Born Emmanuele Conegliano in Ceneda, Venetian Republic, the man known as Mozart’s librettist began life as a poet, scribbling verse during tedious school lessons. Those teenage experiments, plus a solid grounding in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, primed him for the writing life ahead. When a young Mozart, already famous, requested his assistance, Da Ponte agreed; thus began their illustrious collaboration. Between librettos, Da Ponte lived adventurously, gambling, living in brothels, and writing seditious poetry, for which he was twice tried and convicted. Da Ponte settled in America, selling Italian books and writing a long, lively autobiography.
On the beginning of the new rebbetzin’s life in Zhuzhikovka, the locals say:
She, the rebbetzin, was brought here a few years ago from some distant city in Poland.
There, in that city, the Polish one…
Young Man:
Tell us, Bar Kochba, the words to use
When we return to our homes
And tell of meeting you.
Bar Kochba:
For taking of the people’s land,
For stealing of the people’s wealth,…
The terrace of the large coffee house in Berlin was almost empty, save for the occasional occupied table. The season had already turned autumnal. The weather was unpredictable, and the air carried a…