Chekhov reading The Seagull to the Moscow Art Theatre Group, Stanislavski, Olga Knipper THE UNIQUE CULTURAL & INNNOVATIVE TWELFTY 1820-1939, by JACQUES CORY 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS No. of Page INSPIRATION 5 INTRODUCTION 6 THE METHODOLOGY OF THE BOOK 8 CULTURE IN EUROPEAN LANGUAGES IN THE “CENTURY”/TWELFTY 1820-1939 14 LITERATURE 16 NOBEL PRIZES IN LITERATURE 16 CORY'S LIST OF BEST AUTHORS IN 1820-1939, WITH COMMENTS AND LISTS OF BOOKS 37 CORY'S LIST OF BEST AUTHORS IN TWELFTY 1820-1939 39 THE 3 MOST SIGNIFICANT LITERATURES – FRENCH, ENGLISH, GERMAN 39 THE 3 MORE SIGNIFICANT LITERATURES – SPANISH, RUSSIAN, ITALIAN 46 THE 10 SIGNIFICANT LITERATURES – PORTUGUESE, BRAZILIAN, DUTCH, CZECH, GREEK, POLISH, SWEDISH, NORWEGIAN, DANISH, FINNISH 50 12 OTHER EUROPEAN LITERATURES – ROMANIAN, TURKISH, HUNGARIAN, SERBIAN, CROATIAN, UKRAINIAN (20 EACH), AND IRISH GAELIC, BULGARIAN, ALBANIAN, ARMENIAN, GEORGIAN, LITHUANIAN (10 EACH) 56 TOTAL OF NOS. OF AUTHORS IN EUROPEAN LANGUAGES BY CLUSTERS 59 JEWISH LANGUAGES LITERATURES 60 LITERATURES IN NON-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES 74 CORY'S LIST OF THE BEST BOOKS IN LITERATURE IN 1860-1899 78 3 SURVEY ON THE MOST/MORE/SIGNIFICANT LITERATURE/ART/MUSIC IN THE ROMANTICISM/REALISM/MODERNISM ERAS 113 ROMANTICISM IN LITERATURE, ART AND MUSIC 113 Analysis of the Results of the Romantic Era 125 REALISM IN LITERATURE, ART AND MUSIC 128 Analysis of the Results of the Realism/Naturalism Era 150 MODERNISM IN LITERATURE, ART AND MUSIC 153 Analysis of the Results of the Modernism Era 168 Analysis of the Results of the Total Period of 1820-1939 173 THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTION OF JEWS TO EUROPEAN LITERATURE IN THE TWELFTY 1820-1939 178 THOUGHTS & QUOTES ON FAVORITE PLAYS 186 Extracts of texts of modern plays in translations and in: French - L'Aiglon by Rostand, in Italian by Pirandello - Six Characters in Search of an Author, in Spanish by Lorca - The House of Bernarda Alba, in Swedish by Strindberg - Miss Julie, in Russian by Chekhov - Three Sisters, in Ladino by Avraam Papo - The Vineyard of Navot, in Catalan by Guimera - Terra Baixa, in Portuguese by Garrett - Frei Luis de Sousa. Rigoletto in Italian, Verdiřs opera with Piaveřs libretto, based on Victor Hugořs play Le Roi Sřamuse Ŕ analysis and text, Revizor by Nikolai Gogol Ŕ analysis, An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen Ŕ analysis and text in Norwegian, The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht Ŕ analysis and text in German, Topaze by Marcel Pagnol Ŕ Analysis. Finally the analysis of the novel The Great Gatsby by Frances Scott Fitzgerald. Altogether a survey of 11 plays, 2 operas, and a novel. In the next chapters: analysis of 3 novels by Emile Zola Ŕ Lřargent, La curee, Le ventre de Paris, and a film ŖLife of Emile Zolaŗ, altogether, a survey and analysis of 18 works, mostly plays. BEST BOOK BY BEST AUTHOR - "L'ARGENT" BY ZOLA 242 THE WORK OF EMILE ZOLA, THE ULTIMATE ETHICIST 255 ON JEWISH CULTURAL BOURGEOISIE IN PARIS 263 TH TH FAMOUS SALONNIERES OF THE 19 & 20 CENTURIES 267 TWELFTY MASTERPIECESř QUOTES ON BUSINESS ETHICS 331 4 FRENCH CHANSONS IN 1900-1939 348 PARIS SERA TOUJOURS PARIS WILL ALWAYS BE PARIS 360 SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF 100-160 YEARS OF CULTURE 365 AN UNFORGETTABLE CULTURAL CELEBRATION A PLAY IN A 1900 PARISIAN SALON, BY JACQUES CORY 374 CONCLUSION 436 5 INSPIRATION I would like to dedicate this book to all my friends and family who inspired me, to Henri- Claude de Bettignies, my academic mentor, one of the most prominent ethicists in the world, to Henk Van Luijk, a dear friend, the best man I have ever known, the most erudite, the kindest man, to Baron Edmond de Rothschild who believed in me and gave me a full scholarship for my MBA studies at INSEAD, to Harry Recanati, one of the founders of the Israeli and international Discount Bank, he was one of the most ethical businessmen I have ever known, to Uri Levit, the CEO of Poalim Investments, he was one of my best friends but also a colleague with whom I enjoyed working for many years during my career, to Arieh Avneri, who became a symbol with his unabated stamina, his integrity and his ethical leadership. He influenced very much my ethical thought and was for me an admired mentor. I would like also to thank my directeur de these at CNAM Yvon Pesqueux, Itzhak Gormezano Goren is a close friend who stood by me in the most difficult moments; Itzhak Saporta, Yehuda Kahane, Teddy Weinshall, Dan Shechtman; Shahar Horev, who invited me to write an ethical code and case studies, and train the managers of Sibat at the Israeli MOD; my beloved and intellectual friends who encourage me so much in my endeavors Vicky and David Shlachet; Georg Heine, a true cosmopolitan, whose good heart was legendary and his friendship a treasure; Robert