❤️ Box Hill, Victoria 🐺

"Box Hill is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of the city's Central Business District (CBD). Its local government area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2016 census, Box Hill had a population of 11,395. Founded as a township in the 1850s, Box Hill grew over the following century into a small city with its own CBD, its own municipality in the former City of Box Hill, and its own suburbs, including Box Hill North and Box Hill South. In the 1950s, Box Hill was absorbed into Melbourne as part of the eastward expansion of the metropolis. Today, Box Hill is notable for its large Chinese community, and is home to the city's tallest high-rise buildings outside the CBD. As a result, the suburb has become known as "Melbourne's second city". A major transportation hub for Melbourne's eastern suburbs, Box Hill is home to one of the city's busiest train stations, located beneath Box Hill Central. It is also served by the route 109 tram and numerous bus routes. History = Early settlement Frederick McCubbin's Down on His Luck, painted in Box Hill in 1889. He and other Australian impressionists founded the Box Hill artists' camp. Box Hill was first settled by the squatter Arundel Wrighte, formerly of Van Diemen's Land, who, in 1838 took up a pastoral lease on the land he had previously explored in the Bushy Creek area. The first permanent settlers, Thomas Toogood and his wife Edith, purchased in 1841 and Wrighte built a house on his property, "Marionvale", in 1844. The Pioneers' Memorial, which can be found in front of the town hall, is made from a chimney stone, taken from Wrighte's original house. It was not until after 1850, however, that Crown lands were subdivided and sold. Traffic along a main road running through the district encouraged the building of a hotel at Box Hill in 1853. Its owner named it the White Horse hotel and the name was bestowed on the road. Box Hill Post Office opened on 1 February 1861, being the first official use of the name. The postmaster proposed the name, derived from Box Hill, Surrey, England, near his birthplace. In 1871, Box Hill township's population was 154 and the district relied on orchards, vineyards and mixed farming. The extension of the railway line from Camberwell to Lilydale in 1882 included a station at Box Hill, but there were also stations at Canterbury and Surrey Hills, to the west. They attracted subdivisions and development ahead of Box Hill. Growth came, though, with a school opening in Box Hill in 1887 and the town became the seat of the Nunawading Shire Council, which met at the Box Hill Courthouse. In the mid-1880s, Box Hill became a favoured area for landscape artists who wanted to paint the Australian bush en plein air. These artists, among them Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and Frederick McCubbin, established the Box Hill artists' camp, and formed what would become known as the Heidelberg School, the first distinctively Australian movement in Western art. Development Unlike suburbs closer to Melbourne, Box Hill lacked the web of tramlines, which promoted residential development beyond the reach of the railway line. In 1916–17, tramlines reached the western edge of what in a short time would be the Box Hill Municipality, at Burwood, Mont Albert and Wattle Park. The years after World War I saw Box Hill's turn for residential growth. A girls' technical school was built in 1924 and a boys' high school in 1930. During World War II a boys' technical school was opened. Box Hill Town Hall The new town hall on Whitehorse Road opened in April 1935. One of the arguments for its construction was that "the boon it would prove to the local brickworks, which had just resumed production after a period of suspension". The Box Hill Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church building was originally the West Melbourne Presbyterian Church built 1867 on the corner of Lonsdale and William Streets; a final service was held on 3 February 1935, following which the building was dismantled and re-erected on its present site, being opened in late 1935. After the end of the Second World War, Box Hill was suburbanised, but Box Hill South and Box Hill North remained comparatively undeveloped. "Melbourne's second city" High-rise buildings with a tram in the foreground Post-war housing expansion included a Housing Commission estate in Box Hill South. A district hospital opened in 1956. The shopping area enjoyed growth and prosperity which, ironically, by the end of the 1950s was putting a strain on it; there was not enough space for parking. The development of Myer Eastland and Doncaster