John Betjeman

Sir John Betjeman, CBE (/ˈbɛtʃəmən/; 28 August 1906 – 19 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack". He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1972 until his death.

He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture. He began his career as a journalist and ended it as one of the most popular British Poets Laureate and a much-loved figure on British television.

Life

Early life and education

Betjeman was born "John Betjemann". His parents, Mabel (née Dawson) and Ernest Betjemann, had a family firm at 34–42 Pentonville Road which manufactured the kind of ornamental household furniture and gadgets distinctive to Victorians.

He changed his name to the less German-looking "Betjeman" during the First World War. His father's forebears had actually come from the present day Netherlands and had, ironically, added the extra -n during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War to avoid the anti-Dutch sentiment existing at the time more than a century earlier, setting up their home and business in Islington, London.

Miriam Margolyes

Miriam Margolyes, OBE (/ˈmɑːrɡəliːz/; born 18 May 1941) is an English-Australian character actress and voice artist. Her earliest roles were in theatre and after several supporting roles in film and television she won a BAFTA Award for her role in The Age of Innocence (1993) and went on to take the role of Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series.

For many years she has divided her time between Britain and Australia, and she has starred in television shows in both countries, including the Australian premiere of the 2013 play I'll Eat You Last.

Early life

Margolyes was born in Oxford, England, the only child of Ruth (née Walters; 1905–1974), a property investor and developer, and Joseph Margolyes (1899–1996), a physician from Glasgow. She grew up in a Jewish family; her ancestors migrated to the UK from Poland and Belarus. Her great-grandfather, Symeon Sandmann, was born in the town of Margonin in central-western Poland, which Margolyes visited in 2013.

She attended Oxford High School from 1955 until 1959, and later Newnham College, Cambridge, where she read English. There, she began acting in her twenties, and also appeared in productions of the comedy troupe the Cambridge Footlights.

Miriam

Miriam (Hebrew: מִרְיָם, Modern Miryam, Tiberian Miryām ; Arabic: مريم (Maryam); see Miriam (given name) was the elder sister of Moses by seven years and Aaron by four years, and the only daughter of Amram and Jochebed. She was the sister of a prophet and first appears in the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible.

Biblical account

In Exodus 2, at her mother Yocheved's request, Moses's sister hid her baby brother Moses by the side of a river to evade the Pharaoh's order that newborn Hebrew boys be killed. She watched as the Pharaoh's daughter discovered the infant and decided to adopt him. Moses's sister then suggested that the princess take on a nurse for the child, and suggested Yocheved; as a result, Moses was raised to be familiar with his background as a Hebrew. (Exodus 2:1-10) It is worth noting that Miriam is not explicitly named in the Exodus 2 accounts of Moses's early life. The connection of the Miriam of later texts to the Exodus 2 account stems from interpretation traditions and not from the text itself.

Miriam (disambiguation)

Miriam was the sister of Moses in the Bible.

Miriam or Myriam may also refer to:

People

In music

In science

Other uses

Miriam (film)

Miriam is a 1957 Finnish drama film directed by William Markus. It was entered into the 8th Berlin International Film Festival.

Cast

References

External links