Behn Vban\, Aphra (b. July 1640, Harbledown?, Kent, Eng.—d. April 16, 1689, London) English dramatist, novelist, and poet, the first English¬ woman known to earn her living by writing. Her early life is obscure (as is her original surname), but she spent most of it in South America. She mar¬ ried a merchant named Behn in 1658; he died in the mid 1660s. Her novel Oroonoko (1688), the story of an enslaved African prince whom Behn knew in South America, influenced the development of the English novel. Her first play. The Fore ’d Marriage, was produced in 1671; her later witty comedies, such as the two-part The Rover (1677, 1681), were highly suc¬ cessful, and toward the end of her life she wrote many popular novels.
Behrens \'ba-rens\, Peter (b. April 14, 1868, Hamburg—d. Feb. 27, 1940, Berlin, Ger.) German architect and designer. He became director of Diisseldorf’s arts and crafts school in 1903. The large electrical company AEG hired him in 1907 as its artis¬ tic adviser, a comprehensive job that led him to design the hexagonal trademark of the AEG, its catalogs, its office stationery, products such as electric fans and street lamps, and retail shops and factories. His AEG Works turbine factory in Berlin (1909-12), with its sweeping glass curtain wall, became the most sig¬ nificant building in Germany at that time. He was an influential pioneer of Modernism; Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe all worked in his office.
Behrman Vber-monX, S(amuel)
N(athaniel) (b. June 9, 1893,
Worcester, Mass., U.S.—d. Sept. 9, 1973, New York, N.Y.) U.S. play¬ wright. He contributed to New York newspapers and magazines and stud¬
ied drama at Harvard University. His successful first play, the light comedy The Second Man (1927), was followed by the popular Meteor (1929), Brief Moment (1931), and Biography (1932). His more serious plays include Rain from Heaven (1934) and No Time for Comedy (1939). Noted for addressing complex social and moral issues, he wrote over 25 comedies in his 40-year career, and nearly every one was a hit.
Beiderbecke Vbl-dsr-.bekV (Leon) Bix (b. March 10, 1903, Daven¬ port, Iowa, U.S.—d. Aug. 6, 1931,
Long Island, N.Y.) U.S. jazz comet- ist and composer. Beiderbecke developed a style independent of the influence of Louis Armstrong and became the leading player of the Chicago style of jazz in the 1920s.
He was noted for his gentle, clear tone and introspective approach. His interest in the harmonies of compos¬ ers such as Claude Debussy was reflected in both his playing and his compositions. With saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer, Beiderbecke worked in the bands of Jean Gold- kette and Paul Whiteman. His alco¬ holism and early death contributed to his status as one of the early roman¬ tic legends of jazz.
Beijing \'ba-'jiq\ or Pei-ching
conventional Peking Vpe-'kiqV/or- merly (1928-49) Beiping Vba-'piqV City, municipality with provincial status (pop., 2003 est.: city, 7,699,300; 2002 est.: municipality, 14,230,000), and capital of China. The munici¬ pality is bordered by Hebei province and Tianjin municipality and has an area of 6,500 sq mi (16,800 sq km). Lying on a broad plain in northeast¬ ern China, the city has been settled since ancient times and has been known by various names. It became the royal residence of Kublai Khan, who in 1272 named it Dadu. It was chosen as the capital of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) in 1421, which it remained during the Qing dynasty (1644—1911/12). It suffered heavy damage when it was occupied by Euro¬ pean forces in 1860 and 1900 (see Boxer Rebellion). In 1928 the capital was moved to Nanjing, and the name Beiping (Pei-p’ing) was given to the former capital. Nearby, in 1937, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident took place. Beijing’s capital status and its former name were restored follow¬ ing the communist victory in 1949. It is China’s cultural and educational centre. The old Forbidden City contains the former imperial palace, desig¬ nated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. Abutting it is Tiananmen Square, one of the world’s largest public squares. Beijing’s 15th-century walls were partly demolished in the Cultural Revolution. In 2001 the city was selected as the site for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Beijing University See Peking University
Beilstein Vbll-.shtlnV, Friedrich Konrad (b. Feb. 17, 1838, St. Petersburg, Russia—d. Oct. 18, 1906, St. Petersburg) Russian chemist. From 1866 to his retirement he taught at St. Petersburg’s Technical Insti¬ tute. His Handbuch der organischen Chemie (“Handbook of Organic Chemistry”; 1st ed., 1880-83) fully described 15,000 organic compounds. The fourth edition (27 vol., 1937) is periodically supplemented, and remains indispensable for workers in organic chemistry.
Beira Vba-rg\ Coastal city (pop., 1997: 412,588), central Mozambique. Situated on the Mozambique Channel at the mouths of the Pungoe and Buzi rivers, it is the chief port for central Mozambique and for landlocked Zimbabwe and Malawi. Founded in 1891 as a trading company’s head¬ quarters, it passed to Portuguese administration in 1942 and then to inde¬ pendent Mozambique in 1975. It is the terminus of railways from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Congo (Kinshasa), Zambia, and Malawi.
Beirut \ba-'rut\ City (pop., 1998 est.: metro, area, 1,500,000), capital of Lebanon. The country’s chief port and largest city, it lies at the foot of the Lebanon Mountains. Initially settled by the Phoenicians, it gained promi¬ nence under Roman rule in the 1st century bc. It was captured by the Arabs in ad 635. Christian Crusaders held Beirut (1110-1291), after which it was dominated by the Mamluk dynasty. In 1517 it fell under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Under a French mandate, it became the capital of the new state of Lebanon in 1920 and capital of an independent Lebanon
Behrens, painting by Max Liebermann.
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Bejart ► Belasco I 191
in 1943. It went on to flourish as the chief banking hub and a major cul¬ tural centre of the Middle East. It was severely damaged during the Leba¬ nese Civil War (1975-91) and during fighting between Israeli forces and those of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1982. The city slowly began to rebuild after the end of the civil war.
Bejart \ba-'zhar\, Maurice orig. Maurice Jean Berger (b. Jan. 1, 1927, Marseille, Fr.) French-bom Belgian dancer, choreographer, and opera director. He studied in Paris, then toured with various companies before founding his own, Les Ballets de l’Etoile (later Ballet Theatre de Maurice Bejart), in Paris in 1954. In 1959 it moved to Brussels; renamed the Ballet of the 20th Century, it became one of the world’s foremost troupes. His productions have been noted for reworking tradition in unusual and often controversial ways. Since 1961 he has also worked in opera, staging Tales of Hoffmann and Berlioz’s Damnation of Faust , among other works. In 1987 the company moved to Switzerland and took the new name Bejart Ballet Lausanne.
Bejart \ba-'zhar\ family Seventeenth-century French theatrical family. Brothers Joseph (c. 1617-59) and Louis (1630-78) and their sisters Madeleine (1618-72) and Genevieve (c. 1622-75) were members of a traveling company directed by Madeleine. They joined Moliere’s first company, the Illustre Theatre, in 1643 and created many parts in his plays. Madeleine’s sister, or possibly daughter, Armande Bejart (1642-1700), joined the company in 1653. She married Moliere in 1662 and played most of his heroines. After his death, she led the company until it merged with another troupe to become the Comedie-Francaise in 1680.