Shoppingtown in the late 1960s took trade away, and the shopping centre regained custom by undergrounding the railway line and station and building Box Hill Central on land, which included the old market. In 1954, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works designated Box Hill as one of five district centres for metropolitan Melbourne. The plan has succeeded in Box Hill. In addition to the shopping centre, the Box Hill TAFE and several office buildings have strengthened its centrality in the region. Apart from commercial functions there are large reserves, with ovals in three directions, about a kilometre from Box Hill Central. Box Hill South lies between Canterbury Road and Burwood East, about two kilometres square. Its proximity to trams was better than Box Hill North's and its residential growth was substantially pre- and early post-war. The Box Hill Golf Club is nearby and a linear park continues along Gardiners Creek. There are church educational institutions; Kingswood College (Anglican and then Uniting) and the Christian Brothers' Teachers' College and St. Leo's College (1952 and 1957). In 1971, a sister city relationship was forged with Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. "Box Hill" is the name of a department store in Matsudo (:ja:ボックスヒル). Box Hill City was amalgamated with Nunawading City on 15 December 1994, to form Whitehorse City, renewing the boundaries that began with the Nunawading Parish and subsequent Shire. More recently, Box Hill has experienced a construction boom, and is now home to high-rise buildings that are unusually tall for one of Melbourne's middle suburbs. These include the Australian Taxation Office's Box Hill Tower, the Whitehorse Towers and the 36-storey Sky One, which, at 122 metres, is the tallest building in Melbourne beyond the CBD. More high-rises are under construction, including New Chinatown, a $450 million twin tower project which will serve as a modern "sibling" of the historic Chinatown in the CBD. The continued transformation of Box Hill's skyline has seen it be dubbed as "Melbourne's second city". Facilities The White Horse, Whitehorse Road, Box Hill Box Hill has a shopping precinct. These range from the shops along Station Street and Whitehorse Road, to the suburb's two shopping centres. Centro Box Hill, formerly Box Hill Central is integrated with a bus interchange and the Box Hill railway station. The neighbouring Centro Box Hill (north section, formerly Centro Whitehorse). In late 2007, the two shopping centres merged. They are now known as buildings "South" (Formerly Centro Box Hill) and "North" (formerly Centro Whitehorse,) or "Box Hill Centro", with centre management located in the South building. Box Hill is also home to a number of recreational services, such as Neighbourhood Houses, a number of Scout Groups, including 11th Box Hill, Mont Albert North (formerly 10th/13th Box Hill),http://www.montalbertnorthscouts.org.au 6th Box Hill and 1st Mont Albert Scout Groups. The Box Hill Community Centre, located 1 km south of Box Hill Central, also provides a number of services to the local community. Box Hill Hospital serves Box Hill and its surrounding suburbs. Epworth Eastern, a private hospital, opened in 2005 opposite Box Hill Hospital. Demographics St Andrew's Uniting Church At the time of the 2016 Australian census, 64.7% of Box Hill residents reported being born in foreign countries, the most common being China (excluding Taiwan and the SARs; 27.6%), Malaysia (4.8%), India (4.2%), Hong Kong (3.0%) and South Korea (1.7%). 36.9% of residents only speak English at home. Mandarin Chinese is the second most commonly spoken language (28.3%), followed by Cantonese (9.8%), Korean (1.7%), Hindi (1.3%) and Vietnamese (1.2%). Self-described non-religious people made up the largest single group at 46.3% of the population, followed by Catholics (13.5%), Buddhists (7.8%) and Anglicans (4.5%). 10.1% of Box Hill residents did not state their religious affiliation in the census. Compared to Australia as a whole, Box Hill residents are much less likely to be Australian-born, and are more likely to have stated "No Religion" on the census. Education Campus of Box Hill High School The suburb of Box Hill has several schools, including Box Hill High School, Box Hill Senior Secondary College, Our Lady of Sion College and St. Francis Xavier's Catholic Primary School. For mature students, Box Hill Institute of TAFE and St Leo International College provide further education. There are two kindergartens in the area; St Peter's Anglican Kindergarten and Goodstart Early Learning Box Hill. Schools in neighbouring suburbs include Koonung