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1、美国名人作家库尔特冯内古特KurtVonnegut,1922-2007:HisBooksCombinedScienceFictionandHumorwithSocialCriticismplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-15:11repeatByCatyWeaver2007-12-15VOICEONE:mSteveEmber.VOICETWO:AndImShirleyGriffithwithPeopleinAmericainVOASpecialEnglish.TodaywetellaboutKurtVonnegutzawriterandthinkerwhoshookupth
2、ecountrywithhisunusualwritingstyleandsubjects.HehelpedenergizehugenumbersofyoungpeopletoprotesttheVietnamWarandtoalwaysquestionthepowersthatbe.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:IttookKurtVonnegutabouttwenty-fiveyearstowritehismostfamousbook,Slaughterhouse-Five.Itwaspublishedinnineteensixty-nine.Thebookremainsrequired
3、readinginhighschoolandcollegeEnglishclassesacrossthecountry.Itincludesthisdescriptionofthefire-bombingofDresden,Germany,byAlliedforcesduringWorldWarTwo,aswitnessedbyasoldiernamedBillyPilgrim:READER:Therewasafire-stormoutthere.Dresdenwasonebigflame.Theoneflameateeverythingorganic,everythingthatwouldb
4、urn.Itwasntsafetocomeoutoftheshelteruntilnoonthenextday.WhentheAmericansandtheirguardsdidcomeout,theskywasblackwithsmoke.Thesunwasanangrylittlepinhead.Dresdenwaslikethemoonnow,nothingbutminerals.Thestoneswerehot.Everybodyelseintheneighborhoodwasdead.Soitgoes.VOICETWO:KurtVonnegut,aprisonerofwarlikeP
5、ilgrim,witnessedthebombingofDresden.Thewasteofhumanlifeandothertreasuresgreatlyangeredhim.Hisnovelscontainsomeofthatanger.ButVonnegutalwaysbalancedhisworkwithhumorandtheuseofwildlyunlikelyeventspresentedasnormal.Forexample,inSlaughterhouse-Five/BillyPilgrimvisitsthemake-believeplanetTralfamadore.Hea
6、ndabeautifulmoviestarnamedMontanaWildhackfallinlovethereinaclearballofahouse.TheyarestudiedbytheTralfamadoriansandfindhappiness.KurtVonnegutcomparedthesciencefictioninSlaughterhouse-Five*totheclownsintheplaysofsixteenthcenturyEnglishwriterWilliamShakespeare.Vonnegutbelievedsuchliterarydevicesgivethe
7、readerarestbeforethestorygetsseriousagain.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:KurtVonnegutsownlifewasalsofilledwithtragedyandlaughter.Hewasborninnineteentwenty-twoinIndianapoliszIndiana.Hisfatherwasabuildingdesigner.Hismotherwasfromanextremelywealthyfamily.Shesufferedfrommentalillnessandunhappinessasafailedwriter.Vonne
8、gutsaidhismotherwouldhaveperiodsofmadnesswhereshewouldemotionallyabusehisfather.Vonnegutsaidhisfatherwasthegentlestmanontheplanet.EdithVonnegutkilledherselfonMothersDay,innineteenforty-four.Theactaffectedhersonhiswholelife.Innineteenfifty-eight,KurtVonnegutssisterandherhusbanddiedwithintwodaysofeach
9、other.Vonnegutandhiswifeatthetimeadoptedthecouplesthreechildren.VOICETWO:KurtVonnegutwasinterestedinwritingfromatleasthisteenageyears.Heworkedonhishighschoolsnewspaper.LaterhestudiedatCornellUniversityinIthaca,NewYorkandbecameaneditorofthatschoolsnewspaper.Vonnegutstudiedbiochemistry.Hefollowedinthe
10、footstepsofhisolderbrother;Bernard,whowasascientist.However,KurtVonnegutwasnotaverygoodstudent.HeleftCornellinnineteenforty-threeandjoinedthearmyduringWorldWarTwo.GermanforcescapturedhimduringtheBattleoftheBulgeinWesternEurope.VonnegutsexperiencesasasoldierandthebombingofDresdenwereamongthemajorinfl
11、uencesinhislife.Hewasapacifist,someonewhoopposeswarandviolenceforsettlingconflict.Heoncesaid:Youcanteachpeoplesavagery.Theymayneedsavagery,butitsbadfortheneighbors.Iprefertoteachgentleness.Hewasnotalwaysgentleonhimsethowever.Hebattleddepressionformostofhislife.Innineteeneighty-fou;hetriedtokillhimse
12、lfbytakingtoomuchsleepmedicine.Hesaidlaterthatchildrenofaparentwhocommittedsuicidewillnaturallythinkofdeathasasensiblesolutiontoanyproblem.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:AfterWorldWarTwo,Vonnegutmarriedachildhoodfriend,JaneCox.TheymovedtoChicago,Illinoisinnineteenforty-five.Theyhadthreechildren.Vonnegutstudiedanth
