style was not what audiences of the period expected in a production of Shakespeare. Some other reviews (such as that in "Theater" magazine) were friendlier; in any event the same production was revived two years later.

paragraph: Lulla Rosenfeld writes that Henry Irving, the great Shylock before that time, played Shylock as "morally superior to the Christians around him... driven to cruelty only by their more cruel persecutions." In contrast, "Adler scorned justification. Total vindication was his aim." In Adler's own words, "Shylock from the first was governed by "pride" rather than revenge. He wishes to humble and terrify Antonio for the insult and humiliation he has suffered at his hands. This is why he goes so far as to bring his knife and scales into the court. For Shylock, however, the desired climax was to refuse the pound of flesh with a gesture of divine compassion. When the verdict goes against him, he is crushed because he has been robbed of this opportunity, not because he lusts for Antonio's death. This was my interpretation. This is the Shylock I have tried to show." The road from this to method acting is clear.

paragraph: After his two Broadway triumphs, Adler returned to Yiddish theater.

paragraph: In the wake of the Kishinev pogrom, Adler went back briefly to Eastern Europe in summer 1903, where he tried to convince various family members to come to America. Although he was greeted as a hero, he was only partially successful in convincing people to leave; his mother, in particular, was determined to finish out her life where she was. (His father had died some years earlier.) He persuaded his sister Sarah Adler to follow him to America as her husband had died of heart disease in Verdun in 1897 and she was raising seven children on her own. She emigrated in 1905.

paragraph: Returning to New York, he and Thomashefsky jointly leased The People's Theater, intending to use it on different nights of the week. Adler, exhausted from his Russian trip, was often leaving his nights unused, and Thomashefsky offered to buy him out for $10,000 on the condition that he would not return to performing in New York. Adler was so insulted that the two did not speak for months, even though at the time they were living across a courtyard from one another, and could see into each other's St. Mark's Place apartments. Adler decided to perform Tolstoy's "The Power of Darkness", and decided that he would do his own translation from Russian to Yiddish. The play was a great success, the first successful production of a Tolstoy play in the U.S., and Thomashefsky was so obviously happy for Adler that their friendship was renewed. Adler followed with equally successful productions of Gordin's dramatization of Tolstoy's "Resurrection" and the Gordin original "The Homeless".

paragraph: In 1904 Adler had the Grand Theater built in what was to be the Yiddish Theater District at the corner of Bowery and Canal Street, the first purpose-built Yiddish theater in New York. His wife Sara had branched out to do her own plays at the Novelty Theater in Brooklyn, and the family had taken up residence in a four-story brownstone, with an elevator, in the East Seventies. (They would later move one more time, to Riverside Drive.) Around this time Lincoln Steffens wrote a piece saying that Yiddish theater in New York had eclipsed English-language theater in quality.

paragraph: This golden age was not to last. The years 1905–1908 saw half a million new Jewish immigrants to New York, and once again the largest audience for Yiddish theater was for lighter fare. Adler hung on, but the Thomashefskys were making a fortune at the Thalia; plays with titles like "Minke the Servant Girl" were far outdrawing fare like Gordin's "Dementia Americana" (1909). It would be 1911 before Adler scored another major success, this time with Tolstoy's "The Living Corpse" (also known as "Redemption"), translated into Yiddish by Leon Kobrin.

paragraph: In 1919–1920, Adler, despite his own socialist politics, found himself in a labor dispute with the Hebrew Actors' Union; he played that season in London rather than New York. A stroke in 1920 while vacationing in upstate New York nearly ended his acting career, although he continued to appear occasionally, usually as part of a benefit performance for himself, often playing Act I of "The Yiddish King Lear": the title character remains seated throughout the entire act. In 1924, he was well enough to perform in the title role of a revival of Gordin's "The Stranger", inspired by Tennyson's "Enoch Arden": the character is "a sick and broken man", so the Adler was able to integrate his own physical weakness into the portrayal. However, March 31, 1926, he collapsed suddenly, dying almost instantly.

paragraph: Section::::Family.

paragraph: Adler was married three times, first to Sophia (Sonya) Oberlander (died 1886), then to Dinah Shtettin (m. 1887- divorced. 1891) and finally to actress Sara Adler (previously Sara Heine) (m. 1891), who survived him by over 25 years.

paragraph: His and Sonya's daughter Rivkah (Rebecca) died at the age of 3. Sonya died from an infection contracted while giving birth to their son Abram in 1886. Abram's son Allen Adler (1916–1964) was, among other things, the screenwriter of "Forbidden Planet". While still married to Sonya, Adler had an affair with Jenny "Jennya" Kaiser, with whom he had a son, stage actor Charles Adler (1886–1966).

paragraph: He and Dinah had a daughter, Celia Adler (1889–1979).

paragraph: He and Sara had six children: the well-known actors Luther (1903–1984) and Stella Adler (1901–1992) and the lesser-known actors Jay (1896–1978), Frances, Julia, and Florence. Jacob and Stella Adler are both members of the American Theater Hall of Fame.

paragraph: His sister Sarah/Soore Adler and her seven children emigrated to New York in 1905. His niece, Francine Larrimore, Sarah's daughter, became a Broadway actress, who also appeared in films. He was also the great-uncle of actor Jerry Adler.

paragraph: Section::::Memoir.

paragraph: Adler's memoirs were published in the New York socialist Yiddish-language newspaper "Die Varheit" in 1916–1919, and briefly resumed in 1925 in an unsuccessful revival of that paper; his granddaughter Lulla Rosenfeld's English translation was published only in 1999. The 1916–1919 portion of the memoir gives a detailed picture of his Russian years. The 1925 portion gives a comparably detailed picture of his time in London, although with some evasions around the relative timing of his relationships with his wife Sonya and with Jennya Kaiser and Dinah Shtettin. It contains only a relatively fragmentary description of his New York career. In the English-language book of these memoirs, Rosenfeld attempts to fill the gaps with her own commentary.

paragraph: Adler writes vividly and with humor. He describes the director Hartenstein as "a young man from Galicia with long hair and short brains, half educated in Vienna, and half an actor", and refers to the poor of Whitechapel as looking as if they "had come out of their mothers already gray and old." Of his early London years, he writes, "We played for a tiny audience, on a stage the size of a cadaver, but we played well, with a drunkenness of happiness."

paragraph: In a small essay, "Shmendrick, My Mephistopheles", one of the last passages he wrote, Adler describes the last time he saw "Shmendrick" played, at a memorial for Goldfaden in 1912. Lamenting the choice of play for the memorial—"Goldfaden has written better things"—he nonetheless acknowledges, "that same bitter Shmendrick was our livelihood... I gritted my teeth. I called on the ghosts of Aristophanes, of Shakespeare, of Lope de Vega. I wept and swallowed my own tears... And I cursed the fate that bound me to him... Yet even as I cursed and condemned, the tears rose. For my whole life, my whole past, was before me on that stage... Poor weak first step of our Yiddish theater... I thank you for the happiness you gave us... I thank you Shmendrick—my beloved—my own."

paragraph: Section::::See also.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Solomon the Wise", 1906 play starring Adler

paragraph: Section::::References.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Accessed September 29, 2006.

