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Amis, Martin

(Encyclopedia) Amis, Martin Amis, Martin āˈmĭs [key], 1949–2023, English novelist; son of Kingsley Amis. The younger Amis, who turned from literary journalism to fiction, invites…

hara-kiri

(Encyclopedia) hara-kirihara-kirihärˈə-kērˈē, hărˈə– [key] [Jap.,=belly-cutting], the traditional Japanese form of honorable suicide, also known by its Chinese equivalent, seppuku. It was practiced…

Beuys, Joseph

(Encyclopedia) Beuys, JosephBeuys, Josephyōˈzĕf bois [key], 1921–86, German artist, b. Krefeld; one of the most influential of postmodern artists. Drafted into the Luftwaffe during World War II, he…

Redgrave

(Encyclopedia) Redgrave, family of English actors. Sir Michael Redgrave, 1908–85, b. Bristol, Eng., was an actor, director, and writer. After his first professional performance in Counsellor-at-Law (…

polytheism

(Encyclopedia) polytheismpolytheismpŏlˈēthēĭzəm [key], belief in a plurality of gods in which each deity is distinguished by special functions. The gods are particularly synonymous with function in…

Etruscan art

(Encyclopedia) Etruscan artEtruscan artĭtrŭsˈkən [key], the art of the inhabitants of ancient Etruria, which, by the 8th cent. b.c., incorporated the area in Italy from Salerno to the Tiber River (…

Mandaeans

(Encyclopedia) Mandaeans or MandeansMandeansmănˈdēənz [key], a small religious sect who maintain an ancient belief resembling that of Gnosticism and that of the Parsis. They are also known as…

cremation

(Encyclopedia) cremation, disposal of a corpse by fire. It is an ancient and widespread practice, second only to burial. It has been found among the tribes of the Pacific Northwest, among Northern…

hedgehog

(Encyclopedia) hedgehog, Old World insectivorous mammal of the family Erinaceidae. The spiny hedgehogs are found in Africa and Eurasia, except SE Asia. They have rounded bodies up to 13 in. (33 cm)…

ulcer

(Encyclopedia) ulcer, open sore or circumscribed erosion, usually slow to heal, on the skin or mucous membranes. It may develop as a result of injury; because of a circulatory disturbance, e.g., in…