Secondary College, Kingswood College and Roberts McCubbin Primary School. Sport Box Hill City Oval The Box Hill Hawks are a local Australian rules football club, playing in the Victorian Football League and are based at the Box Hill City Oval. This team was formerly known as the Mustangs, named for the city's mascot, the White Horse. They are currently affiliated with the Hawthorn Hawks. Another football team, The Whitehorse Pioneers, competes in the Eastern Football League. Box Hill United Soccer Club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria 2. Box Hill Athletic Club, founded in 1932, survived through the war years and became powerful after the 1956 Olympic Games, held in Melbourne. The club's original training ground was at Surrey Park, Elgar Road South, an area provided by the Box Hill Council. After several years of filling in and grading, the area known as Hagenauer's Park was made available for athletics. Aerial perspective of Aqualink Box Hill Box Hill has an 18-hole golf course, located at 202 Station Street. The course suits golfers of all abilities and new members are constantly being inducted. The club offers junior development programs. In basketball, the Whitehorse Mustangs celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2009, having been formed when the North Box Hill and Surrey Hills clubs merged. The club fields junior teams each Saturday in the Eastern District Junior Basketball Association (EDJBA), with home games played at the basketball stadium of Box Hill High School. It also runs weekly social competitions for both men and women and fields a championship men's team in the Melbourne Metropolitan Basketball League (MMBL). The Box Hill Action Indoor Sports Centre also provides residents with dedicated facilities for indoor soccer, cricket and netball. Aqualink Box Hill (formerly Whitehorse Aquatic and Leisure Centre), run by Whitehorse Council, provides residents with an indoor and outdoor pool, basketball courts, a gym, squash and tennis courts. The swim club, Surrey Park, swim at Aqualink Box Hill. The club uses the facilities of Aqualink. The surrounding parklands include (aside from a large lake, now filled with water, but once used as a quarry) a baseball diamond, a football oval and cricket pitches. Box Hill Rugby Club play at RHL Sparks Reserve in the Dewar Shield competition. Transport Box Hill railway station, viewed from platform four, looking east Box Hill is a major transport hub for the City of Whitehorse and surrounding suburbs. Box Hill railway station is located under Box Hill Central Shopping Centre and is served by the Belgrave and Lilydale railway lines. The complex also includes a large bus terminus, linking commuters to a broad range of destinations across most Melbourne suburbs. Tram route 109, which runs along Whitehorse Road, was extended from Union Road, Surrey Hills, to Box Hill and opened in May 2003. It runs to Port Melbourne via the city. There are V/Line coaches that run from Melbourne (Southern Cross) to Mansfield / Mount Buller. The coach stop is opposite Box Hill Town Hall, on Whitehorse Road. Notable people * Peter Handscomb – Australian cricketer * Ben Laughlin – Australian cricketer * Karl von Möller – Australian director and cinematographer * Roseanne Park – member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink * Kirsten Parris – Australian ecologist, born in Box Hill See also * City of Box Hill – the former local government area References External links * Australian Places – Box Hill * Box Hill Department Store, Matsudo Category:Suburbs of Melbourne "

❤️ Andrzej Ziemiański 🐺

"Andrzej Ziemiański, also known as Patrick Shoughnessy (born February 17, 1960), is a Polish author of fantasy, science fiction, thriller and crime, who by 2012 have sold over 500,000 copies of his books.Science Fiction" 10/2012 Ziemiański was educated as an architect and he holds a PhD in architecture. Ziemiański is best known for his epic fantasy/sci-fi series Achaia. His Achaia series was deemed to be one of the most important novels in modern Polish fantasyhttp://science- fiction.com.