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1、美国名人作家艺术家多西韦斯特DorothyWest,1907-1998:AmongtheYoungestoftheWritersandArtistsofNewYorksHarlemRenaissanceplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-16:01repeatByDoreenBaingana2008-8-9VOICEONE:mShirleyGriffith.VOICETWO:AndmSteveEmberwiththeSpecialEnglishProgram,PEOPLEINAMERICA.Everyweek,wetellaboutapersonwhoplayedanimpo
2、rtantpartinthehistoryandcultureoftheUnitedStates.Today,wetellaboutthewriterDorothyWest.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:DorothyWestDorothyWestsfirstlongbookwaspublishedwhenshewasmorethanfortyyearsold.Hersecondbookwaspublishedwhenshewasinherlateeighties.YetAfricanAmericanpoetLangstonHughescalledherTheKid.Thismeansach
3、ild.DorothyWesthadbeenoneoftheyoungestmembersofthegroupofwritersandartistsoftheHarlemRenaissance.ThiswasacreativeperiodforAfricanAmericansduringthenineteentwentiesandnineteenthirties.VOICETWO:DuringandafterWorldWarOne,thousandsofsouthernblacksmovedtonortherncitiesintheUnitedStates.Theywereseekingjob
4、sandbetterlives.ManysettledinanareaofNewYorkCityknownasHarlem.Manyweremusicians,writers,artistsandperformers.HarlembecamethelargestAfricanAmericancommunityintheUnitedStates.ThemassmovementfromsouthtonorthledAfricanAmericanstoexaminetheirlives:Whowerethey?WhatweretheirrightsasAmericans?Theartisticexp
5、ressionofthiscollectiveexaminationbecameknownastheHarlemRenaissance.Renaissancemeansre-birth.TheHarlemRenaissancerepresentedare-birthofblackpeopleasaneffectivepartofAmericanlife.DorothyWesthelpedinfluencethedirectionandformofAfricanAmericanwritingduringthistime.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:DorothyWestwasborninni
6、neteen-oh-seveninthecityofBoston,Massachusetts.BothherparentswereborninthesouthernUnitedStatesandmovednorth.Herfatherwasaformerslave.HebecamethefirstAfricanAmericantoownafood-sellingcompanyinBoston.ThefamilybecamepartoftheblackuppermiddleclasssocialgroupofBoston.DorothyWesthadprivateteachers,dancing
7、classes,andholidaysonMarthasVineyardanislandoffthecoastofMassachusetts.ShestudiedatBostonUniversityandtheColumbiaUniversitySchoolofJournalisminNewYork.Later,shewoulduseherownexperiencesandobservationstowriteaboutsocialclassintheblackcommunity.VOICETWO:DorothyWeststartedwritingstoriesatageseven.Whens
8、hewasfourteen,shepublishedherfirststoryintheBostonPost.Afterthat,shewroteoftenforthatnewspaper.Innineteentwenty-six,shewonsecondplaceinashortstorycontestbyOpportunitymagazine.HerstorywascalledTheTypewriter.ItdescribesanAfricanAmericanmanwhohateshisreallife.Hecreatesabetterlifeforhimself-inhisimagina
9、tion-inordertohelphisdaughterimprovehertypingskills.VOICEONE:DorothyWestwonsecondplaceinthecompetitionwithZoraNealeHurston.HurstonwasanotherfamouswriteroftheHarlemRenaissance.WestmovedtoHarlem,too.ShewasconsideredalittlesisterbyHurstonandotherwritersandpoetssuchasLangstonHugheszCounteeCullen,andWall
10、aceThurman.MembersoftheHarlemRenaissancegroupwereveryseriousabouttheirart.Westoncetoldareporterthattheyallthoughttheyweregoingtobethegreatestwritersintheworld.VOICETWO:Duringthistime,DorothyWestwroteanumberofshortstories.TheywerepublishedinmagazinesinandaroundNewYork.OnestorywascalledFuneral.Another
11、wascalledTheBlackDress.SheoncesaidthewriterwhoseworkshelikedmostwastheRussian,FyodorDostoevsky.Expertssaysomeofherworkissimilartohis.IJkeDostoevsky,shewroteabouttheideaofbeingsavedbysuffering.Shewroteaboutunsatisfiedpeoplewhofeeltrappedbytheirenvironment,orbyracism,orbecausetheyarefemaleormale.VOICE
12、ONE:Innineteenthirty-two,DorothyWestwenttoRussiawithagroupofblackintellectualsandartists.TheywenttomakeafilmaboutracismintheUnitedStates.Thefilm,BlackandWhite,wasnevercompleted.WestremainedinRussiaforaboutayear.Itappearsshedidnotstayforpoliticalreasons,however.ShesaidshewenttoRussiawithLangstonHughe
