美国名人作家艺术家多西·韦斯特.docx

美国名人作家艺术家多西韦斯特DorothyWest,1907-1998:AmongtheYoungestoftheWritersandArtistsofNewYork'sHarlemRenaissanceplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-16:01repeatByDoreenBaingana2008-8-9VOICEONE:mShirleyGriffith.VOICETWO:AndmSteveEmberwiththeSpecialEnglishProgram,PEOPLEINAMERICA.Everyweek,wetellaboutapersonwhoplayedanimportantpartinthehistoryandcultureoftheUnitedStates.Today,wetellaboutthewriterDorothyWest.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:DorothyWestDorothyWest'sfirstlongbookwaspublishedwhenshewasmorethanfortyyearsold.Hersecondbookwaspublishedwhenshewasinherlateeighties.YetAfricanAmericanpoetLangstonHughescalledher"TheKid."Thismeansachild.DorothyWesthadbeenoneoftheyoungestmembersofthegroupofwritersandartistsoftheHarlemRenaissance.ThiswasacreativeperiodforAfricanAmericansduringthenineteentwentiesandnineteenthirties.VOICETWO:DuringandafterWorldWarOne,thousandsofsouthernblacksmovedtonortherncitiesintheUnitedStates.Theywereseekingjobsandbetterlives.ManysettledinanareaofNewYorkCityknownasHarlem.Manyweremusicians,writers,artistsandperformers.HarlembecamethelargestAfricanAmericancommunityintheUnitedStates.ThemassmovementfromsouthtonorthledAfricanAmericanstoexaminetheirlives:Whowerethey?WhatweretheirrightsasAmericans?TheartisticexpressionofthiscollectiveexaminationbecameknownastheHarlemRenaissance.Renaissancemeansre-birth.TheHarlemRenaissancerepresentedare-birthofblackpeopleasaneffectivepartofAmericanlife.DorothyWesthelpedinfluencethedirectionandformofAfricanAmericanwritingduringthistime.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:DorothyWestwasborninnineteen-oh-seveninthecityofBoston,Massachusetts.BothherparentswereborninthesouthernUnitedStatesandmovednorth.Herfatherwasaformerslave.HebecamethefirstAfricanAmericantoownafood-sellingcompanyinBoston.ThefamilybecamepartoftheblackuppermiddleclasssocialgroupofBoston.DorothyWesthadprivateteachers,dancingclasses,andholidaysonMartha'sVineyardanislandoffthecoastofMassachusetts.ShestudiedatBostonUniversityandtheColumbiaUniversitySchoolofJournalisminNewYork.Later,shewoulduseherownexperiencesandobservationstowriteaboutsocialclassintheblackcommunity.VOICETWO:DorothyWeststartedwritingstoriesatageseven.Whenshewasfourteen,shepublishedherfirststoryinthe"BostonPost."Afterthat,shewroteoftenforthatnewspaper.Innineteentwenty-six,shewonsecondplaceinashortstorycontestbyOpportunitymagazine.Herstorywascalled"TheTypewriter."ItdescribesanAfricanAmericanmanwhohateshisreallife.Hecreatesabetterlifeforhimself-inhisimagination-inordertohelphisdaughterimprovehertypingskills.VOICEONE:DorothyWestwonsecondplaceinthecompetitionwithZoraNealeHurston.HurstonwasanotherfamouswriteroftheHarlemRenaissance.WestmovedtoHarlem,too.ShewasconsideredalittlesisterbyHurstonandotherwritersandpoetssuchasLangstonHugheszCounteeCullen,andWallaceThurman.MembersoftheHarlemRenaissancegroupwereveryseriousabouttheirart.Westoncetoldareporterthattheyallthoughttheyweregoingtobethegreatestwritersintheworld.VOICETWO:Duringthistime,DorothyWestwroteanumberofshortstories.TheywerepublishedinmagazinesinandaroundNewYork.Onestorywascalled"Funeral."Anotherwascalled"TheBlackDress."SheoncesaidthewriterwhoseworkshelikedmostwastheRussian,FyodorDostoevsky.Expertssaysomeofherworkissimilartohis.IJkeDostoevsky,shewroteabouttheideaofbeingsavedbysuffering.Shewroteaboutunsatisfiedpeoplewhofeeltrappedbytheirenvironment,orbyracism,orbecausetheyarefemaleormale.VOICEONE:Innineteenthirty-two,DorothyWestwenttoRussiawithagroupofblackintellectualsandartists.TheywenttomakeafilmaboutracismintheUnitedStates.Thefilm,"BlackandWhite,"wasnevercompleted.WestremainedinRussiaforaboutayear.Itappearsshedidnotstayforpoliticalreasons,however.ShesaidshewenttoRussiawithLangstonHughesandtheothersbecauseshelikedthem.ShereturnedtotheUnitedStateswhenherfatherdied.VOICETWO:Bythemiddleofthenineteenthirties,theHarlemRenaissancewasdyingout.DorothyWestwantedtore-capturethecreativityoftheperiod.SoshecreatedamagazinecalledChallenge.Sheeditedandpublishedtheworksofnew,youngAfricanAmericanwriters.Themagazinelastedonlythreeyears.Westdidnothaveenoughmoneytocontinueproducingit.Shealsosaidshedidnotreceiveenoughwritingofahighquality.Themagazinewascriticizedbyagroupofblackwriters.TheyincludedRichardWright,authorofthebook"NativeSon/'andMargaretWalker.Theysaidthemagazinewastooconcernedwithartisticvalues.Theyfeltitshoulddealwithpoliticalissues.VOICEONE:Innineteenthirty-seven,DorothyWestcreatedanothermagazinecalledNewChallenge.SheaskedRichardWrighttohelpherzeventhoughhehadcriticizedherearliermagazine.Thetwowritersdisagreedonanumberofissues,however.Also,Westagainhadfinancialdifficultiesproducingthemagazine.SoNewChallengewaspublishedonlyonce.Yetthatonepublicationwasveryimportant.ItincludedadocumentbyWrightcalled"BlueprintforNegroWriting."ThatwasastatementaboutwhathebelievedAfricanAmericansshouldwriteabout.NewChallengewasthefirstpublicationtobringtogetherblackartandpolitics.Othermagazineswouldfollowitsexample.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:Inthelatenineteenforties,DorothyWestleftNewYork.Shemovedtoherfamily'sholidayhouseonMartha'sVineyardisland.Shelivedtherefortherestofherlife.Innineteenforty-eight,shepublishedherfirstbook,"TheLivingIsEasy."Itispartlybasedonherlifeandonhermother.Itisaboutalight-skinnedblackwomannamedCleoJohnson.Shewishesthatherdark-skinneddaughterweremorelikeher.Shetreatsherhusbandbadlybecauseheisfromalowersocialclass.ThebookdescribesblackmiddleclassvaluesinBoston.Manycriticslikedthebookanditsmessageaboutracismagainstblacksandwithintheblackcommunity.VOICEONE:"TheLivingisEasy"waspublishedagainbytheFeministPressinnineteeneighty-two.Criticsatthattimedescribedthebookasimportantbecauseitshowedthepositionofwomeninthefamilyandinlife.Thebookalsoisvaluedforitsdescriptionofthecomplexrelationshipbetweenamotherandadaughter."TheLivingIsEasy"isnowrecognizedashavinganimportantinfluenceonthewritingtraditionOfAfricanAmericanwomen.VOICETWO:Afterherfirstnovel,DorothyWestcontinuedwritingstoriesandshortpiecescontainingherideasondifferentsubjects.Hersecondnovelwaspublishedforty-sevenyearslater;innineteenninety-five.Itiscalled"TheWedding."ThestorytakesplaceintheblackcommunityofMartha'sVineyardduringthenineteenfifties.Itisaboutarichyoungblackwomanwhoistomarryawhitejazzmusician.Itdealswithclassandcolorissuesbetweenblacks,andracialissuesbetweenblacksandwhites.Westbelievedthatdifferentracesshouldnotbeseparatedfromeachother.Shealsobelievedinlove.VOICEONE:Shebeganthebookinthenineteensixties.ButshestoppedwritingitwhentheBlackPowerpoliticalmovementgrewstrong.Shethoughtmembersofthegroupwoulddenounceit.ShewasnotactiveinthecivilrightsmovementtoguaranteefairtreatmentforblackAmericans.Innineteenninety-two,JacquelineKennedyOnassisbegantovisitDorothyWesttohelpherfinish"TheWedding."MissusOnassiswasmarriedtoAmericanPresidentJohnKennedywhenhewaskilledinnineteensixty-three.Later,sheworkedforapublishingcompany.Shediedjustbefore"TheWedding"waspublished.DorothyWestnotedthatthetwowomenlookedverydifferentbuthadworkedtogetherperfectly.ThebookwassopopularthatitspublishersproducedanotheronebyDorothyWest."TheRicher;ThePoorer"isacollectionofstoriesandotherwritingsshemadethroughoutherlife.VOICETWO:DorothyWestDorothyWestwasthelastlivingmemberoftheHarlemRenaissance.ShediedinAugust,nineteenninety-eight.Shewasninety-oneyearsold.Notlongbeforeshedied,shewashonoredataspecialceremony.Manydifferentpeoplepraisedherwork.TheydescribedherinfluenceonAmericancultureoversomanyyears.OnesaidsimplythatDorothyWestwasa"nationalgift."(MUSIC)VOICEONE:ThisSpecialEnglishprogramwaswrittenbyDoreenBaingana.mShirleyGriffith.VOICETWO:AndI'mSteveEmber.JoinusagainnextweekforanotherPEOPLEINAMERICAprogramontheVoiceofAmerica.