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task;=view&id;=687&Itemid;=62 and it was called by Science Fiction magazine a series, which started a new era. Ziemiański fashioned a world that transgressed the border between life and fiction. The main protagonist of the series, Achaia, became synonymous with a certain type of female character and numerous readers identified with her. The novel entered Polish fantasy canon, and the author became one of the most recognizable brands in the Polish publishing market. His novels and short stories often top bestseller lists and popularity rankings. The author has been called the creator of "Polish urban fantasy" genre."Nowa Fantastyka" 10-12/2003 Biography Andrzej Ziemiański was born in Wrocław, Poland, where he grew up and settled. He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at Wroclaw University of Technology in 1983. Subsequently, he worked as a fellow researcher and professor in various institutions. In 1992, he acquired a PhD in technical sciences. Ziemiański started publishing short stories and novels in 1978, at first in the sci-fi genre. However, his focus gradually changed and he wrote a mainstream novel Miecz Orientu, which was published in episodes in the prestigious Twórczość magazine. The novel was later published as a whole in 2006. During that time, Ziemiański would also publish using a pen name Patrick Shoughnessy (Przesiadka w piekle, 1991). Subsequently, the author withdrew from having his work published and remained silent for a decade. Ziemiański returned to writing at the turn of the century instantly gaining fame and raising controversy. He quickly became one of the most prominent Polish writers. His short stories, such as Bomba Heisenberga, Autobahn nach Poznań or Zapach szkła, would win first prize in popularity polls among readers, and two of them (Autobahn nach Poznań and Zapach szkła) won Janusz A. Zajdel Award. At the 2002 Sfinks Awards, four various Ziemiański’s short stories won subsequently: seventh, third, second and first prize. During that time, the first part of Achaia (2002) trilogy was published and it quickly became the bestselling book at the main Polish chain bookstore, Empik. The trilogy strengthened the author's position by settling into the Polish canon of fantasy genre. The following Achaia volumes (as well as their continuation – Pomnik cesarzowej Achai [2012]) would top bestseller lists. Ziemiański's other novels were also well-received leading publishers' books rankings . From 2010, Ziemiański writes a blog regarding railways, which was awarded the first prize by the Social Media, Poland, in the category of Corporate Blog.http://blogifirmowe.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/najlepsze-polskie-blogi- firmowe-2010-roku/ Since 2010, the author teaches Creative Writing at the Faculty of Journalism at University of Wroclaw. Ziemiański's novels and short stories were translated into Czech, Slovak and Russian language. Reception of Achaia Achaia has become a symbol among Polish readers. Fashion collections, songs, music and even house pets have been named after the novel's main protagonist. Since the changes in law regarding the protection of personal data, every student must choose a nickname in order to use the computer system. The name Achaia has been so popular among students that subsequent numbers had to be assigned to them.http://ziemianski.com.pl/blog/premiera-ksiazki-w-polsce/ Awards * 2000, 2001, 2002 – first prize for Best Short Story of the Year from Nowa Fantastyka magazine * 2001 Sfinks Award, Polish Short Story of the Year, „Bomba Heisenberga” * 2002 Janusz A. Zajdel Award, „Autobahn nach Poznań” * 2002 Sfinks Award, Polish Short Story of the Year, „Waniliowe plantacje Wrocławia” * Bacchus Cup, „Autobahn nach Poznań” * 2003 Nautilus, „Zapach szkła” * 2003 Nautilus, Achaia volume 2 * 2003 Sfinks Award, Polish Short Story of the Year, „Legenda, czyli pijąc wódkę we Wrocławiu w 1999 roku” * 2003 Sfinks Award, Polish Novel of the Year, Achaia * 2004 Janusz A. Zajdel Award, „Zapach szkła” * 2004 Sfinks Award, Polish Short Story of the Year, „Zapach szkła” * 2010 Social Media, Poland, Best Corporate blog wroclawnowyglowny.pl/blog Bibliography = Novels * Wojny urojone (Iskry 1987, , w odcinkach w „Kurierze Polskim” oraz w Programie III Polskiego Radia) * Zabójcy szatana (KAW 1989, , wspólnie z Andrzejem Drzewińskim, w odcinkach w Kurierze Polskim) * Bramy strachu (Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie 1990, , wznowienie: 2006, ) * Nostalgia za Sluag Side (KAW 1990, wspólnie z Andrzejem Drzewińskim) * Dziennik czasu plagi (Europa 1991, oraz w odcinkach w Polskim Radiu Wrocław) * Przesiadka w przedpieklu (CIA-Books/SVARO 1991, , pod pseudonimem Patrick Shoughnessy, wznowiona pod własnym nazwiskiem jako Przesiadka w piekle, DW Ares 2004, ) * Miecz Orientu, Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie 2006, . * Toy wars, Fabryka Słów 2008, . * Breslau forever, Fabryka Słów 2008, . * Ucieczka z Festung Breslau (tytuł autora: The Holmes), Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie 2009, . * Das Building (jak sam pisarz informuje: powieść jest skończona i wstępnie zredagowana, jednak z