美国名人作家库尔特·冯内古特.docx

美国名人作家库尔特冯内古特KurtVonnegut,1922-2007:HisBooksCombinedScienceFictionandHumorwithSocialCriticismplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-15:11repeatByCatyWeaver2007-12-15VOICEONE:mSteveEmber.VOICETWO:AndI'mShirleyGriffithwithPeopleinAmericainVOASpecialEnglish.TodaywetellaboutKurtVonnegutzawriterandthinkerwhoshookupthecountrywithhisunusualwritingstyleandsubjects.HehelpedenergizehugenumbersofyoungpeopletoprotesttheVietnamWarandtoalwaysquestionthepowersthatbe.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:IttookKurtVonnegutabouttwenty-fiveyearstowritehismostfamousbook,"Slaughterhouse-Five."Itwaspublishedinnineteensixty-nine.ThebookremainsrequiredreadinginhighschoolandcollegeEnglishclassesacrossthecountry.Itincludesthisdescriptionofthefire-bombingofDresden,Germany,byAlliedforcesduringWorldWarTwo,aswitnessedbyasoldiernamedBillyPilgrim:READER:"Therewasafire-stormoutthere.Dresdenwasonebigflame.Theoneflameateeverythingorganic,everythingthatwouldburn.Itwasn'tsafetocomeoutoftheshelteruntilnoonthenextday.WhentheAmericansandtheirguardsdidcomeout,theskywasblackwithsmoke.Thesunwasanangrylittlepinhead.Dresdenwaslikethemoonnow,nothingbutminerals.Thestoneswerehot.Everybodyelseintheneighborhoodwasdead.Soitgoes."VOICETWO:KurtVonnegut,aprisonerofwarlikePilgrim,witnessedthebombingofDresden.Thewasteofhumanlifeandothertreasuresgreatlyangeredhim.Hisnovelscontainsomeofthatanger.ButVonnegutalwaysbalancedhisworkwithhumorandtheuseofwildlyunlikelyeventspresentedasnormal.Forexample,in"Slaughterhouse-Five/'BillyPilgrimvisitsthemake-believeplanetTralfamadore.HeandabeautifulmoviestarnamedMontanaWildhackfallinlovethereinaclearballofahouse.TheyarestudiedbytheTralfamadoriansandfindhappiness.KurtVonnegutcomparedthesciencefictionin"Slaughterhouse-Five'*totheclownsintheplaysofsixteenthcenturyEnglishwriterWilliamShakespeare.Vonnegutbelievedsuchliterarydevicesgivethereaderarestbeforethestorygetsseriousagain.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:KurtVonnegut'sownlifewasalsofilledwithtragedyandlaughter.Hewasborninnineteentwenty-twoinIndianapoliszIndiana.Hisfatherwasabuildingdesigner.Hismotherwasfromanextremelywealthyfamily.Shesufferedfrommentalillnessandunhappinessasafailedwriter.Vonnegutsaidhismotherwouldhaveperiodsofmadnesswhereshewouldemotionallyabusehisfather.Vonnegutsaidhisfatherwasthegentlestmanontheplanet.EdithVonnegutkilledherselfonMother'sDay,innineteenforty-four.Theactaffectedhersonhiswholelife.Innineteenfifty-eight,KurtVonnegut'ssisterandherhusbanddiedwithintwodaysofeachother.Vonnegutandhiswifeatthetimeadoptedthecouple'sthreechildren.VOICETWO:KurtVonnegutwasinterestedinwritingfromatleasthisteenageyears.Heworkedonhishighschool'snewspaper.LaterhestudiedatCornellUniversityinIthaca,NewYorkandbecameaneditorofthatschool'snewspaper.Vonnegutstudiedbiochemistry.Hefollowedinthefootstepsofhisolderbrother;Bernard,whowasascientist.However,KurtVonnegutwasnotaverygoodstudent.HeleftCornellinnineteenforty-threeandjoinedthearmyduringWorldWarTwo.GermanforcescapturedhimduringtheBattleoftheBulgeinWesternEurope.Vonnegut'sexperiencesasasoldierandthebombingofDresdenwereamongthemajorinfluencesinhislife.Hewasapacifist,someonewhoopposeswarandviolenceforsettlingconflict.Heoncesaid:"Youcanteachpeoplesavagery.Theymayneedsavagery,butit'sbadfortheneighbors.Iprefertoteachgentleness."Hewasnotalwaysgentleonhimsethowever.Hebattleddepressionformostofhislife.Innineteeneighty-fou;hetriedtokillhimselfbytakingtoomuchsleepmedicine.Hesaidlaterthatchildrenofaparentwhocommittedsuicidewillnaturallythinkofdeathasasensiblesolutiontoanyproblem.