美国名人 女作家 多西·韦斯特.docx

美国名人女作家多西韦斯特WriterDorothyWest:LastLivingMemberoftheHarlemRenaissanceplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-16:01repeatByDoreenBaingana2005-9-10(MUSIC)VOICEONE:mShirleyGriffith.VOICETWO:AndmSteveEmberwiththeSpecialEnglishProgram,PEOPLEINAMERICA.Everyweek,wetellaboutapersonwhoplayedanimportantpartinthehistoryandcultureoftheUnitedStates.Today,wetellaboutthewriterDorothyWest.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:DorothyWest'sfirstlongbookwaspublishedwhenshewasmorethanfortyyearsold.Hersecondbookwaspublishedwhenshewasinherlateeighties.YetAfricanAmericanpoetLangstonHughescalledher"TheKid."Thismeansachild.DorothyWesthadbeenoneoftheyoungestmembersofthegroupofwritersandartistsoftheHarlemRenaissance.ThiswasacreativeperiodforAfricanAmericansduringthenineteentwentiesandnineteenthirties.VOICETWO:DuringandafterWorldWarOne,thousandsofsouthernblacksmovedtonortherncitiesintheUnitedStates.Theywereseekingjobsandbetterlives.ManysettledinanareaofNewYorkCityknownasHarlem.Manyweremusicians,writers,artistsandperformers.HarlembecamethelargestAfricanAmericancommunityintheUnitedStates.ThemassmovementfromsouthtonorthledAfricanAmericanstoexaminetheirlives:Whowerethey?WhatweretheirrightsasAmericans?TheartisticexpressionofthiscollectiveexaminationbecameknownastheHarlemRenaissance.Renaissancemeansrebirth.TheHarlemRenaissancerepresentedare-birthofblackpeopleasaneffectivepartofAmericanlife.DorothyWesthelpedinfluencethedirectionandformofAfricanAmericanwritingduringthistime.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:DorothyWestwasborninnineteen-oh-seveninthecityofBoston,Massachusetts.BothherparentswereborninthesouthernUnitedStates,andmovednorth.Herfatherwasaformerslave.HebecamethefirstAfricanAmericantoownafood-sellingcompanyinBoston.ThefamilybecamepartoftheblackuppermiddleclasssocialgroupofBoston.DorothyWesthadprivateteachers,dancingclasses,andholidaysonMartha'sVineyard-anislandoffthecoastofMassachusetts.ShestudiedatBostonUniversityandtheColumbiaUniversitySchoolofJournalisminNewYork.Later,shewoulduseherownexperiencesandobservationstowriteaboutsocialclassintheblackcommunity.VOICETWO:DorothyWeststartedwritingstoriesatageseven.Whenshewasfourteen,shepublishedherfirststoryinthe"BostonPost."Afterthat,shewroteoftenforthatnewspaper.Innineteentwenty-six,shewonsecondplaceinashortstorycontestby"Opportunity"magazine.Herstorywascalled"TheTypewriter."ItdescribesanAfricanAmericanmanwhohateshisreallife.Hecreatesabetterlifeforhimself-inhisimagination-inordertohelphisdaughterimprovehertypingskills.VOICEONE:DorothyWestwonsecondplaceinthecompetitionwithZoraNealeHurston.HurstonwasanotherfamouswriteroftheHarlemRenaissance.WestmovedtoHarlem,too.ShewasconsideredalittlesisterbyHurstonandotherwritersandpoetssuchasLangstonHugheszCounteeCullenzandWallaceThurman.MembersoftheHarlemRenaissancegroupwereveryseriousabouttheirart.Westoncetoldareporterthattheyallthoughttheyweregoingtobethegreatestwritersintheworld.VOICETWO:DuringthistimezDorothyWestwroteanumberofshortstories.TheywerepublishedinmagazinesinandaroundNewYork.Onestorywascalled"Funeral."Anotherwascalled"TheBlackDress,"SheoncesaidthewriterwhoseworkshelikedmostwastheRussianFyodorDstoevsky.Expertssaysomeofherworkissimilartohis.LikeDostoevskyzshewroteabouttheideaofbeingsavedbysuffering.Shewroteaboutunsatisfiedpeoplewhofeeltrappedbytheirenvironment,orbyracism,orbecausetheyarefemaleormale.VOICEONE:Innineteenthirty-two,DorothyWestwenttoRussiawithagroupofblackintellectualsandartists.TheywenttomakeafilmaboutracismintheUnitedStates.Thefilm,"BlackandWhite,"wasnevercompleted.WestremainedinRussiaforaboutayear.Itappearsshedidnotstayforpoliticalreasons,however.ShesaidshewenttoRussiawithLangstonHughesandtheothersbecauseshelikedthem.ShereturnedtotheUnitedStateswhenherfatherdied.VOICETWO:Bythemiddleofthenineteenthirties,theHarlemRenaissancewasdyingout.DorothyWestwantedtore-capturethecreativityoftheperiod.Soshecreatedamagazinecalled,"Challenge."Sheeditedandpublishedtheworksofnew,youngAfricanAmericanwriters.Themagazinelastedonlythreeyears.Westdidnothaveenoughmoneytocontinueproducingit.Shealsosaidshedidnotreceiveenoughwritingofahighquality.Themagazinewascriticizedbyagroupofblackwriters.TheyincludedRichardWright,authorofthebook"NativeSon/'andMargaretWalker.Theysaidthemagazinewastooconcernedwithartisticvalues.Theyfeltitshoulddealwithpoliticalissues.VOICEONE:Innineteenthirty-seven,DorothyWestcreatedanothermagazinecalled"NewChallenge."SheaskedRichardWrighttohelpher,eventhoughhehadcriticizedherearliermagazine.Thetwowritersdisagreedonanumberofissues,however.Also,Westagainhadfinancialdifficultiesproducingthemagazine.So"NewChallenge"waspublishedonlyonce.Yetthatonepublicationwasveryimportant.ItincludedadocumentbyWrightcalled"BlueprintforNegroWriting."ThatwasastatementaboutwhathebelievedAfricanAmericansshouldwriteabout."NewChallenge"wasthefirstpublicationtobringtogetherblackartandpolitics.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'sVineyardduringthenineteen-fifties.Itisaboutarichyoungblackwomanwhoistomarryawhitejazzmusician.Itdealswithclassandcolorissuesbetweenblacks,andracialissuesbetweenblacksandwhites.Westbelievedthatdifferentracesshouldnotbeseparatedfromeachother.Shealsobelievedinlove.VOICEONE:ShebeganthebookintheNineteen-Sixties.ButshestoppedwritingitwhentheBlackPowerpoliticalmovementgrewstrong.Shethoughtmembersofthegroupwoulddenounceit.ShewasnotactiveinthecivilrightsmovementtoguaranteefairtreatmentforblackAmericans.InNineteen-Ninety-Two,JacquelineKennedyOnassisbegantovisitDorothyWesttohelpherfinish"TheWedding."MissusOnassiswasmarriedtoAmericanPresidentJohnKennedywhenhewaskilledinnineteensixty-three.Later;sheworkedforapublishingcompany.Shediedjustbefore"TheWedding"waspublished.DorothyWestnotedthatthetwowomenlookedverydifferentbuthadworkedtogetherperfectly.ThebookwassopopularthatitspublishersproducedanotheronebyDorothyWest."TheRicher,ThePoorer"isacollectionofstoriesandotherwritingsshemadethroughoutherlife.VOICETWO:DorothyWestwasthelastlivingmemberoftheHarlemRenaissance.ShediedinAugust,nineteenninety-eight.Shewasninety-oneyearsold.Notlongbeforeshedied,shewashonoredataspecialceremony.Manydifferentpeoplepraisedherwork.TheydescribedherinfluenceonAmericancultureoversomanyyears.Onesaidzsimply,thatDorothyWestwasa"nationalgift."(MUSIC)VOICEONE:ThisSpecialEnglishprogramwaswrittenbyDoreenBaingana.mShirleyGriffith.VOICETWO:AndI'mSteveEmber.JoinusagainnextweekforanotherPEOPLEINAMERICAprogramontheVoiceofAmeri