uwagi na niezadowalający autora efekt, szanse na to by została wydana są bardzo nikłe) * Wzgórze zwane Cymbo (początkowo powieść miała nosić tytuł Czarownice, prace nad powieścią zostały przerwane. Fragment został opublikowany w antologii Strefa Mroku) * Żołnierze grzechu, Wydawnictwo Bukowy Las 2010, . * Za progiem grobu, Fabryka Słów 2012, . = Achaia = * Achaia ** tom I (Fabryka Słów 2002, ) ** tom II (Fabryka Słów 2003, ) ** tom III (Fabryka Słów 2004, ) * Pomnik Cesarzowej Achai ** tom I (Fabryka Słów 2012) ** tom II (Fabryka Słów 2013) ** tom III (Fabryka Słów 2014) ** tom IV (Fabryka Słów 2014) ** tom V (Fabryka Słów 2014) * Virion ** Wyrocznia - tom I (Fabryka Słów 2017, ) ** Obława - tom II (Fabryka Słów 2018, ) ** tom III (Fabryka Słów zapowiedziana na maj 2019) Short story anthologies * Daimonion (Iskry 1985, , opowiadania: Blisko granicy, Czekając na barbarzyńców, Daimonion, Koloryt lokalny, Port, Reguły gry, Twarze, Zakład zamknięty) * Zapach szkła (Fabryka Słów 2004, , opowiadania: Autobahn nach Poznań, Bomba Heisenberga, Zapach szkła, Waniliowe plantacje Wrocławia, Legenda, czyli pijąc wódkę we Wrocławiu w 1999 roku, Lodowa opowieść, Czasy, które nadejdą) * Toy Wars (Fabryka Słów 2008, opowiadania: Toy Toy Song, Toy Trek, minipowieść Toy Wars – Wojownik Ostatecznej Zagłady) * A jeśli to ja jestem Bogiem (tytuł roboczy – zbiór w przygotowaniu. Planowane wydanie – połowa roku 2013. Opowiadania: A jeśli to ja jestem Bogiem, Polski dom, Wypasacz, Chłopaki, wszyscy idziecie do piekła, Pułapka Tesli) Short stories * Zakład zamknięty („Sigma” 101, 1978/1979, „Fantastyka" 2/1982, zbiór Daimonion, Iskry 1985, antologia "Spotkanie w przestworzach 4", KAW 1985) * Twarze (antologia Bunt robotów Gorzowski Klub Miłośników Fantastyki i Fantastyki Naukowej 1980, zbiór Daimonion, Iskry 1985) * Koloryt lokalny ("Sigma" 120/121, 1980/1981, zbiór Daimonion, Iskry 1985, antologia Spotkanie w przestworzach 4, KAW 1985) * Blisko granicy (fanzin "No Wave" 01-02 (01) 1982, zbiór Daimonion, Iskry 1985) * Poziom zerowy (fanzin "No Wave" 01-02 (01) 1982) * Martwa fala (fanzin "No Wave" 01 (03) 1983) * Gra (fanzin "No Wave" 02 (04) 1983) * Ghost (wspólnie z Andrzejem Drzewińskim, "Młody Technik" 4/1983, "Science Fiction" 4/2003) * Czekając na barbarzyńców (zbiór Daimonion, Iskry 1985) * Daimonion (zbiór Daimonion, Iskry 1985) * Port (zbiór Daimonion, Iskry 1985) * Reguły gry (zbiór Daimonion, Iskry 1985) * Precedens (wspólnie z Andrzejem Drzewińskim, "Młody Technik" 11/1985, fanzin "Phantasma" 01 (01) 1986) * Czasy, które nadejdą (Informator konwentowy World Science Fiction Meeting, Polcon-Krakon. Tom 2, KAW 1991, "Science Fiction" 6/2001, zbiór Zapach szkła, Fabryka Słów 2004) * Bomba Heisenberga ("Nowa Fantastyka" 9/2000, zbiór Zapach szkła, Fabryka Słów 2004) * Toy Toy Song ("Science Fiction" 1/2001, zbiór Toy, Fabryka Słów, 2008) * Autobahn nach Poznań ("Science Fiction" 2/2001, antologia Zajdel 2001, Fabryka Słów 2002, zbiór Zapach szkła, Fabryka Słów 2004) * Toy Trek ("Science Fiction" 4/2001, zbiór Toy, Fabryka Słów, 2008) * Waniliowe plantacje Wrocławia ("Nowa Fantastyka" 9/2001, zbiór Zapach szkła, Fabryka Słów 2004) * Lodowa opowieść ("Science Fiction" 5/2002, zbiór Zapach szkła, Fabryka Słów 2004) * Czarownice (antologia "Strefa mroku – jedenastu apostołów grozy" – dodatek do czasopisma "Click! Fantasy", grudzień 2002) * Legenda, czyli pijąc wódkę we Wrocławiu w 1999 roku ("Nowa Fantastyka" 10-12/2002, zbiór Zapach szkła, Fabryka Słów 2004) * Spadek (antologia "Wizje alternatywne 4" Wydawnictwo Solaris 2002) * Ghost II – dwadzieścia lat później (wspólnie z Andrzejem Drzewińskim, "Science Fiction" 4/2003) * Zapach szkła ("Nowa Fantastyka" 10-12/2003, zbiór Zapach szkła, Fabryka Słów 2004) * Ciężka sprawa (antologia "Wizje alternatywne 5" Wydawnictwo Solaris 2004) * Chłopaki, wszyscy idziecie do piekła (antologia "PL+50. Historie przyszłości", Wydawnictwo Literackie 2004) * Achaja – zaginiony rozdział ("Science Fiction" 5/2004) * Wypasacz (antologia "Trupy Polskie", Wydawnictwo EMG, 2005) * A jeśli to ja jestem Bogiem? ("Science Fiction" 10/2011) * Siedem schodów (antologia "Miłość we Wrocławiu", Wydawnictwo EMG 2011) * Pułapka Tesli ("Nowa Fantastyka" 11/2012) Sources "Sigma" 101, 1978/1979 "Sigma" 120/121, 1980/1981 "Fantastyka" 2/1982 "Młody Technik" 4/1983 "Młody Technik" 11/1985 "Twórczość" 3-4/1997 "Nowa Fantastyka" 9/2001 "Nowa Fantastyka" 10-12/2002 "Nowa Fantastyka" 10-12/2003 "Science Fiction" 1/2001 "Science Fiction" 2/2001 "Science Fiction" 4/2001 "Science Fiction" 6/2001 "Science Fiction" 5/2002 "Science Fiction" 4/2003 "Science Fiction" 5/2004 FootnotesExternal links *Official website *Andrzej Ziemiański, Toy Toy Song. – publication in Fahrenheit *Wrocław Nowy Główny – interview with Andrzej Ziemiański (about the railway station's blog, written by himself) * Nautilus Award * Bacchus Award * Interview with the author at Gilgia.pl * Interview with the author regarding "Ucieczka z Festung Breslau" Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Writers from Wrocław Category:Polish science fiction writers Category:Polish fantasy writers "