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:AfterWorldWarTwo,Vonnegutmarriedachildhoodfriend,JaneCox.TheymovedtoChicago,Illinoisinnineteenforty-five.Theyhadthreechildren.VonnegutstudiedanthropologyattheUniversityofChicago.Healsoworkedasareporter.KurtVonnegutalsobeganwritingshortstories.Theywerepublishedinliterarymagazines.Innineteenfifty-twohewrotehisfirstnovel."PlayerPiano"wasinfluencedbyVonnegut'sworkatthepowercompany,GeneralElectric.Vonnegutsaiditwastherethathegottheideaofeverythingbeingcontrolledbycomputers.HetoldPlayboyMagazineinnineteenseventy-threethatitmadeperfectsensetohavelittleclickingboxes,ashecalledthem,makeallthedecisionsforhumans.Buthesaiditwasnotgoodforhumanworkerstobereplacedbymachines.VonnegutsaidthathewrotesciencefictionbecauseGeneralElectricwassciencefictiontohim."PlayerPiano"describesaplacecalledIleumwherethehumanshavesurrenderedtoacomputer.Writersofsciencefictionareoftenconsideredlessseriousthanwritersofotherkindsoffiction.Asaresult,Vonnegut'sworkwaspublishedinpaperbackandignoredbycriticsforseveralyears.VOICETWO:ButpeoplestartedlisteningmorecloselytoKurtVonnegut'sliteraryvoiceinthenineteensixties.TherewasgreatpublicangerandprotestoverAmericanmilitaryactioninVietnam.DistrustfortheUnitedStatesgovernmentwasgrowing.YoungpeopleandminoritiesespeciallywerespeakingupagainstAmerica'sleadersandculturalrestrictions.Vonnegut'sstatementsaboutAmerica,itspeopleanditsleadersmixedperfectlywiththatatmosphere.Hisnovelsbecamefavoritesofmanypeopleinvolvedintheanti-establishment,politicallyprogressivemovementofthattime."Cat'sCradle,"publishedinnineteensixty-three,isoneexample.Ittellsthestoryofafictionalscientistwhohelpedinventtheatomicbombandsomethingevenmoredangerous-asubstancecalledice-nine."Cat'sCradle"isanextremelyfunnycondemnationofmanythings.Theseincludethearmsraceatthetime-effortsbycountriestoincreasetheirnuclearweapons.ItalsomakesjokesaboutorganizedreligionandtheUnitedStatesgovernment.VOICEONE:Innineteensixty-four,"Cat'sCradle"wonaHugoAwardforsciencefiction.Alsothatyear,KurtVonnegutbeganteachingattheWritersWorkshopattheUniversityofIowa.HewasaprofessorformanyyearsandtaughtEnglishatseveraluniversitiesandcolleges.Hewroteatleastfifteenmorebooks,includingnon-fiction.Oneofthosebookswas"BreakfastofChampions,"publishedinnineteenseventy-three.VonneguttellsthestoryofawealthyandcrazycarsalesmannamedDwayneHoover.HooverreadssciencefictionbookswrittenbyamannamedKilgoreTrout.Hooverbecomesmoreandmoresurethatthebooksarenotfictionbutreality.HereKurtVonnegutreadsfromanearlyversionof"BreakfastofChampions."ThereadingtookplaceinNewYorkCityinnineteenseventy.KURTVONNEGUT:"MynameisDwayneHooverandIamanexperimentbythecreatoroftheuniverse.Iamtheonlycreatureintheentireuniversewhohasfreewill.Iamtheonlycreaturewhohastofigureoutwhattodonextandwhy.Everybodyelseisarobot.Iampooped.IwishIwerearobottoo.ItisperfectlyexhaustinghavingtoreasonallthetimeinauniverseInevermade."VOICETWO:KurtVonnegutandhiswifeJaneseparatedinnineteenseventy.VonnegutmarriedphotographerJillKrementznineyearslater.Theyadoptedadaughter.Vonnegutcontinuedtobepoliticallyoutspoken.HeusedtheAmericanpoliticalcrimecalledtheWatergatescandalinhisnovel"Jailbird."Hewasalsoanearlyenvironmentalactivist.Hespokeoftenandloudlyaboutthelong-termdangersoffossilfueluse,pollutionandwasteofnaturalresources.VonnegutalsocondemnedtheBushadministrationandthewarinIraqthatbeganintwothousandthree.VOICEONE:KurtVonnegutpublishedhislastbookintwothousandfive."AManWithoutACountry"isacollectionofhisopinionsofmanysubjects,includingissuesinmodernAmericansociety.Hediedintwothousandsevenaftersufferingbraininjuriesfromafallinhishome.Hewaseighty-four.KurtVonnegut'schildrenplacednotesofthankstohisfansontheVonnegutWebsite.HisdaughterNannywrote:"Iamsosorryforyourlossaswellasmine."(MUSIC)VOICEONE:OurprogramwaswrittenandproducedbyCatyWeaver.JimTedderreadthe"SlaughterhouseFive"passage.mSteveEmberwithShirleyGriffith.YoucanlearnaboutotherfamousA.AndjoinusagainnextweekforPEOPLEINAMERICAinVOASpecialEnglish.