美国名人哲学家、小说家安·兰德.docx

美国名人哲学家、小说家安兰德AynRand,1905-1982:AmericansStillDebateHerBooksandIdeasplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-15:29repeatBySarahRandle2007-3-10VOICEONE:mSteveEmber.VOICETWO:AndmBarbaraKleinwithPeopleinAmericainVOASpecialEnglish.TodaywetellaboutthelifeandwritingsofAynRand.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:Althoughshediedmorethantwenty-fiveyearsago,manyAmericansstillargueaboutAynRand.Morethantwentymillioncopiesofherbookshavebeensoldaroundtheworld.Manypeoplesayherbooksarepoorlywritten.Butpeoplestillbuyhundredsofthousandsofcopiesofthemeachyear.Peoplealsocontinuetotalkaboutherideasandherinterestinglife.VOICETWO:Innineteen-oh-five,AlisaRosenbaumwasbornintheRussiancityofSaintPetersburg.Asayoungchild,Alisalovedbooks.Shebegantowriteherownstorieswhenshewasonlysevenyearsold.WhentheRussianRevolutionbeganinnineteenseventeen,theRosenbaumfamilyfledtotheRussianstateofCrimea.ThisexperiencewasimportantinAlisa'slife.Itstartedherhatredofcollectivism.Collectivismisthesystemofownershipandcontrolofthemeansofproductionbythepeoplecollectively,usuallyunderthesupervisionofagovernment.Aftertherevolution,AlisareturnedtoSaintPetersburg,nowcalledPetrograd,toattendcollege.Shetookclassesinpolitics,history,law,andwriting.Innineteentwenty-six,shetraveledtotheUnitedStatestovisitfamilymembers.VOICEONE:SoonaftershearrivedintheUnitedStates,Alisadecidedshewouldneverleave.Shealsodecidedtochangehernameto"AynRand."Shesaid"Rand"wastakenfromtheRussianalphabetspellingof"Rosenbaum."Shesaidshechose"Ayn"afterthenameofawriterfromFinland.Newlynamed,RandmovedtoHollywood,Californiatoworkinthemoviebusiness.ShemetandmarriedactorFrankO'Connorinnineteentwenty-nine.Throughoutthenineteenthirties,O'ConnoractedandRandwrote.Shepublishedtwobooksduringtheseyears,butdidnotearnmuchcriticalorpopularrecognition.VOICETWO:Thenzinnineteenforty-three,Rand'sfamousbook"TheFountainhead"waspublished.Ittookhersevenyearstowritethenovel.Twelvepublishersrejectedthebook.HoweveoamannamedArchibaldOgdenlovedthestoryandconvincedtheBobbs-Merrillcompanytopublishit."TheFountainhead"becameahugesuccessaroundtheworld.Ithassoldmorethansixmillioncopies.Itcontinuestosellaboutonehundredthousandcopieseachyear."TheFountainhead"tellsthestoryofayoungbuildingdesignernamedHowardRoark.Roarkwantstobuildinteresting,modern-lookingbuildings.However;mostpeopleonlywanttoseetraditionaldesigns.Roarklovesdesigningandbuildingmorethananythingintheworld.Butherefusestocompromiseandmakebuildingshehates.SeveralpeopleworkagainstRoarkandhisgoals.Butintheend,Roarksucceeds."TheFountainhead"isanunusualnovelformanyreasons.Itismorethansevenhundredpageslong,farlongerthanmostbookspeoplereadforentertainment.Italsoincludesdiscussionsofphilosophy,whicharenotusuallyfoundinpopularbooks.Inaddition,thebookcriticizescollectivismandreligioninawaythatmanypeoplehavefoundinsulting.Mostcriticsdidnotlike"TheFountainhead."Butreaderslovedit.Innineteenforty-nineitwasmadeintoapopularmovie.Randwrotethescreenplay.GaryCooperandPatriciaNealstarredinthemovie.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:Afterthemoviewasreleased,AynRandandFrankO'ConnormovedtoNewYorkCity.Theystartedhavingweeklymeetingsforfriendsintheirapartment.Soon,thegatheringsbecamemoreserious.Themembersdiscussedphilosophicalideasandbeganwritingaboutthem.Thegroupdecidedtocallitself"theCollective."Thenamewasmeanttobeajoke,becauseallofthemembershatedcollectivism.AlanGreenspan,whowouldlaterbecomechairmanoftheFederalReserve,waspartofthisgroup.TheCollectiveworkedtogethertoformthedetailsofRand'sphilosophy,whichtheycalled"Objectivism."Objectivismisabouttheimportanceoftheindividualandreasonablethought.Randbelievedthatpeoplemustchoosetheirvaluesandactionsthroughreason