description: Russian-born actor in Yiddish theatere in Odessa, London and New York

wikidata_label: Jacob Pavlovich Adler

wikipedia_title: Jacob Pavlovich Adler


text:
Sōma Moritane
Date Tanemune
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Siege of Odawara
Battle of Sekigahara
Satake clan
Ishida Mitsunari
Tokugawa shogunate
Sōma Toshitane
tozama daimyō
koku
Sōma Nakamura Domain

paragraph: Sōma Yoshitane (1558-1635)

paragraph: Section::::Biography.

paragraph: Yoshitane was the eldest son of Sōma Moritane, the 15th chieftain of the Sōma clan. At the time, the clan was based at Odaka Castle. In 1559, the clan was approached by Date Tanemune and was offered a matrimonial alliance. Yoshitane was wed to Tanemune’s younger daughter, Kosugō Gozen the following year. However, following the death of Tanemune in 1565, the ancient enmity between the Sōma and Date clans flared up again in a border dispute, and Yoshitane divorced Kosugō Gozen and sent her back to the Date clan.

paragraph: Yoshitane fought the Date clan many times, as the Date invaded his domain on 30 occasions. Both Sōma Yoshitane and Data Masamune submitted to Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the Siege of Odawara.

paragraph: At the time of the Battle of Sekigahara, the Sōma attempted to remain neutral for fear of the powerful Satake clan to the south, which was allied with Ishida Mitsunari through marriage ties. The new Tokugawa shogunate initially decided to seize the Sōma territories, but through the intervention of several senior retainers (including their former arch-enemy Data Masamune), the shogunate relented and appointed Yoshitanes son, Sōma Toshitane as a tozama daimyō over a 60,000 koku Sōma Nakamura Domain which encompassed their traditional holdings.

description: daimyo

wikidata_label: Soma Yoshitane

wikipedia_title: Sōma Yoshitane (1558-1635)


text: Ireland

text: County Louth

text: Stonyhurst College

text: Lancashire

text: Trinity College

text: Dublin

text: Irish

text: bar

text: London

text: Charles Dickens's

text: Household Words

text: Observer

text: Whitehall Review

text: "Life of Sterne"

text: Sterne

text: Charles Lamb

text: Charles Lamb

text: "Life of David Garrick"

text: David Garrick

text: The Kembles

text: "The Romance of the English Stage"

text: "Life of George IV"

text: George IV

text: "A New History of the English Stage"

text: "Recreations of a Literary Man"

text: "Life and Times of William IV"

text: William IV

text: "Lives of the Sheridans"

text: "The Book Fancier"

text: James Boswell

text: Henry Irving

text: Lyceum

text: "The Savoy Opera and the Savoyards"

text: Gilbert and Sullivan

text: "Memoirs of an Author"

text: "The Garrick Club"

text: "Life of Charles Dickens"

text: "Sir Henry Irving, A Biography"

text: "Boswell's Autobiography"

text: "Memories of Charles Dickens"

text: "Worldlyman"

text: Samuel Johnson

text: (Reference)

text: (Photo)

text: Glasnevin Cemetery

categories: Alumni of Trinity College Dublin,1834 births,English historians,English biographers,Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery,1925 deaths

paragraph: Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald

paragraph: Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald (1834 - 1925) was an Anglo-Irish author and critic, painter and sculptor. He was born in Ireland at Fane Valley, County Louth, educated at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire, and at Trinity College, Dublin. He was called to the Irish bar and was for a time crown prosecutor on the northeastern circuit.

paragraph: After moving to London, he became a contributor to Charles Dickens's magazine, "Household Words", and later dramatic critic for the "Observer" and the "Whitehall Review". Among his many writings are numerous biographies and works relating to the history of the theatre. He wrote:

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Life of Sterne" (1864) (See Sterne.); 2nd edition; revised & enlarged (1896); reprinted 1904

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Charles Lamb" (1866) (See Charles Lamb.)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Life of David Garrick" (1868) (See David Garrick.)

paragraph: BULLET::::- The Kembles (1871)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "The Romance of the English Stage" (1874)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Life of George IV" (1881) (See George IV.)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "A New History of the English Stage" (1882)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Recreations of a Literary Man" (1882)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Life and Times of William IV" (1884) (See William IV.)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Lives of the Sheridans" (1886)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "The Book Fancier" (1886)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Life of James Boswell (of Auchinleck) with an Account of His Sayings, Doings, and Writings" (1891) (See James Boswell.)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Henry Irving: A Record of Twenty Years at the Lyceum" (1893)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "The Savoy Opera and the Savoyards" (1894) (deals with operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Memoirs of an Author" (London, 1895)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "" (1898)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "The Garrick Club" (1904)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Life of Charles Dickens" (1905)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Sir Henry Irving, A Biography" (1906)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Boswell's Autobiography" (1912)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Memories of Charles Dickens" (1913)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Worldlyman" (1914)

paragraph: In 1900 he completed a bust of his friend Charles Dickens, which can be seen in the Pump Room in Bath.

paragraph: In 1910 he created a statue of Samuel Johnson (Reference), which is standing behind St Clement Danes, Strand, London. (Photo)

paragraph: He is buried at Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.

description: Anglo-Irish author and critic

wikidata_label: Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald

wikipedia_title: Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald


text: jazz

text: vibraphone

text: vocalese

text: constructed language

text: Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)

text: Slim and Slam

text: Leroy Eliot "Slam" Stewart

text: Charlie Parker

text: Dizzy Gillespie

text: Dodo Marmarosa

text: Santa Clara, Cuba

text: 1920 census

text: Claiborne

text: Crete

text: Beirut

text: Prohibition

text: the Purple Gang

text: Duke Ellington

text: Slim & Slam

text: Slam Stewart

text: Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)

text: hipster

text: Hellzapoppin'

text: Cab Calloway

text: Louis Jordan

text: Down by the Station

text: stream of consciousness

text: On the Road

text: Jack Kerouac

text: Dodo Marmarosa

text: United States Army Air Forces

text: Atomic Cocktail

text: Wrigley Field

text: Leon Hefflin Sr.

text: Count Basie

text: Wrigley Field

text: Wrigley Field

text: Birdland

text: Charlie Parker

text: Flip Phillips

text: Coleman Hawkins

text: Dizzy Gillespie

text: Marcus Welby, M.D.

text: Charlie's Angels

text: Medical Center

text: The Flip Wilson Show

text: Then Came Bronson

text: Arnett Cobb

text: George Melly

text: John Chilton

text: Night Music

text: David Sanborn

text: Battersea

text: Joe Massot

text: Yiddish

text: Jewish

text: Ashkenazi

text: Zutty Singleton

text: Marvin Gaye

text: Nona Gaye

text: Hep

text: Clef

text: Dot

text: MCA

text: Hellzapoppin'

text: Almost Married

text: Sweetheart of Sigma Chi

text: O'Voutie O'Rooney

text: Stairway for a Star

text: Go, Man, Go!

text: Too Late Blues

text: Planet of the Apes

text: The Curious Female

text: "Absolute Beginners"

text: Sky Bandits

text: Mission Impossible

text: Marcus Welby, M.D.

