Category: Biography
Lech Walesa Lech Walesa, (1943— ). Polish trade-union leader and politician; president (1990-95). Walesa worked as an electrician in the Gdansk shipyards from 1966. After being sacked for his …
Derek Walcott Derek Walcott, (1930— ). St Lucian poet and playwright. The son of a St Lucian mother and a British father,’ he writes in English with some words …
Richard Wagner Richard Wagner, (1813-83). German operatic composer. He spent much of his early life travelling in Europe and his first successful opera, The Flying Dutchman (1843), was written …
Voltaire Voltaire, pseudonym of Francois Marie Arouet (1694-1778). French philosophical writer, playwright, poet, and satirist, famous for his attacks on political and religious oppression. His early satirical poems caused …
Alessandro Volta Alessandro Volta, Count (1745-1827). Italian physicist. His inventions included the electrophorus (1775) to generate static electricity; and he also discovered methane gas (1778). Luigi Galvani had discovered …
Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Vivaldi, (1675-1741). Italian composer. Vivaldi studied music with his father and took holy orders in 1693. Because of his red hair he was nicknamed ‘The Red …
Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti, full name Count Don Luchino Vis-conti di Modrone (1906-76). Italian film director, who also directed plays and operas. Visconti was born into an aristocratic family …
Virgil Virgil, full name Publius Vergilius Maro (70-19 Bc). Roman poet, author of the epic poem the Aeneid, the story of the founding of Rome. The son of a …