Ferris, Francis Desforges, Dietmar and Carlita Fuchs, Alain Somia, Claudio Gino, Jean-Pierre Lorrain, Aldo Levy, Francois Lepineux, and many others. Many family members, friends and colleagues have influenced, inspired, assisted and backed me, and I would like to thank them all: my mother, Pauline Simon Cory, who was my ethical inspiration since my early childhood. In her kindness, grace, wisdom and common sense, she gave me a model which I have followed ever since. My father Albert Cory who believed in me all the way. My grandchildren Tomer Cory, Doron Cory, Ophir Cory, Noga Cory, Itai Cory, Noam David Garfunkel, Ido Garfunkel, Yael Garfunkel. Family members Ronny Garfunkel, Nira Cory, Ella Shechtman Cory, Rachel & Eitan Zeiler, Haiim & Nehama Cory, Betty Rosen, David Popliker, Fanny Popliker, Rosalia Cohen. My friends Reuven Maskit, Dalia & David Golan, Shosha Goren, Shuki Schwartz, Meir Heth, Naomi Barsilay, Ora Rubinstein, Galia Sagy, Shlomit Levanon, Meir Tamari, Irit Levit, Zeev Nahari, Avi Bashan, Vera & Uzi Shaham, Alberto & Tali Garfunkel, Dove Izraeli, Izi Lavie, Mike Doron, Dalia & Zvi Aviel, Ziporah Shechtman, Yehoram Gaon, Hashmonai, Isy Lavie, Alex Reed Lajoux… Special thanks to my colleagues Professor Jose Luis Fernandez Fernandez, Professor Raphael Cohen-Almagor, Yehoshua Sobol, The Nobel Prize Organization, Emmanuel Tchividjian, Rachel Bortnick, Liliana Benveniste, Merav Barak, Ruvik Rosenthal, Avraham Bar-Av. But my greatest thanks are to my wife Ruthy, and to my children, Joseph Cory, Amir Cory, and Shirly Cory Garfunkel, who continue to support me. I still need and receive their warm support, and especially of my beloved wife, who is the backbone of our family, razon de vivir mi vida, the Rain Fairy, my muse, helping all of us who are in need. I am lucky to have this support, like Dr. Tomas Stockmann had in En Folkefiende by Henrik Ibsen Ŕ the support of his wife Katherine, his two sons Eilif and Morten, and his daughter Petra. I enjoy the support that I received from my students, colleagues, readers and friends, but nothing can compare to the support of my family, of my wife, as it is the most precious present that one can hope for. 6 INTRODUCTION ŖVita brevis, ars longaŗ, Ὁ βίος βραχύς, ἡ δὲ τέχνη μακρήŗ, Life is short, art is eternal When the guns roar and the missiles fly over our heads, when buildings collapse and the dead pile up on all sides, when a pandemic rages and slays millions all over the world, paralyzes the economy, culture and life, when society disintegrates and the regime is in existential crisis, when incited rioters rave freely in our towns, reminding me of childhood traumas, of the vandals setting fire to entire neighborhoods, butchering and wounding without mercy, almost burning me alive, while I was reading Alice in the Wonderland, about the Queen of Hearts screaming COUPEZ LUI LA TETE Ŕ Off with his head; I find myself balm, bibliotherapy, writing catharsis, immersing in culture at its best, as the muses are not silent but speak or rather whisper to my deaf ears: get up, shake off, sail on the wings of the imagination, on the wings of time, to another reality in another place, to the most creative century in culture, innovation, spiritual life, literature, arts, music, theater, cinema, science and inventions, democracy and human rights, write about it and about the cultural paragons, the premieres of the best plays, operas and exhibitions, the fascinating and interesting salons, in order to heal my ailing soul, and to cure the physical & mental pain of my beloved readers. This book can be read as a phantasm, a voyage into virtual reality, or as solid history based on facts. But instead of diving into troubled waters fighting sea monsters in tedious video games, I plunge in this book in the cultural ambience of Paris in the most innovative cultural twelfty, meeting the best authors, painters, composers, scientists, philosophers, actors, attending the most exhilarating premieres, participating in a pioneering environment, living in Paris, but visiting also other cultural centers - London, New York, Rome, Madrid, Berlin and Moscow. I try to explore what could have been a life (mine?), in a different time, in a virtual reality, in another place. To explore the most interesting and meaningful cultural past in history Ŕ the twelfty from 1820 to 1939, although I am not an archeologist, a historian or a medium. So, Iřll do it in the only way I know, a realistic approach, but based on surrealistic assumptions. Some people would say Ŗsi non e vero e ben trovatoŗ Ŕ if it is not true it is a good fairy tale, others would read it with skepticism, wonder or incredibility, everyone according to his own inclination Ŗciascuno a suo modoŗ Ŕ each one in his own way, according to the immortal Luigi Pirandellořs play with this name, premiered in Milan on May 22, 1924, in Ŗourŗ era.