text: Medical Center

text: Then Came Bronson

text: Flip (The Flip Wilson Show)

text: Charlie's Angels

text: Chuck Barris

text: What's Happening!!

text: Love's Savage Fury

text: Arena Special

categories: American jazz pianists,Swing guitarists,People from Villa Clara Province,20th-century American singers,American male pianists,20th-century male musicians,American jazz songwriters,1916 births,Guitarists from Detroit,Swing singers,American jazz guitarists,American male guitarists,Scat singers,Swing pianists,American jazz singers,20th-century American guitarists,Jazz musicians from Michigan,20th-century American pianists,Vocalese singers,1991 deaths,Male jazz musicians

paragraph: Slim Gaillard

paragraph: Bulee "Slim" Gaillard (January 9, 1911 – February 26, 1991), also known as McVouty, was an American jazz singer and songwriter who played piano, guitar, vibraphone, and tenor saxophone.

paragraph: Gaillard was noted for his comedic vocalese singing and word play in his own constructed language called "Vout-o-Reenee", for which he wrote a dictionary. In addition to English, he spoke five languages (Spanish, German, Greek, Arabic, and Armenian) with varying degrees of fluency.

paragraph: He rose to prominence in the late 1930s with hits such as "Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)" and "Cement Mixer (Put-Ti-Put-Ti)" after forming Slim and Slam with Leroy Eliot "Slam" Stewart. During World War II, Gaillard served as a bomber pilot in the Pacific. In 1944, he resumed his music career and performed with notable jazz musicians such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dodo Marmarosa.

paragraph: In the 1960s and 1970s, he acted in films—sometimes as himself—and also appeared in bit parts in television series such as "".

paragraph: In the 1980s, Gaillard resumed touring the circuit of European jazz festivals. He followed Dizzy Gillespie's advice to move to Europe and, in 1983, settled in London, where he died on 26 February 1991, after a long career in music, film and television, spanning nearly six decades.

paragraph: Section::::Early life.

paragraph: Along with Gaillard's date of birth, his lineage and place of birth are disputed. Many sources state that he was born in Detroit, Michigan, though he said that he was born in Santa Clara, Cuba. of an Afro-Cuban mother called Maria (Mary Gaillard) and a German-Jewish father called Theophilus (Theophilus Rothschild) who worked as a ship's steward.

paragraph: During an interview in 1989, Gaillard added: "They all think I was born in Detroit because that was the first place I got into when I got to America." However, the 1920 census lists one "Beuler Gillard" as living in Pensacola, Florida, having been born in April, 1918 in Alabama. Researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc have concluded that he was born in June 1918 in Claiborne, Alabama, where a "Theophilus Rothchild" had been raised the son of a successful merchant in the small town of Burnt Corn; other documents give his name as Wilson, Bulee, or Beuler Gillard or Gaillard.

paragraph: At the age of twelve, he accompanied his father on a world voyage and was accidentally left behind on the island of Crete. On a television documentary in 1989, he said, "When I was stranded in Crete, I was only twelve years old. I stayed there for four years. I traveled on the boats to Beirut and Syria and I learned to speak the language and the people's way of life." After learning a few words of Greek, he worked on the island "making shoes and hats". He then joined a ship working the eastern Mediterranean ports, mainly Beirut, where he picked up some knowledge of Arabic. When he was about 15, he re-crossed the Atlantic, hoping the ship would take him home to Cuba, but it was bound for the U.S. and he ended up in Detroit. He never saw either of his parents again.

paragraph: Alone and unable to speak English, he tried to get a job at Ford Motor Company but was rejected because of his age. He worked at a general store owned by an Armenian family, with whom he lived for some time, then tried to become a boxer. During Prohibition in 1931 or 1932, he drove a hearse with a coffin that was packed with whiskey for the Purple Gang. He attended evening classes in music and taught himself to play guitar and piano. When Duke Ellington came to Detroit, he went backstage and met his hero. Determined to become a musical entertainer, he moved to New York City and entered the world of show business as a 'professional amateur'. As Gaillard recalled much later:

paragraph: Section::::Career.

paragraph: Gaillard first rose to prominence in the late 1930s as part of Slim & Slam, a jazz novelty act he formed with bassist Slam Stewart. Their hits included "Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)", "Cement Mixer (Put-Ti-Put-Ti)" and the hipster anthem, "The Groove Juice Special (Opera in Vout)". The duo performs in the 1941 movie "Hellzapoppin'".

paragraph: Gaillard's appeal was similar to Cab Calloway's and Louis Jordan's in that he presented a hip style with broad appeal (for example in his children's song "Down by the Station"). Unlike them, he was a master improviser whose stream of consciousness vocals ranged far from the original lyrics. He sang wild interpolations of nonsense syllables, such as "MacVoutie O-reeney". One such performance is celebrated in the 1957 novel "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. Gaillard, with Dodo Marmarosa on piano, appeared as a guest several times on "Command Performance", recorded at KNX radio studios in Hollywood in the 1940s and distributed on transcription discs to American troops in World War II.

paragraph: In 1943, Gaillard was drafted in the United States Army Air Forces and "qualified as a pilot flying [...] B-26 bombers in the Pacific" and resumed his music career on his release from the draft in 1944. Upon his return he released the song Atomic Cocktail, which featured seemingly lighthearted lyrics laced with symbolism about nuclear war.

paragraph: Gaillard later teamed with bassist Bam Brown. They can be seen in a 1947 motion picture featurette "O'Voutie O'Rooney" filmed live at one of their nightclub performances. Slim and Bam was featured at the first Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles that was produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. on September 23, 1945 along with Count Basie. Gaillard also played for the 2nd Cavalcade of Jazz held at Wrigley Field on Oct. 12, 1946, and played for the 3rd Cavalcade of Jazz held also at Wrigley Field on September 7, 1947.

paragraph: In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Gaillard frequently opened at Birdland for Charlie Parker, Flip Phillips, and Coleman Hawkins. His December 1945 session with Parker and Dizzy Gillespie is notable, both musically and for its relaxed convivial air. "Slim's Jam", from that session, is one of the earliest known recordings of Parker's speaking voice.

paragraph: Gaillard could play several instruments and managed to turn the performance from jazz to comedy. He would play the guitar with his left hand fretting with fingers pointing down over the fingerboard (instead of the usual way up from under it), or would play credible piano solos with his palms facing up. Gaillard wrote the theme song to the Peter Potter radio show. In addition, in 1950 he wrote and recorded the "Don Pitts On the Air" theme for San Francisco DJ Don Pitts. On March 27, 2008 the Pitts theme song entered the archives of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

paragraph: Gaillard appeared in several shows in the 1960s and 1970s, such as "Marcus Welby, M.D.", "Charlie's Angels", "", "Medical Center", "The Flip Wilson Show", and "Then Came Bronson". He also appeared in the 1970s TV series "" and reprised some of his old hits on the NBC prime-time variety program "The Chuck Barris Rah Rah Show".

paragraph: By the early 1980s Gaillard was touring the European jazz festival circuit, playing with such musicians as Arnett Cobb. He also played with George Melly and John Chilton's Feetwarmers, appearing on their BBC television series and also occasionally deputising for Melly when he was unwell. Gaillard's behavior on stage was often erratic and nerve-wracking for the accompanying musicians. He made a guest appearance on Show 106 of the 1980s music program "Night Music", an NBC late-night music series hosted by David Sanborn.

