6 October: Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier, the Swiss architect famous for his contributions to modern architecture was born on this date in 1887. 10 things you might not know about the man and his work:

1. He was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, a town famous for watch making. His father was a watchmaker, his mother a Piano teacher. For a while, it was expected he would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a watchmaker, too. He studied watchmaking for three years.
2. His real name was Charles Jeanneret. He first started calling himself Le Corbusier in 1920 in an art magazine he launched called “L’Esprit Nouveau.” The name was derived from his maternal grandfather’s name, Lecorbésier.
3. He didn’t like school, not even art school, and dropped out at thirteen, largely teaching himself through books, museums, and travel. School, he once said, was “mean” and “no fun”.
4. While known for his buildings, he designed furniture, too, and once, even a car. His Voiture Minimum was never made, although Le Corbusier believed his design inspired the Volkswagen Beetle.
5. He married a fashion model called Yvonne Gallis, in 1930, but had affairs with French entertainer Josephine Baker and Swedish-American heiress Marguerite Tjader Harris. Even so, when Yvonne died, it’s said he carried her backbone around in his pocket and used to place it on the table in front of him while he was working.
6. What he did when his Dog, a black-haired schnauzer Pinceau, meaning “Paintbrush”, died was equally creepy. He had a copy of Don Quixote bound using the dog’s skin and fur.
7. Despite being an atheist, he designed several religious buildings. He believed architecture could create a sacred and spiritual environment.
8. Le Corbusier designed India’s first planned city, Chandigarh, after the country’s independence. His city design came in for criticism for being “pedestrian-unfriendly” and boring. The city also has the largest of his Open Hand sculptures, which is 26m/85 ft high. Le Corbusier liked the motif of the open hand, and used it a lot. It was a sign, he said, of "peace and reconciliation. It is open to give and open to receive."
9. He died at the age of 77 when he went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea against his doctor’s advice. It’s presumed he died of a Heart attack. It did mean he got his wish, since he was once quoted as saying, “How nice it would be to die swimming toward the sun.” His funeral was held at the courtyard of The Louvre, conducted by the French Minister of Culture.
10. His works are featured on the Swiss 10 franc banknote, and there are streets in Canada and Argentina named after him.

Killing Me Softly

Sebastian Garrett is an assassin. It wasn’t his first choice of vocation, but nonetheless, he’s good at it, and can be relied upon to get the job done. He’s on top of his game.

Until he is contracted to kill Princess Helena of Galorvia. She is not just any princess. Sebastian doesn’t bargain on his intended victim being a super-heroine who gives as good as she gets. Only his own genetic variant power saves him from becoming the victim, instead of Helena. 

Fate has another surprise in store. Sebastian was not expecting to fall in love with her.

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