13、sandtheothersbecauseshelikedthem.ShereturnedtotheUnitedStateswhenherfatherdied.VOICETWO:Bythemiddleofthenineteenthirties,theHarlemRenaissancewasdyingout.DorothyWestwantedtore-capturethecreativityoftheperiod.SoshecreatedamagazinecalledChallenge.Sheeditedandpublishedtheworksofnew,youngAfricanAmericanw
14、riters.Themagazinelastedonlythreeyears.Westdidnothaveenoughmoneytocontinueproducingit.Shealsosaidshedidnotreceiveenoughwritingofahighquality.Themagazinewascriticizedbyagroupofblackwriters.TheyincludedRichardWright,authorofthebookNativeSon/andMargaretWalker.Theysaidthemagazinewastooconcernedwithartis
15、ticvalues.Theyfeltitshoulddealwithpoliticalissues.VOICEONE:Innineteenthirty-seven,DorothyWestcreatedanothermagazinecalledNewChallenge.SheaskedRichardWrighttohelpherzeventhoughhehadcriticizedherearliermagazine.Thetwowritersdisagreedonanumberofissues,however.Also,Westagainhadfinancialdifficultiesprodu
16、cingthemagazine.SoNewChallengewaspublishedonlyonce.Yetthatonepublicationwasveryimportant.ItincludedadocumentbyWrightcalledBlueprintforNegroWriting.ThatwasastatementaboutwhathebelievedAfricanAmericansshouldwriteabout.NewChallengewasthefirstpublicationtobringtogetherblackartandpolitics.Othermagazinesw
17、ouldfollowitsexample.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:Inthelatenineteenforties,DorothyWestleftNewYork.ShemovedtoherfamilysholidayhouseonMarthasVineyardisland.Shelivedtherefortherestofherlife.Innineteenforty-eight,shepublishedherfirstbook,TheLivingIsEasy.Itispartlybasedonherlifeandonhermother.Itisaboutalight-skinnedb
18、lackwomannamedCleoJohnson.Shewishesthatherdark-skinneddaughterweremorelikeher.Shetreatsherhusbandbadlybecauseheisfromalowersocialclass.ThebookdescribesblackmiddleclassvaluesinBoston.Manycriticslikedthebookanditsmessageaboutracismagainstblacksandwithintheblackcommunity.VOICEONE:TheLivingisEasywaspubl
19、ishedagainbytheFeministPressinnineteeneighty-two.Criticsatthattimedescribedthebookasimportantbecauseitshowedthepositionofwomeninthefamilyandinlife.Thebookalsoisvaluedforitsdescriptionofthecomplexrelationshipbetweenamotherandadaughter.TheLivingIsEasyisnowrecognizedashavinganimportantinfluenceonthewri
20、tingtraditionOfAfricanAmericanwomen.VOICETWO:Afterherfirstnovel,DorothyWestcontinuedwritingstoriesandshortpiecescontainingherideasondifferentsubjects.Hersecondnovelwaspublishedforty-sevenyearslater;innineteenninety-five.ItiscalledTheWedding.ThestorytakesplaceintheblackcommunityofMarthasVineyarddurin
21、gthenineteenfifties.Itisaboutarichyoungblackwomanwhoistomarryawhitejazzmusician.Itdealswithclassandcolorissuesbetweenblacks,andracialissuesbetweenblacksandwhites.Westbelievedthatdifferentracesshouldnotbeseparatedfromeachother.Shealsobelievedinlove.VOICEONE:Shebeganthebookinthenineteensixties.Butshes
22、toppedwritingitwhentheBlackPowerpoliticalmovementgrewstrong.Shethoughtmembersofthegroupwoulddenounceit.ShewasnotactiveinthecivilrightsmovementtoguaranteefairtreatmentforblackAmericans.Innineteenninety-two,JacquelineKennedyOnassisbegantovisitDorothyWesttohelpherfinishTheWedding.MissusOnassiswasmarrie
23、dtoAmericanPresidentJohnKennedywhenhewaskilledinnineteensixty-three.Later,sheworkedforapublishingcompany.ShediedjustbeforeTheWeddingwaspublished.DorothyWestnotedthatthetwowomenlookedverydifferentbuthadworkedtogetherperfectly.ThebookwassopopularthatitspublishersproducedanotheronebyDorothyWest.TheRich
24、er;ThePoorerisacollectionofstoriesandotherwritingsshemadethroughoutherlife.VOICETWO:DorothyWestDorothyWestwasthelastlivingmemberoftheHarlemRenaissance.ShediedinAugust,nineteenninety-eight.Shewasninety-oneyearsold.Notlongbeforeshedied,shewashonoredataspecialceremony.Manydifferentpeoplepraisedherwork.TheydescribedherinfluenceonAmericancultureoversomanyyears.OnesaidsimplythatDorothyWestwasanationalgift.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:ThisSpecialEnglishprogramwaswrittenbyDoreenBaingana.mShirleyGriffith.VOICETWO:AndImSteveEmber.JoinusagainnextweekforanotherPEOPLEINAMERICAprogramontheVoiceofAmerica.