paragraph: Around Christmas 1985, Gaillard recorded the album "Siboney" at Gateway Studios in Battersea, London, produced by Joe Massot. As Massot recalled later:

paragraph: Section::::Languages used in songs.

paragraph: Gaillard used Yiddish in at least two of his songs, "Dunkin' Bagels", and "Matzo Balls", where he refers to numerous Jewish ethnic dishes eaten by Ashkenazi Jews. The songs were issued by the Slim Gaillard Quartet in 1945 on the Melodisc label, featuring Gaillard on guitar, Zutty Singleton on drums, "Tiny" Brown on bass and Dodo Marmarosa on piano. "Dunkin Bagels" was later included in the 2010 compilation CD "Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations", issued by the Idelsohn Society for Musical Preservation.

paragraph: He made a cover version of a Greek folk song called "Tee say malee" ("Why Do You Care"). Arabic is used in some of Gaillard's songs, for example "Yep-Roc-Heresay" and "Arabian Boogie". Irish is present in the name "O'Voutie O'Rooney", the title of his 1947 movie and reminiscent of Vout-o-Reenee, the name he used for his invented language.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.

paragraph: Gaillard fathered several children: Janis Gaye (née Hunter, ex-wife of singer Marvin Gaye and mother of Nona Gaye and Frankie Christian Gaye), Michael Gaillard, Mark Gaillard, Casonna S. Gaillard and Michael Hamlin.

paragraph: Section::::Discography.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "McVouty Slim & Bam" (Hep, 1946)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Opera en Vout" (1947)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Slim Gaillard at Birdland 1951" (Hep, 1951)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Slim Gaillard Cavorts" (Clef, 1952)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Slim Gaillard Mish Mash" (1953)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Gaillard and Gillespie" (Ultraphonic, 1958)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Dot Sessions" (1958)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Slim Gaillard Rides Again" (Dot, 1959)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Slim Gaillard 1959" (MCA, 1959)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" (Hep, 1982)

paragraph: Section::::Filmography.

paragraph: Section::::Filmography.:Film.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Hellzapoppin'" (1941)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Almost Married" (1942)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" (1946)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "O'Voutie O'Rooney" (1947)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Stairway for a Star" (1947)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Go, Man, Go!" (1954)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Too Late Blues" (1961)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Planet of the Apes" (1968)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "The Curious Female" (1970)

paragraph: BULLET::::- ""Absolute Beginners"" (1986)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Sky Bandits" (1986)

paragraph: Section::::Filmography.:Television.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Mission Impossible" (1966–1973)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Marcus Welby, M.D." (1969–1976)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Medical Center" (1969–1976)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Then Came Bronson" (1969–1970)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Flip (The Flip Wilson Show)" (1970–1974)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Charlie's Angels" (1976–1981)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "The Chuck Barris Rah Rah Show" (February–April 1978)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "" (18–24 February 1979)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "What's Happening!!" (16 March 1979)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Love's Savage Fury" (20 May 1979)

paragraph: Section::::Filmography.:Documentary.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Arena Special", "Slim Gaillard's Civilisation" (1989):

paragraph: BULLET::::1. "A Traveller's Tale" (52:51), on 22 October 1989

paragraph: BULLET::::2. "How High the Moon" (60:50), on 29 October 1989

paragraph: BULLET::::3. "My Dinner with Dizzy" (59:59), on 5 November 1989

paragraph: BULLET::::4. "Everything's OK in the UK" (54:40), on 12 November 1989

paragraph: BULLET::::- "The Small Black Groups" (2003)

description: American musician

wikidata_label: Slim Gaillard

wikipedia_title: Slim Gaillard


text: Paddington Bear

text: Newbury, Berkshire

text: Reading

text: Reading railway station

text: Cornish Riviera Express

text: Presentation College

text: The Guardian

text: World War II

text: BBC

text: aircrew

text: Royal Air Force

text: air sickness

text: Middlesex Regiment

text: British Army

text: Cairo

text: London Opinion

text: guineas

text: Blue Peter

text: Paddington Bear

text: marmalade

text: Paddington Station

text: Paddington

text: guinea pig

text: Olga da Polga

text: The Herbs

text: bloodhound

text: David Attenborough

text: Queen Elizabeth II

text: St Paul's Cathedral

text: StudioCanal

text: HarperCollins

text: BBC

text: Guy de Maupassant

text: children's television

text: The Herbs

text: The Adventures of Parsley

text: Officer of the Order of the British Empire

text: 1997 Birthday Honours

text: Commander of the Order of the British Empire

text: 2015 Birthday Honours

text: University of Reading

text: Honorary

text: Doctor of Letters

text: GWR

text: Class 800 trains

text: Paddington 2

text: Michael Bond Biography

text: Paddington Bear – The Official Website

text: The Herbs

categories: People from Newbury, Berkshire,English autobiographers,English children's writers,20th-century English novelists,Middlesex Regiment soldiers,Royal Air Force personnel of World War II,People from Reading, Berkshire,2017 deaths,English male novelists,People educated at Elvian School,20th-century British male writers,Commanders of the Order of the British Empire,21st-century English novelists,Paddington Bear,1926 births

paragraph: Michael Bond

paragraph: Thomas Michael Bond (13 January 1926 – 27 June 2017) was a British author. He is best known for a series of fictional stories for children, featuring the character of Paddington Bear. More than 35 million Paddington books have been sold around the world, and the characters have also been featured in film and on television. His first book was published in 1958 and his last in 2017, a span of 59 years.

paragraph: Section::::Early life.

paragraph: Thomas Michael Bond was born on 13 January 1926 in Newbury, Berkshire. He was raised in Reading, where his visits to Reading railway station to watch the "Cornish Riviera Express" pass through started a love of trains. His father was a manager for the post office. He was educated at Presentation College in Reading. His time there was unhappy. He told "The Guardian" in November 2014 that his parents had chosen the school "for the simple reason [his] mother liked the colour of the blazers ... she didn't make many mistakes in life but that was one of them". Consequently, he left education aged 14, despite his parents' wishes for him to go to university. World War II was under way and he went to work in a solicitor's office for a year and then as an engineer's assistant for the BBC.

paragraph: On 10 February 1943, Bond survived an air raid in Reading. The building in which he was working collapsed under him, killing 41 people and injuring many more. Shortly afterwards he volunteered for aircrew service in the Royal Air Force as a 17-year-old but he was discharged after suffering from acute air sickness. He then served in the Middlesex Regiment of the British Army until 1947.

paragraph: Section::::Author.

paragraph: Bond began writing in 1945 while stationed with the army in Cairo, and sold his first short story to the magazine "London Opinion". He was paid seven guineas, and thought he "wouldn't mind being a writer". In 1958, after producing several plays and short stories and while working as a BBC television cameraman (where he worked on "Blue Peter" for a time), his first book, "A Bear Called Paddington", was published.

