- John Luther Long
John Luther Long (1861 – 1927) was an American
lawyer andwriter best known for his short story "Madame Butterfly " based on the recollections of his sister, Jennie Correll, who had been toJapan with her husband, aMethodist missionary . The story of the relationship between an American naval officer and a Nagasakigeisha (1898) and other short stories [Citation|title= Ein Nix-Nutz | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=IngAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA742&lpg=PA742&dq=+%22nigger+Dutch%22&source=web&ots=pU25mHhdKa&sig=x0JBz8AoLecGvjaLSp6HHhRNlKo&hl=en#PPA740,M1] were published inCentury Magazine .Long's use of the exotic and the classical in "Madame Butterfly" reflected the blending of Japanese and traditional styles in the
arts and crafts movement around the turn of the 19th century and American interest withJapan that began with the "opening of Japan" by Matthew Perry in 1854.The story interested American playwright
David Belasco who, collaborating with Long, adapted it to a one-act play. The play debuted inNew York on5 March 1900 . Seven weeks later, Belasco took a three-act version of the play toLondon 'sDuke of York Theatre , where it played to full houses. The production caught the attention ofGiacomo Puccini , who would compose the immortal opera "Madama Butterfly " with alibretto penned with Long's help.External links
* [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/LONG/bio.html John Luther Long] Biography from
University of Virginia
* [http://www.logos-verlag.de/cgi-bin/buch/isbn/1076 John Luther Long's Madame Butterfly]References
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