.Shebelievedthattheindividualhasarighttoexistforhisorherownself.TheCollectivealsohelpedRandeditherbook"AtlasShrugged,"whichwaspublishedinnineteenfifty-seven.VOICETWO:"AtlasShrugged"issetinthenearfuture.TheAmericaneconomyandsocietyarestartingtocollapseundertheinfluenceofbiggovernment.TheUnitedStatesisanationoffailingbusinesses,closedfactoriesandangrycitizens.Asmallgroupofthinkers,artists,scientistsandindustrialleadersdisappearsfromsociety.TheyfleetoahiddenvalleyinColorado.Heretheyestablishanewcommunitybasedoncapitalismwithoutgovernmentcontrol.TheheroineofthebookisDagnyTaggartwhoownsalargerailroadcompany.Shestrugglestokeepherbusinessaliveandsavethecountrywhilesocietyiscollapsingaroundher."AtlasShrugged"ismorethanonethousandpages,oneofthelongestnovelseverwritten.AynRandsaidthat"AtlasShrugged"fullydefinedherphilosophyofObjectivism.Shewroteattheendofthebook:"Myphilosophy.istheconceptofmanasaheroicbeing,withhisownhappinessasthemoralpurposeofhislife,withproductiveachievementashisnoblestactivity,andreasonashisonlyabsolute.',VOICEONE:Randthought"AtlasShrugged"wasthemostimportantbookeverwritten.Thecriticsdidnotagree.Mostgavethebookbadreviews.IntheNationalReview,aconservativepoliticalmagazine,WhittakerChamberswrotealong,angryarticleabout"AtlasShrugged."Hesaiditwasastupidbookwithdangerousideas.Aswith"TheFountainhead/'thepublicdisagreedwiththecritics."AtlasShrugged"wentontosellmillionsofcopiesaroundtheworld.AynRandandherideasquicklybecamewellknown,especiallyamongstudentsandotheryoungpeople.Later,shewrotebooksabouteconomics,politics,loveandothersubjects.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:OneyoungpersonbecameinterestedinAynRand'sideaslongbefore"AtlasShrugged"waspublished.HisnamewasNathanielBranden.Afterreading"TheFountainhead,"hewrotealettertoRand.HewrotethathewantedtodiscusstherelationshipbetweenpsychologyandRand'sideas.BrandenandhiswifeBarbarasoonbecamefriendswithRandandjoinedtheCollective.RandandBrandenbegantohaveasexualrelationshipeventhoughtheyweremarriedtootherpeople.TheycalledthemselvestheexpertsonalloftheideasofObjectivism.TheywrotemanypapersandmadespeechesallovertheUnitedStates.However,somepeoplecriticizedtheObjectivistsandtheirfollowers.TheysaidpeoplehonoredRandandBrandenasiftheywerereligiousleaderswithouteverquestioningtheirbeliefs.Randrejectedthiscriticism.Shewrotethat"ablindfolloweris.whatmyphilosophycondemnsandwhatIreject.Objectivismisnotamysticcult."Thingschangedinnineteensixty-eightwhenRanddiscoveredBrandenhavingasexualrelationshipwithayoungerstudent.RandbecameveryangryandforcedBrandentoleavetheObjectivistsandneverspeaktoheragain.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:AftertheendofherrelationshipwithBrandenzAynRand'slifesloweddown.ShelivedquietlyinNewYorkCityuntilshediedinnineteeneighty-two.Atherfuneral,oneofherfollowersleftagift.Itwasatwo-metertallflowerarrangementintheshapeofadollarsign.ThisgiftwasmeanttorepresentRand'sideasaboutcapitalismasthemostmoraleconomicsystem.AynRand'sbookscontinuetobeextremelypopular."AtlasShrugged"hasbeennamedinseveralopinionstudiesasoneofthebestandmostinfluentialbooksofthetwentiethcentury.ReportsfromHollywood,Californiasaythatseveralactors,writersandproducersareworkingonamovieversionof"AtlasShrugged."However,manypeoplearestillopposedtoAynRand'sbooksandideas.Morethanonehundredyearsafterherbirth,AynRand'sbooks,thoughts,andactionscontinuetobeimportanttomanypeople.Sheisstilloneofthemostloved,andhated,Americanthinkers.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:ThisprogramwaswrittenbySarahRandleandproducedbyLawanDavis.mBarbaraKlein.VOICEONE:AndI'mSteveEmber.YoucanfindthetextofourprogramsanddownloadaudioatWWW.51VOA.COM.JoinusagainnextWeekforPEOPLEINAMERICAinVOASpecialEnglish.