paragraph: This was the start of Bond's series of books recounting the tales of Paddington Bear, a bear from "darkest Peru", whose Aunt Lucy sends him to the United Kingdom, carrying a jar of marmalade. In the first book the Brown family find the bear at Paddington Station, and adopt him, naming the bear after the station. By 1965, Bond was able to give up his BBC job to work full-time as a writer.

paragraph: Paddington's adventures have sold over 35 million books, have been published in nearly twenty countries, in over forty languages, and have inspired pop bands, race horses, plays, hot air balloons, a movie and television series. Bond stated in December 2007 that he did not plan to continue the adventures of Paddington Bear in further volumes. However, in April 2014 it was reported that a new book, entitled "Love From Paddington", would be published that autumn. In a film, "Paddington" (2014), based on the books, Bond had a credited cameo as the Kindly Gentleman.

paragraph: Bond also wrote another series of children's books, the adventures of a guinea pig named Olga da Polga, named after the Bond family's pet, as well as the animated BBC television series "The Herbs" (1968). Bond also wrote culinary mystery stories for adults, featuring Monsieur Pamplemousse and his faithful bloodhound, Pommes Frites.

paragraph: Bond wrote a "Reflection on the Passing of the Years" shortly after his 90th birthday. The piece was read by David Attenborough, who also turned 90 in 2016, at the national service of thanksgiving to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday at St Paul's Cathedral in June 2016. On 20 June 2016, StudioCanal acquired the "Paddington" franchise outright. Bond was allowed to keep the publishing rights to his series, which he licensed in April 2017 to HarperCollins for the next six years.

paragraph: Section::::Television writing.

paragraph: Bond wrote two short films for the BBC: "Simon's Good Deed", which was shown on 11 October 1955, and "Napoleon's Day Out", shown on 9 April 1957. He also wrote one episode of the series "The World Our Stage", an adaptation of the short story "The Decoration" by Guy de Maupassant, which aired on 4 January 1958.

paragraph: His best known television work is as the creator and writer of the children's television series "The Herbs" and "The Adventures of Parsley", again for the BBC.

paragraph: Section::::Honours.

paragraph: For services to children's literature, Bond was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1997 Birthday Honours and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 Birthday Honours. On 6 July 2007 the University of Reading awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Letters.

paragraph: On 10 January 2018, GWR named one of their Class 800 trains ""Michael Bond""/""Paddington Bear"".

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.

paragraph: Bond was married twice – to Brenda Mary Johnson in 1950, from whom he separated in the 1970s; and to Susan Marfrey Rogers in 1981. He had two children. He lived in London, not far from Paddington Station, the place that inspired many of his books.

paragraph: Bond died in London on 27 June 2017, at the age of 91. No cause was given. The film "Paddington 2" (2017) was dedicated to his memory.

paragraph: Section::::Bibliography.

paragraph: Section::::Bibliography.:Paddington Bear series.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1958 "A Bear Called Paddington". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1959 "More About Paddington". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1960 "Paddington Helps Out". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1961 "Paddington Abroad". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1962 "Paddington at Large". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1964 "Paddington Marches On". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1966 "Paddington at Work". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1968 "Paddington Goes to Town". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1970 "Paddington Takes the Air ". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1972 "Paddington's Garden". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1973 "Paddington's Blue Peter Story Book" (sometimes titled as "Paddington Takes to TV"). London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1974 "Paddington on Top". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Paddington at the Tower". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1979 "Paddington Takes the Test". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1980 "Paddington on Screen". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1984 "Paddington at the Zoo". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1986 "Paddington at the Palace". New York: Putnam.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1987 "Paddington's Busy Day". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1992 "A Day by the Sea"

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2001 "Paddington in the Garden". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2003 "Paddington and the Grand Tour". London: Collins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2008 "Paddington Rules the Waves". New York: HarperCollins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2008 "Paddington Here and Now". New York: HarperCollins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2012 "Paddington Races Ahead". New York: HarperCollins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2012 "Paddington Goes for Gold". New York: HarperCollins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2014 "Love From Paddington". New York: HarperCollins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2017 "Paddington's Finest Hour". New York: HarperCollins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2018: "Paddington at St. Paul's". New York: HarperCollins.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2018: Paddington Turns Detective and Other Funny Stories.

paragraph: Section::::Bibliography.:Olga da Polga series.

paragraph: Section::::Bibliography.:Olga da Polga series.:Chapter books.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1971 "The Tales of Olga da Polga".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1973 "Olga Meets Her Match".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1976 "Olga Carries On".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1982 "Olga Takes Charge".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1987 "The Complete Adventures of Olga Da Polga" (omnibus).

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1993 "The Adventures of Olga Da Polga" (omnibus).

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2001 "Olga Moves House".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2002 "Olga Follows Her Nose".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2002 "The Best of Olga Da Polga" (omnibus).

paragraph: Section::::Bibliography.:Olga da Polga series.:Picture books.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Olga Counts Her Blessings".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Olga Makes a Friend".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Olga Makes a Wish".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Olga Makes Her Mark".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Olga Takes a Bite".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Olga's New Home".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Olga's Second House".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Olga's Special Day".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1983 "The First Big Olga da Polga Book" (omnibus).

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1983 "The Second Big Olga da Polga Book" (omnibus).

paragraph: Section::::Bibliography.:Monsieur Pamplemousse series.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1983 "Monsieur Pamplemousse".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1985 "Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Secret Mission".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1986 "Monsieur Pamplemousse on the Spot".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1987 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Cure".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1989 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Aloft".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1990 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Investigates".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1991 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Rests His Case".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1992 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1992 "Monsieur Pamplemousse on Location".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1993 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1998 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Omnibus Volume One".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1999 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Omnibus Volume Two".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1999 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Afloat".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1999 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Omnibus Volume Three".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2000 "Monsieur Pamplemousse on Probation".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2002 "Monsieur Pamplemousse on Vacation".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2003 "Monsieur Pamplemousse Hits the Headlines".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2006 "Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Militant Midwives".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2007 "Monsieur Pamplemousse and the French Solution".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2011 "Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Carbon Footprint".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2015 "Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Tangled Web".

paragraph: Section::::Bibliography.:Other books.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1966 "Here Comes Thursday".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1968 "Thursday Rides Again".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1969 "Thursday Ahoy!"

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1971 "Thursday in Paris".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1971 "Michael Bond's Book of Bears" (editor).

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1972 "The Day the Animals Went on Strike".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Windmill".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "How to Make Flying Things" (nonfiction).

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1975 "Mr. Cram's Magic Bubbles" (picture book).

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1980 "Picnic on the River".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1980 "J. D. Polson and the Liberty Head Dime".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1981 "J. D. Polson and the Dillogate Affair".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1983 "The Caravan Puppets".

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1986 "Oliver the Greedy Elephant" (picture book with Paul Parnes).

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1987 "The Pleasures of Paris" (guidebook).

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1988 "A Mouse Called Thursday" (omnibus).

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1992 "Something Nasty in the Kitchen" (picture book).