❤️ Algonquin Round Table 🐺

"Members and associates of the Algonquin Round Table: (standing, left to right) Art Samuels and Harpo Marx; (sitting) Charles MacArthur, Dorothy Parker, and Alexander Woollcott The Algonquin Round Table was a group of New York City writers, critics, actors, and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of "The Vicious Circle", as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel from 1919 until roughly 1929. At these luncheons they engaged in wisecracks, wordplay, and witticisms that, through the newspaper columns of Round Table members, were disseminated across the country. Daily association with each other, both at the luncheons and outside of them, inspired members of the Circle to collaborate creatively. The entire group worked together successfully only once, however, to create a revue called No Sirree! which helped launch a Hollywood career for Round Tabler Robert Benchley. In its ten years of association, the Round Table and a number of its members acquired national reputations, both for their contributions to literature and for their sparkling wit. Although some of their contemporaries, and later in life even some of its members, disparaged the group, its reputation has endured long after its dissolution. Origin The group that would become the Round Table began meeting in June 1919 as the result of a practical joke carried out by theatrical press agent John Peter Toohey. Toohey, annoyed at The New York Times drama critic Alexander Woollcott for refusing to plug one of Toohey's clients (Eugene O'Neill) in his column, organized a luncheon supposedly to welcome Woollcott back from World War I, where he had been a correspondent for Stars and Stripes. Instead Toohey used the occasion to poke fun at Woollcott on a number of fronts. Woollcott's enjoyment of the joke and the success of the event prompted Toohey to suggest that the group in attendance meet at the Algonquin each day for lunch. The group first gathered in the Algonquin's Pergola Room (later called the Oak Room) at a long rectangular table. As they increased in number, Algonquin manager Frank Case moved them to the Rose Room and a round table.Hermann, pp. 19–20 Initially the group called itself "The Board" and the luncheons "Board meetings". After being assigned a waiter named Luigi, the group re-christened itself "Luigi Board". Finally they became "The Vicious Circle" although "The Round Table" gained wide currency after a caricature by cartoonist Edmund Duffy of the Brooklyn Eagle portrayed the group sitting at a round table and wearing armor.Herrmann, p. 20 Membership Charter members of the Round Table included: * Franklin Pierce Adams, columnist * Robert Benchley, humorist and actor * Irving Berlin, American composer and lyricist, * Heywood Broun, columnist and sportswriter (married to Ruth Hale) * Marc Connelly, playwright * Ruth Hale, freelance writer who worked for women's rights * George S. Kaufman, playwright and director * Dorothy Parker, critic, poet, short-story writer, and screenwriter * Brock Pemberton, Broadway producer * Harold Ross, The New Yorker editor * Robert E. Sherwood, author and playwright * John Peter Toohey, Broadway publicist * Alexander Woollcott, critic and journalist Membership was not official or fixed for so many others who moved in and out of the Circle. Some of these included: * Tallulah Bankhead, actress * Norman Bel Geddes, stage and industrial designerSzerlip, B. A. The Man Who Designed The Future Melville House Publishing (2017) Brooklyn, NY P. 56-57. . * Noël Coward, playwrightPayn, G. My Life with Noel Coward. Applause Books (2000), p. 159. . * Blyth Daly, actress * Edna Ferber, author and playwright * Eva Le Gallienne, actress * Margalo Gillmore, actress * Jane Grant, journalist and feminist (married to Harold Ross) * Beatrice Kaufman, editor and playwright (married to George S. Kaufman) * Margaret Leech, writer and historian * Herman J. Mankiewicz, screenwriter * Harpo Marx, comedian and film star * Neysa McMein, magazine illustrator * Alice Duer Miller, writer * Donald Ogden Stewart, playwright and screenwriter * Frank Sullivan, journalist and humorist * Deems Taylor, composer * Estelle