Breathing Curiosity
Ozzy Osbourne, born John Michael Osbourne, December 3, 1948, in Birmingham, England, is the musician who gained a loyal following as the vocalist for the heavy metal group Black Sabbath before embarking on a successful solo career.Raised in a working-class family, Osbourne dropped out of school at age 15 and held several low-paying jobs. He… Continue reading Ozzy Osborne *XII 3 1948 — The Life You Give
Angus bacon, chickpeas, Japanese ceramic
Maria Callas, born Maria Cecilia Sophia Anna Kalogeropoulos, December 2, 1923, in New York, New York, U.S.A., is the operatic soprano who revived classical coloratura roles in the mid-20th century with her lyrical and dramatic versatility.Callas was the daughter of Greek immigrants and early developed an interest in singing. Accompanied by her mother, she left… Continue reading María Callas *XII 2 1923 — The Life You Give
Take a moment, hook in your best pair of headphones, maybe even close your eyes, and listen to the first haunting bars of Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished” Eighth Symphony. It begins with a single, hushed melodic line in the low strings which quickly gives way to shivering violins and darkly pulsating bass pizzicati. Then, a lamenting… Continue reading Interrupted/Innerupted: Symphony No. 8, Franz Schubert
Beetroot, garlic, olive oil, toast
Marina Abramović, born November 30, 1946, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia [now in Serbia]), is a performance artist known for works that dramatically tested the endurance and limitations of her own body and mind. Abramović was raised in Yugoslavia by parents who fought as Partisans in World War II and were later employed in the communist government… Continue reading Marina Abramović *XI 30 1946 — The Life You Give
Clive Staples Lewis, born November 29, 1898, Belfast, Ireland [now in Northern Ireland] was scholar, novelist, and author of about 40 books, many of them on Christian apologetics, including The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity. His works of greatest lasting fame may be The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven children’s books that have… Continue reading The Life You Give: C. S. Lewis *1898
Gaetano Donizetti, born on Nov. 29, 1797, in Bergamo, Cisalpine Republic, was an Italian opera composer whose numerous operas in both Italian and French represent a transitional stage in operatic development between Rossini and Verdi. Among his major works are Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), La fille du régiment (1840), and La favorite (1840). In his… Continue reading Gaetano Donizetti *XI 29 1797 — The Life You Give
William Blake, born Nov. 28, 1757, in London, England, is the engraver, artist, poet, and visionary, author of exquisite lyrics in Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794) and profound and difficult “prophecies,” such as Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793), The First Book of Urizen (1794), Milton (1804[–?11]), and Jerusalem (1804[–?20]).… Continue reading William Blake *XI 28 1757 — The Life You Give
Stefan Zweig, born November 28, 1881, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire [now in Austria], is the writer who achieved distinction in several genres—poetry, essays, short stories, and dramas—most notably in his interpretations of imaginary and historical characters.Zweig was raised in Vienna. His first book, a volume of poetry, was published in 1901. He received a doctorate from… Continue reading Stefan Zweig *XI 28 1881 — The Life You Give
Rudbeckia hirta Linnaeus
garlic, olive oil
One of the most stylistic, professional and refined tenors of the century, Spanish tenor Alfredo Kraus passed away recently in Madrid after a long and outstanding career in the world of opera. The Kraus personality gravitated between two poles. On one side the tenor of Mozart and on the other side the lyrical tenor of… Continue reading Alfredo Kraus *XI 24 1927 — The Life You Give
Alfred Schnittke, born Nov. 24, 1934, Engels, Volga German Autonomous S.S.R. [now in Saratov oblast, Russia], is the postmodernist Russian composer who created serious, dark-toned musical works characterized by abrupt juxtapositions of radically different, often contradictory, styles, an approach that came to be known as “polystylism.”Schnittke’s father was a Jewish journalist who had been born… Continue reading Alfred Schnittke *XI 24 1934 — The Life you Give
Emir Kusturica, born November 24, 1954, in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia [now in Bosnia and Herzegovina]), is the motion picture director, screenwriter, actor, and producer who was one of the most-distinguished European filmmakers since the mid-1980s, best known for surreal and naturalistic movies that express deep sympathies for people from the margins.Kusturica, who made notable short films… Continue reading Emir Kusturica *XI 24 1954 — The Life You Give
Sila Blume 