So with only one participant, I'm giving more chances to the rest of y'all.
Yesterday's clues:
He was a professional playwright and poet.
Worldwide, he arguably has higher name recognition than any other playwright (including Neil Simon!) -- although for the name he last worked under, not the name he was born with.
Many of his poems were published under the pen name, "Gruda," which translates to "a clod of earth."
Today's give-away clues:
Although not famous as an actor, whenever he delivered his celebrated balcony soliloquies, it was always to standing room only crowds.
One reason that he often published his early poems anonymously was because his day job at the time was illegal.
When I was a kid, I wanted to name two of my kittens after him. My brother decided to name two other kittens from that litter "George" and "Ringo." Weird, my brother is.
-Sean
5 comments:
Ha! Amusing.
I'd argue the "most famous playwright". Shakespeare is far more known and pervasive that Neil Simon. Is your subject more famous than Shakes? Dinno. But yes, I've now identified him.
I haven't read any of his plays though.
I would indeed argue that if you went everywhere in the world today, and asked folk if they have heard of Shakespeare, and then asked if they heard of my guy, my guy would register far more recognition. Not because he was a playwright, mind you...
sean
Never been to your blog before, but I'm gonna take a guess here... could it be Karol Wojtyla? one more commonly referred to as: Pope John Paul II?
I found your site through the link from Barbara Nicolosi's blog, so the Catholic bond was a big clue...
Then, of course, one should never underestimate the power of a quick google search.
Be blessed.
james
My first guess was Lope de Vega, because he was so doggone prolific and wrote in Spanish and so might be produced more outside North America . . .
But I actually own one of this guy's plays, bought at a used bookstore - and have still never read it. Now why do his plays have such a low profile in the U.S., I
wonder...
Randy,
In looking at some of his poetry, there were complaints that the translations do not do justice to the original Polish. Perhaps that is the same with his dramas. I notice that with Vaclav Havel's plays as well -- changed the face of Eastern Europe, but not so exciting here in the US.
Let us know when you read it what you think. Which play is it?
-Sean
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