Winwood, actress and comedian * Peggy Wood, actress Activities In addition to the daily luncheons, members of the Round Table worked and associated with each other almost constantly. The group was devoted to games, including cribbage and poker. The group had its own poker club, the Thanatopsis Literary and Inside Straight Club, which met at the hotel on Saturday nights. Regulars at the game included Kaufman, Adams, Broun, Ross and Woollcott, with non-Round Tablers Herbert Bayard Swope, silk merchant Paul Hyde Bonner, baking heir Raoul Fleischmann, actor Harpo Marx, and writer Ring Lardner sometimes sitting in.Meade, pp. 76–7 The group also played charades (which they called simply "The Game") and the "I can give you a sentence" game, which spawned Dorothy Parker's memorable sentence using the word horticulture: "You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think."Herrmann, p. 23 Members often visited Neshobe Island, a private island co-owned by several "Algonks"—but governed by Woollcott as a "benevolent tyrant", as his biographer Samuel Hopkins Adams charitably put itAdams, Samuel Hopkins. A. Woollcott: His Life and His World. Reynold & Hitchcock, 1945. p. 186—located on several acres in the middle of Lake Bomoseen in Vermont. There they would engage in their usual array of games including Wink murder, which they called simply "Murder", plus croquet. A number of Round Tablers were inveterate practical jokers, constantly pulling pranks on one another. As time went on the jokes became ever more elaborate. Harold Ross and Jane Grant once spent weeks playing a particularly memorable joke on Woollcott involving a prized portrait of himself. They had several copies made, each slightly more askew than the last, and would periodically secretly swap them out and then later comment to Woollcott "What on earth is wrong with your portrait?" until Woollcott was beside himself. Eventually they returned the original portrait.Hermann, p. 28 No Sirree! Given the literary and theatrical activities of the Round Table members, it was perhaps inevitable that they would write and stage their own revue. No Sirree!, staged for one night only in April 1922, was a take-off of a then-popular European touring revue called La Chauve-Souris, directed by Nikita Balieff. No Sirree! had its genesis at the studio of Neysa McMein, which served as something of a salon for Round Tablers away from the Algonquin. Acts included: "Opening Chorus" featuring Woollcott, Toohey, Kaufman, Connelly, Adams and Benchley with violinist Jascha Heifetz providing offstage, off-key accompaniment; "He Who Gets Flapped", a musical number featuring the song "The Everlastin' Ingenue Blues" written by Dorothy Parker and performed by Robert Sherwood accompanied by "chorus girls" including Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Ruth Gillmore, Lenore Ulric and Mary Brandon; "Zowie, or the Curse of an Akins Heart"; "The Greasy Hag, an O'Neill Play in One Act" with Kaufman, Connelly and Woollcott; and "Mr. Whim Passes By—An A. A. Milne Play."Altman, p. 203 The only item of note to emerge from No Sirree! was Robert Benchley's contribution, The Treasurer's Report. Benchley's disjointed parody so delighted those in attendance that Irving Berlin hired Benchley in 1923 to deliver the Report as part of Berlin's Music Box Revue for $500 a week.Altman, p. 208–9 In 1928, Report was later made into a short sound film in the Fox Movietone sound-on-film system by Fox Film Corporation. The film marked the beginning of a second career for Benchley in Hollywood. With the success of No Sirree! the Round Tablers hoped to duplicate it with an "official" Vicious Circle production open to the public with material performed by professional actors. Kaufman and Connelly funded the revue, named The Forty-niners.Altman, p. 207 The revue opened in November 1922 and was a failure, running for just 15 performances.Meade, pp. 104–5 Decline As members of the Round Table moved into ventures outside New York City, inevitably the group drifted apart. By the early 1930s the Vicious Circle was broken. Edna Ferber said she realized it when she arrived at the Rose Room for lunch one day in 1932 and found the group's table occupied by a family from Kansas. Frank Case was asked what happened to the group. He shrugged and replied, "What became of the reservoir at Fifth Avenue and Forty-Second Street? These things do not last forever."Meade, p. 320 Some members of the group remained friends after its dissolution. Parker and Benchley in particular remained close up until his death in 1945, although her political leanings did strain their relationship.Altman 314 Others, as the group