Destruction Was My BeatriceIn 1916, as World War I raged around them, a group of bohemians gathered at a small cabaret in Zurich, Switzerland. After decorating the walls with art by Picasso and other avant garde artists, they embarked on a series of extravagant performances. Three readers simultaneously recited a poem in three languages; a monocle wearing teenager performed a spell from New Zealand; another young man sneered at the audience, snapping a whip as he intoned his