13、ropologyattheUniversityofChicago.Healsoworkedasareporter.KurtVonnegutalsobeganwritingshortstories.Theywerepublishedinliterarymagazines.Innineteenfifty-twohewrotehisfirstnovel.PlayerPianowasinfluencedbyVonnegutsworkatthepowercompany,GeneralElectric.Vonnegutsaiditwastherethathegottheideaofeverythingbe
14、ingcontrolledbycomputers.HetoldPlayboyMagazineinnineteenseventy-threethatitmadeperfectsensetohavelittleclickingboxes,ashecalledthem,makeallthedecisionsforhumans.Buthesaiditwasnotgoodforhumanworkerstobereplacedbymachines.VonnegutsaidthathewrotesciencefictionbecauseGeneralElectricwassciencefictiontohi
15、m.PlayerPianodescribesaplacecalledIleumwherethehumanshavesurrenderedtoacomputer.Writersofsciencefictionareoftenconsideredlessseriousthanwritersofotherkindsoffiction.Asaresult,Vonnegutsworkwaspublishedinpaperbackandignoredbycriticsforseveralyears.VOICETWO:ButpeoplestartedlisteningmorecloselytoKurtVon
16、negutsliteraryvoiceinthenineteensixties.TherewasgreatpublicangerandprotestoverAmericanmilitaryactioninVietnam.DistrustfortheUnitedStatesgovernmentwasgrowing.YoungpeopleandminoritiesespeciallywerespeakingupagainstAmericasleadersandculturalrestrictions.VonnegutsstatementsaboutAmerica,itspeopleanditsle
17、adersmixedperfectlywiththatatmosphere.Hisnovelsbecamefavoritesofmanypeopleinvolvedintheanti-establishment,politicallyprogressivemovementofthattime.CatsCradle,publishedinnineteensixty-three,isoneexample.Ittellsthestoryofafictionalscientistwhohelpedinventtheatomicbombandsomethingevenmoredangerous-asub
18、stancecalledice-nine.CatsCradleisanextremelyfunnycondemnationofmanythings.Theseincludethearmsraceatthetime-effortsbycountriestoincreasetheirnuclearweapons.ItalsomakesjokesaboutorganizedreligionandtheUnitedStatesgovernment.VOICEONE:Innineteensixty-four,CatsCradlewonaHugoAwardforsciencefiction.Alsotha
19、tyear,KurtVonnegutbeganteachingattheWritersWorkshopattheUniversityofIowa.HewasaprofessorformanyyearsandtaughtEnglishatseveraluniversitiesandcolleges.Hewroteatleastfifteenmorebooks,includingnon-fiction.OneofthosebookswasBreakfastofChampions,publishedinnineteenseventy-three.Vonneguttellsthestoryofawea
20、lthyandcrazycarsalesmannamedDwayneHoover.HooverreadssciencefictionbookswrittenbyamannamedKilgoreTrout.Hooverbecomesmoreandmoresurethatthebooksarenotfictionbutreality.HereKurtVonnegutreadsfromanearlyversionofBreakfastofChampions.ThereadingtookplaceinNewYorkCityinnineteenseventy.KURTVONNEGUT:MynameisD
21、wayneHooverandIamanexperimentbythecreatoroftheuniverse.Iamtheonlycreatureintheentireuniversewhohasfreewill.Iamtheonlycreaturewhohastofigureoutwhattodonextandwhy.Everybodyelseisarobot.Iampooped.IwishIwerearobottoo.ItisperfectlyexhaustinghavingtoreasonallthetimeinauniverseInevermade.VOICETWO:KurtVonne
22、gutandhiswifeJaneseparatedinnineteenseventy.VonnegutmarriedphotographerJillKrementznineyearslater.Theyadoptedadaughter.Vonnegutcontinuedtobepoliticallyoutspoken.HeusedtheAmericanpoliticalcrimecalledtheWatergatescandalinhisnovelJailbird.Hewasalsoanearlyenvironmentalactivist.Hespokeoftenandloudlyabout
23、thelong-termdangersoffossilfueluse,pollutionandwasteofnaturalresources.VonnegutalsocondemnedtheBushadministrationandthewarinIraqthatbeganintwothousandthree.VOICEONE:KurtVonnegutpublishedhislastbookintwothousandfive.AManWithoutACountryisacollectionofhisopinionsofmanysubjects,includingissuesinmodernAm
24、ericansociety.Hediedintwothousandsevenaftersufferingbraininjuriesfromafallinhishome.Hewaseighty-four.KurtVonnegutschildrenplacednotesofthankstohisfansontheVonnegutWebsite.HisdaughterNannywrote:Iamsosorryforyourlossaswellasmine.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:OurprogramwaswrittenandproducedbyCatyWeaver.JimTedderreadtheSlaughterhouseFivepassage.mSteveEmberwithShirleyGriffith.YoucanlearnaboutotherfamousA.AndjoinusagainnextweekforPEOPLEINAMERICAinVOASpecialEnglish.