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1996 "Bears and Forebears: A Life So Far" (autobiography).

paragraph: Section::::Television.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1955 "Simon's Good Deed" (short film)

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1957 "Napoleon's Day Out" (short film)

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1958 "The World Our Stage" (one episode, "The Decoration")

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1968 "The Herbs" (13 episodes)

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1970–71 "The Adventures of Parsley" (32 episodes)

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Michael Bond Biography

paragraph: BULLET::::- Paddington Bear – The Official Website

paragraph: BULLET::::- The Herbs

alias:
Thomas Michael Bond
Michael Bond, OBE

description: English author, creator of Paddington the Bear

enwikiquote_title: Michael Bond

wikidata_label: Michael Bond

wikipedia_title: Michael Bond


text:
Swedish
Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg
Sweden
Norway
Albert of Sweden
Magnus I of Sweden
Ingeborg of Norway
Haakon V of Norway
Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)
Magnus VII of Norway
Birger of Sweden
Scania
drots
Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg
Blanche of Namur
Skänninge Abbey
Albert of Sweden
Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg
Waldemar IV of Denmark
Albert of Sweden
Richardis of Schwerin
Eric I, Duke of Mecklenburg
Agnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Magnus I, Duke of Mecklenburg
John
Louis VI the Roman
Duke of Bavaria
Munich
Berlin
Henry II, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg
Count Adolf of Holstein

wikipedia_title:
Swedish language
Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg
Sweden
Norway
Albert, King of Sweden
Magnus III of Sweden
Ingeborg of Norway
Haakon V of Norway
Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)
Magnus IV of Sweden
Birger, King of Sweden
Scania
Seneschal in Scandinavia
Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg
Blanche of Namur
Skänninge Abbey
Albert, King of Sweden
Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg
Valdemar IV of Denmark
Albert, King of Sweden
Richardis of Schwerin, Queen of Sweden
Eric I, Duke of Mecklenburg
Agnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Magnus I, Duke of Mecklenburg
John IV, Duke of Mecklenburg
Louis II, Elector of Brandenburg
List of rulers of Bavaria
Munich
Berlin
Henry II, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg
Adolph IX, Count of Holstein-Kiel

categories: 1317 births,14th-century German people,House of Mecklenburg,Duchesses of Mecklenburg,1370 deaths,Swedish princesses,14th-century Swedish women,14th-century Swedish people,House of Bjelbo

paragraph: Euphemia of Sweden

paragraph: Euphemia of Sweden (Swedish: "Eufemia Eriksdotter"; 1317 – 16 June 1370) was a Swedish princess, spouse of Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg, Duchess consort of Mecklenburg, heiress of Sweden and of Norway, and mother of King Albert of Sweden.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Early life.

paragraph: Euphemia was born in 1317 to Eric of Sweden (b. c. 1282, murdered 1318), Duke of Södermanland, second son of King Magnus I of Sweden, and Princess Ingeborg of Norway (1301 – c. 1360), the heiress and the only legitimate daughter of King Haakon V of Norway, whose Kingdom of Norway (872–1397) thus became the inheritance of Euphemia and her brothers.

paragraph: In 1319, her infant elder brother Magnus VII of Norway (1316–1374) succeeded their maternal grandfather to the throne of Norway. That same year, Swedish nobles exiled their uncle, King Birger of Sweden, after which the infant Magnus was elected King of Sweden. Their mother Ingeborg had a seat in the guardian government as well as the position of an independent ruler of her own fiefs, and played an important part during their childhood and adolescence.

paragraph: The 24 July 1321 marriage contract for Euphemia was signed in Bohus Castle in her mother's fief in Bohuslän. Her mother had plans to take control over Danish Scania, next to her duchy. The marriage was arranged with the terms that Mecklenburg, Saxony, Holstein, Rendsburg and Schleswig would assist Ingeborg in the conquest of Scania. This was approved by the council of Norway but not Sweden. When Ingeborg's forces under command of her lover Knut Porse invaded Scania in 1322–23, Mecklenburg betrayed her and the alliance was broken. Eventually, the affair of Euphemia's marriage led to a conflict between Ingeborg and the governments of Sweden and Norway, which led to the demise of Ingeborg's political position in the guardian governments. The marriage took place anyway, after a fifteen-year engagement. Euphemia did not lack influence in Sweden. She is known to have acted as the witness of seals in several documents. In 1335, when King Magnus appointed Nils Abjörnsson (Sparre av Tofta) to drots, the condition that Euphemia would act as his adviser was included in his appointment.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Duchess of Mecklenburg.

paragraph: Euphemia was married in Rostock on April 10, 1336, to her distant kinsman, Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg (1318 – 2 February 1379), a North-German lord deeply interested in obtaining some power in Scandinavia, e.g. fiefs or income. Later, Albert was to gain the nickname "Fox of Mecklenburg", to reflect his intrigues as well as avarice. Later the same year, the couple returned to Sweden with Rudolf of Saxony and Henry of Holstein to be present at the coronation of her brother and sister-in-law Blanche of Namur. In Germany, Euphemia's life as a Duchess consort of Mecklenburg does not appear to have affected her status in Sweden, as she was still a political factor there and her name was still placed on various documents. She was the mistress of a very expensive ducal court. In 1340–41, she convinced Magnus to grant renewed trading privileges in Norway to the Hanseatic cities of Mecklenburg, Rostock and Wismar. On 15 April 1357, she granted her inheritance after her brothers Håkan and Knut, the estates Hammar and Farthses, to Skänninge Abbey. It is not known if she was involved in the succession of her son to the throne of Sweden in 1363. She is last confirmed alive 27 October 1363, when she gave up the ownership of her dower estate Hagenow. Her death year is not known, but she is confirmed dead 16 June 1370, when her widower made a vicaria to her memory.

paragraph: Euphemia lived long enough to see her brother's branch of the family get into severe difficulties, albeit its extinction (which happened in 1387) was not necessarily foreseeable then. Euphemia saw her own second son depose her brother from the Swedish throne, and ascend as King Albert of Sweden. Already in Euphemia's lifetime it was evident that her genealogical position would become a pivotal point to many future claims to the Scandinavian thrones.

paragraph: Although her spouse married a second time after her death, all his legitimate children were born of Euphemia.

paragraph: Section::::Issue.

paragraph: At the time of her death, she had five surviving children:

paragraph: BULLET::::- Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg (c. 1337 – 24 April 1383, Wismar); died after an accident at a tournament in Wismar. Married, firstly, Ingeborg of Denmark (1 April 1347 – c. 1370), eldest daughter of sonless King Waldemar IV of Denmark. Claimants to Denmark. They had children: Albert (claimant to position of Hereditary Prince of Denmark), Euphemia, Mary, and Ingeborg. Henry III married, secondly, Matilda of Werle.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Albert III, Duke of Mecklenburg, better known as Albert of Sweden (1340–1412), King of Sweden from 1364 to 1389. Married, firstly, in 1359, Richardis of Schwerin (died 1377); they had children: Eric I, Duke of Mecklenburg (Hereditary Prince of Sweden) and Richardis Catherine. Albert married, secondly, Agnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 22 December 1434).