itself would come to understand when it gathered following Woollcott's death in 1943, simply realized that they had nothing to say to one another. Public response and legacy Because a number of the members of the Round Table had regular newspaper columns, the activities and quips of various Round Table members were reported in the national press. This brought Round Tablers widely into the public consciousness as renowned wits. Not all of their contemporaries were fans of the group. Their critics accused them of logrolling, or exchanging favorable plugs of one another's works, and of rehearsing their witticisms in advance.Hermann, p. 29 James Thurber (who lived in the hotel) was a detractor of the group, accusing them of being too consumed by their elaborate practical jokes. H. L. Mencken, who was much admired by many in the Circle, was also a critic, commenting to fellow writer Anita Loos that "their ideals were those of a vaudeville actor, one who is extremely 'in the know' and inordinately trashy".Hermann, p. 30 The group showed up in the 1923 best- seller Black Oxen by Gertrude Atherton. She sarcastically described a group she called "the Sophisticates": Groucho Marx, brother of Round Table associate Harpo, was never comfortable amidst the viciousness of the Vicious Circle. Therein he remarked "The price of admission is a serpent's tongue and a half- concealed stiletto." Even some members of the Round Table disparaged it later in life. Dorothy Parker in particular criticized the group. Despite Parker's bleak assessment and while it is true that some members of the Round Table are perhaps now "famous for being famous" instead of for their literary output, Round Table members and associates contributed to the literary landscape, including Pulitzer Prize-winning work by Circle members Kaufman, Connelly and Sherwood (who won four) and by associate Ferber and the legacy of Ross's New Yorker. Others made lasting contributions to the realms of stage and screen — Tallulah Bankhead and Eva Le Gallienne became Broadway greats and the films of Harpo and Benchley remain popular; and Parker has remained renowned for her short stories and literary reviews. Algonquin Hotel Landmark Sign The Algonquin Round Table, as well as the number of other literary and theatrical greats who lodged there, helped earn the Algonquin Hotel its status as a New York City Historic Landmark. The hotel was so designated in 1987. In 1996 the hotel was designated a national literary landmark by the Friends of Libraries USA based on the contributions of "The Round Table Wits". The organization's bronze plaque is attached to the front of the hotel. Although the Rose Room was removed from the Algonquin in a 1998 remodel, the hotel paid tribute to the group by commissioning and hanging the painting A Vicious Circle by Natalie Ascencios, depicting the Round Table and also created a replica of the original table. The hotel occasionally stages an original musical production, The Talk of the Town, in the Oak Room. Its latest production started September 11, 2007 and ran through the end of the year. A film about the members, The Ten-Year Lunch (1987), won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The dramatic film Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) recounts the Round Table from the perspective of Dorothy Parker. In popular culture Portions of the 1981 film Rich and Famous were set in the Algonquin and one of the film's characters, Liz Hamilton (played by Jacqueline Bisset), refers to the Round Table during the film. In 1991, the Algonquin Round Table was mentioned in the Seinfeld season 2 episode "The Phone Message". The Algonquin Round Table was featured in "The Young Indiana Jones and the Scandal of 1920", a 1993 episode of the TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which the title character meets the group and attends at least two lunches. Wonderful Nonsense - The Algonquin Round Table is a documentary produced for the DVD release of that film in 2008.Young Indy on DVD: A Tour of Volume 3: Disc 8 on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org) In 1997, a reference was made to the "Algonquin Kid's Table" in the Season 4, Episode 3 premier of the show Friends. In 2009, Robert Benchley's grandson, Nat Benchley, and co-editor Kevin C. Fitzpatrick published The Lost Algonquin Round Table, a collection of the early writings of the group. See also * References External links * Algonquin Round Table at PBS's American Masters * Category:American literary movements Category:American humorists Category:Culture of Manhattan Category:Literary circles Category:20th-century American literature "