Russian Poet and Editor Alexander T. Tvardovsky had died of a stroke at 61. The Soviet Writers Union did its best to keep his funeral quiet, but Nobel-prizewinning Novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 53, whose novels (The Cancer Ward, The First Circle) have been banned in his homeland, made his first public appearance in several years to honor the man who had published his anti-Stalinist novel, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Solzhenitsyn did not speak, but his simple presence made Tvardovsky's funeral a testimony for cultural freedom. Earlier, Solzhenitsyn offered more outspoken testimony in the same cause. In a letter to Dr. Karl Gierow, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, he sarcastically offered his own apartment as a setting for the presentation of his Nobel medal. If the Swedish embassy was still unavailable, he said, he would be happy to deliver his Nobel lecture at home. It would be a cultural event "uniting our peoples."

"They're absolutely hideous!" exclaimed First Lady Patricia Nixon, staring at the transparent plastic covers that had been placed on the new draperies in the White House Red Room. But the tourists traipsing through can't resist feeling the rich silk with their dirty fingers, explained an aide; the curtains would be ruined in short order. "I don't care," said Pat. "I want this house to look like my home, and I wouldn't put plastic up in my home to protect it from visitors. If necessary, I'll just have to raise the money again to replace them."

Not many Communists with 20 jail terms behind them have the President of the Republic turn out to do them honor. David Alfaro Siqueiros, however, was taking it all in stride. The occasion was the Mexico City opening of Polyforum, a culture center 2,735 yards long, for which the 75-year-old Siqueiros has created the architecture, engineering, painting and sculpture. "It is an atheistic temple," said he. "It is not to adore God but to adore man." Nevertheless, among the encomiums came a cable from the Vatican, wishing "that your artistic message in favor of peace, justice, hope, brotherhood inspire the realization of these high human and Christian ideals."

Two a.m.--and a shadowy figure skulks in a doorway of the official Canberra residence of Australian Prime Minister William McMahon. Challenges, shots, anticlimaxes. The intruder gets away, the fuse in the Molotov cocktail he planted is blown out by the wind, and the P.M. and his pretty wife Sonia weren't there anyway. But Commonwealth police say that this is the third such bombing attempt by a group of right-wing extremists. Nothing to do but increase the guard at the McMahons' home.

Uneasy lies the tawny head of Brazilian Beauty Queen Lucia Petterle, 22, crowned Miss World in London last month. A cold blast from Mecca Ltd., the Miss World organization, accused Lucia of "wild outbursts" and of failure to sign the usual one-year contract with Mecca, worth at least $75,000 in personal appearances and endorsements. Lucia pleaded that she was finishing up some modeling obligations. To take her mind off all this hassling, the third-year medical student sailed into eight final exams.

"Maybe I need a son to even things up, because I'm out of shape," said Muhammad Ali when his twin daughters were born 16 months ago--making three girls for the Alis. But even females can help out with the roadwork, as Jamillah and Reeshemah discovered in Zurich, Switzerland, where the ex-champ was training for his Boxing Day exhibition match with West German Heavyweight Jurgen Blin.

The program of Playwright Robert Shaw's Cato Street in London credited Actress Vanessa Redgrave with cutting the play from four hours to 2 1/2. In her getup for her role of Susan Thistlewood--a radical conspirator of 1820--Miss Redgrave looked capable of cutting just about anything she set her hand to. In any case, Cato Street ended its run, leaving Redgrave watchers with nothing but a memorable pinup.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.