paragraph: BULLET::::- Magnus I, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1 September 1385); married, in 1369, Elisabeth of Pomerania-Rügen. They had at least one son, John; possibly the daughter, Euphemia, was already born.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Ingeborg of Mecklenburg (d. c. 1395); she married, firstly, in Berlin in February 1360, Louis VI the Roman, Duke of Bavaria (12 May 1330, Munich – 17 May 1365, Berlin); no issue. Married, secondly, Henry II, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (c. 1317 – 16 November 1384); had several children: Gerhard, Albert, Henry, and Sophia.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Anna of Mecklenburg (died 1415); married in 1362/6 Count Adolf of Holstein (died 1390), but died childless. Her line extinct by her own death in 1415.

paragraph: Section::::References.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Eufemia Eriksdotter, urn:sbl:15533, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Allan Mohlin. Art. stilistiskt bearbetad av redaktionen.), hämtad 2013-10-24.

description: Duchess consort of Mecklenburg

wikidata_label: Euphemia of Sweden

wikipedia_title: Euphemia of Sweden


text: Tendai

text: Age of Dharma Decline

text: Shandao

text: pure land

text: Amitābha

text: nianfo

text: Emperor Tsuchimikado

text: Kyoto

text: Mimasaka Province

text: Mahāsthāmaprāpta

text: Emperor Horikawa

text: Tendai

text: Mount Hiei

text: Kyoto

text: bodhisattva vows

text: Saichō

text: Saga

text: Nara

text: Kōfuku-ji

text: Tōdai-ji

text: Amitayurdhyana Sutra

text: Shandao

text: Myōe

text: Jōkei

text: antinomianism

text: Kōfuku-ji

text: Nara

text: Kōsai

text: Richard Bowring

text: kami

text: Shinran

text: Tosa

text: Jodo Shu Research Institute

text: menstruation

text: Senchaku Hongan Nenbutsushū

text: One-Sheet Document

text: One-Sheet Document

text: Benchō

text: Chinzei

text: Jōdo-shū

text: Kyushu

text: Shōkū

text: Seizan

text: Shinran

text: Jōdo Shinshū

text: Echigo Province

text: Ryūkan

text: Chōsai

text: Kōsai

text: Sado

text: samurai

text: Kumagai no Jirō Naozane

text: Battle of Ichi-no-Tani

text: Taira no Atsumori

text: Dobbins, James C.

text: OCLC 470742039

text: original

text: 法然上人全集

text: 法然上人とは

text: 法然上人資料室

text: 法然上人関係文献

categories: 1133 births,Buddhist monks,Pure Land Buddhism,Jōdo-shū,Japanese Buddhists,12th-century monks,12th-century Buddhists,1212 deaths,Buddhist patriarchs,Shinran,13th-century Buddhists,13th-century monks,People related to Jōdo Shinshū,Japanese Buddhist monks

paragraph: Hōnen

paragraph: Hōnen became a Tendai initiate at an early age, but grew disaffected and sought an approach to Buddhism that anyone could follow, even during the perceived Age of Dharma Decline. After discovering the writings of the Chinese Buddhist Shandao, he undertook the teaching of rebirth in the pure land of Amitābha through nianfo or "recitation of the Buddha's name".

paragraph: Hōnen gathered a wide array of followers and critics. Emperor Tsuchimikado exiled Hōnen and his followers in 1207 after an incident regarding two of his disciples in addition to persuasion by influential Buddhist communities. Hōnen was eventually pardoned and allowed to return to Kyoto, where he stayed for a short time before his death.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Early life.

paragraph: Hōnen was born to a prominent family in the city of Kume in Mimasaka Province. His father was Uruma no Tokikuni, a province official who headed up policing in the area. His mother was of the Hada clan, whose ancestry could be traced back to the silk merchants of China. Hōnen was originally named Seishimaru after the bodhisattva Seishi (Sanskrit Mahāsthāmaprāpta). In 1141 Hōnen's father was assassinated by Sada-akira, an official sent by Emperor Horikawa to govern the province. It is believed that Tokikuni's last words to his son were "Don't hate the enemy but become a monk and pray for me and for your deliverance."

paragraph: Fulfilling his father's wishes for him, Hōnen was initiated into his uncle's monastery at the age of nine. From then on, Hōnen lived his life as a monk, and eventually studied at the primary Tendai temple at Mount Hiei near Kyoto. Clerics at Mt. Hiei took the bodhisattva vows and then undertook 12 years of training at Mt. Hiei, a system developed by the Tendai founder, Saichō.

paragraph: While at Mt. Hiei, Hōnen studied under Genkō (源光), Kōen (皇円) and later, with Eikū (叡空). Under Kōen he was officially ordained as a Tendai priest, while under Eikū he received the name "Hōnen-bō Genkū" (法然房源空). In speaking of himself, Hōnen often referred to himself as Genkū, as did his close disciples.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Departure from Mt. Hiei.

paragraph: While studying on Mt. Hiei, Hōnen devoted his time to finding a way to bring salvation to all beings through Buddhism, but was not satisfied with what he found at Mt. Hiei. At the age of 24, Hōnen then went to study at the city of Saga, then Nara, and stayed at such temples at Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji. Still not satisfied, he returned to the libraries of Mt. Hiei and studied further.

paragraph: During this period, Hōnen read a Pure Land Buddhist text called the "Commentaries on the Amitayurdhyana Sutra" () authored by the Chinese Pure Land master Shandao (613-681), notably the statement, "Only repeat the name of Amitabha with all your heart. Whether walking or standing, sitting or lying, never cease the practice of it even for a moment. This is the very work which unfailingly issues in salvation, for it is in accordance with the Original Vow of that Buddha." This commentary persuaded Hōnen to believe that nianfo, called "nembutsu" in Japanese, was all one needed to enter Amitābha's pure land. Previously, nianfo was recited along with other practices, but Shandao was the first to propose that "only" nianfo was necessary. This new appreciation and understanding prompted Hōnen to leave Mt. Hiei and the Tendai tradition in 1175.

paragraph: Section::::Beginnings of a New Sect.

paragraph: Hōnen relocated to the district of Ōtani in Kyoto, where he started addressing crowds of men and women, establishing a considerable following. Hōnen attracted fortune-tellers, ex-robbers, samurai and other elements of society normally excluded from Buddhist practice. Hōnen was a man of recognition in Kyoto, and many priests and nobleman allied with him and visited him for spiritual advice. Among them was an imperial regent named Kujō Kanezane (1149–1207). The increasing popularity of his teachings drew criticism from noted contemporaries as Myōe and Jōkei among others, who argued against Hōnen's sole reliance on nembutsu as a means of rebirth in a pure land. Additionally, some disciples interpreted Hōnen's teachings in unexpected ways, leading to disreputable behavior, criticism of other sects, or other forms of antinomianism.

paragraph: In 1204, the monks at Mt. Hiei implored the head priest to ban the teachings of exclusive nembutsu and to banish any adherents from their principality. In 1205 the temple of Kōfuku-ji, located in Nara, implored Emperor Toba II to sanction Hōnen and his followers. The temple provided the emperor with nine charges alleging unappeasable differences with the so-called eight schools. Hōnen's detractors cited examples of his followers, such as Gyoku and Kōsai, who committed vandalism against Buddhist temples, intentionally broke the Buddhist precepts, or caused others to intentionally turn away from established Buddhist teachings.

paragraph: Richard Bowring condenses these charges into two general forms. First is the nature of a single practice. Hōnen's emphasis on the single practice of nembutsu denied the usefulness of all other Buddhist practices. The sole emphasis on Amitābha was also coupled with discouraging the traditional worship of the kami. The second charge was that Hōnen placed the most lowly layperson on equal footing with the wisest monk, rendering the entire monastic establishment as useless.

paragraph: In response, Hōnen censured Kōsai's single-nembutsu teaching and his followers agreed to sign the , which called for restraint in moral conduct and in interactions with other Buddhist sects.

paragraph: The clamour surrounding Hōnen's teachings dissipated for a time until 1207 when Toba II implemented a ban against exclusive nembutsu, stemming from an incident where two of Hōnen's most prominent followers were accused of using nembutsu practice as a coverup for sexual liaisons. As part of the ban, Hōnen and some of his disciples, including Shinran, were exiled, while the priests responsible for the conversion, Juren and Anrakubo, were executed. Hōnen is said to have responded:

paragraph: Section::::Exile and the Final Years.

paragraph: Hōnen was exiled to Tosa, but the movement in Kyoto had not thoroughly gone away. While in exile, Hōnen spread the teachings to the people he met - fishermen, prostitutes, and the peasantry. In 1211 the nembutsu ban was ultimately lifted, and Hōnen was permitted to return to Kyoto. In 1212, the following year, Hōnen died in Kyoto, but was able to compose the a few days before he died.

paragraph: Section::::Character.

paragraph: Analysis of various historical documents by the Jodo Shu Research Institute suggests several obvious characteristics of Hōnen's personality:

paragraph: BULLET::::- a strict master

paragraph: BULLET::::- introspective and self-critical

paragraph: BULLET::::- a bold innovator

paragraph: BULLET::::- a critic of scholasticism

paragraph: BULLET::::- a man more concerned with solving the problems of daily life rather than worrying about doctrinal matters

paragraph: On the latter point Hōnen expressed unusual concern over the spiritual welfare of women. In teaching to them, regardless of social status (from aristocracy to prostitutes), he particularly rejected the significance of menstruation; which wider Japanese religious culture considered to cause spiritual defilement. As a consequence the role of women in the Jōdo-shū sects has often been greater than in some other Japanese Buddhist traditions.

paragraph: About himself Hōnen reportedly said:

paragraph: Section::::Doctrine.

paragraph: Section::::Doctrine.:Writings.

paragraph: Hōnen's main document expounding his Pure Land doctrine is the Senchaku Hongan Nenbutsushū written in 1198 at the request of his patron Lord Kujō Kanezane (1148–1207). The document was not widely distributed by Hōnen's request until after his death. The only other document from Hōnen is his last testament, the "Ichimai-kishōmon" (一枚起請文) or "One-Sheet Document". Most of Hōnen's teachings are recorded by his disciples, or recorded later by Buddhist historians in the 14th century.

paragraph: Section::::Doctrine.:Quotation.

paragraph: Hōnen's teachings are briefly summarized in his final work, the One-Sheet Document:

paragraph: Hōnen's practical advice on practicing the nembutsu can be summed up in these two statements:

paragraph: Section::::Disciples.

paragraph: By 1204 Hōnen had a group of disciples numbering around 190. This number is derived from the number of signatures found on , a guideline for rules of conduct in the Jōdo Shū community to assuage concerns by other groups. Key disciples who signed the pledge include:

paragraph: BULLET::::- Benchō (1162–1238), founder of the main Chinzei branch of Jōdo-shū. Often called "Shōkō". Exiled in 1207 to Kyushu.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Genchi (1183–1238), Hōnen's personal attendant, and close friend of Benchō.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Shōkū (1147–1247), founder of the Seizan branch of Jōdo-shū. Not exiled.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Shinran (1173–1263), founder of the Jōdo Shinshū branch of Pure Land Buddhism. Exiled to Echigo Province in 1207.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Ryūkan (1148–1227), founder of the many-recitation or "Tanengi" branch of Jōdo-shū.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Chōsai (1184–1266), founder of the "Shōgyōhongangi" branch of Jōdo-shū which believed that all Buddhist practices can lead to rebirth in the Pureland.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Kōsai (1163–1247), promoted the controversial "Ichinengi", or "single-recitation" teaching of Jōdo-shū. Expelled from Honen's community before the exile of 1207.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Gyōkō (?), another proponent of "Ichinengi" doctrine. Exiled to Sado in 1207.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Rensei (1141–1208), formerly a notable samurai named Kumagai no Jirō Naozane who had fought at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani and killed the Heike leader Taira no Atsumori

paragraph: BULLET::::- Kansai (1148–1200).

paragraph: BULLET::::- Shinkū (1146–1228).

paragraph: BULLET::::- Anrakubō (? -1207), executed during the purge of 1207.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jūren (?), executed along with Anrakubō in 1207.

paragraph: A number of disciples went on to establish branches of Pure Land Buddhism, based on their interpretations of Honen's teachings.

paragraph: Section::::References.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Dobbins, James C. (1989). "Jodo Shinshu: Shin Buddhism in Medieval Japan." Bloomington, Illinois: Indiana University Press. ; OCLC 470742039

paragraph: BULLET::::- Hônen : "Le gué vers la Terre Pure", Senchaku-shû, traduit du sino-japonais, présenté et annoté par Jérôme Ducor. Collection "Trésors du bouddhisme". Paris, Librairie Arthème Fayard, 2005.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Takahashi Koji. "Senchakushu no seikaku ni tsuite: tokuni hi ronriteki ichimen o chushin to shite." in Jodokyo no shiso to bunka, Etani Festschrift (Kyoto: Dohosha, 1972)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Augustine, Morris J., Kondō, Tesshō, trans. (1997). "Senchaku hongan nembutsu shū": a collection of passages on the nembutsu chosen in the original vow compiled by Genkū (Hōnen), Berkeley, Calif.: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jokai Asai (2001). Exclusion and Salvation in Honen's Thought: Salvation of Those Who Commit the Five Grave Offenses or Slander the Right Dharma, Pacific World Journal, Third Series, Number 3, 125-156. Archived from the original

paragraph: BULLET::::- Sho-on Hattori, "A Raft from the Other Shore: Honen and the Way of Pure Land Buddhism", Jodo Shu Press, Tōkyō, 2001,

paragraph: BULLET::::- Sōhō Machida, "Renegade monk : Hōnen and Japanese Pure Land Buddhism", University of California Press, Berkeley, 1999,

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jonathan Watts, Yoshiharu Tomatsu, "Traversing the Pure Land Path: A Lifetime of Encounters with Honen Shonin", Jodo Shu Press, Tōkyō, 2005,

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Honen Shonin’s Religious and Social Significance in the Pure Land Tradition by Alfred Bloom

paragraph: BULLET::::- Kyoto National Museum: The Illustrated Biography of Priest Honen

paragraph: BULLET::::- 法然上人全集

paragraph: BULLET::::- 法然上人とは

paragraph: BULLET::::- 法然上人資料室

paragraph: BULLET::::- 法然上人関係文献

alias: Honen Hounen

description: Japanese Buddhist monks

wikidata_label: Hōnen

wikipedia_title: Hōnen