美国名人 黑人小说家 拉尔夫艾里森.docx

美国名人黑人小说家拉尔夫艾里森RalphEllison's1952Book,"InvisibleMan,"WonAwardsandisStillDiscussedTodayplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-15:28repeatByRichardThorman2006-6-3(MUSIC)VOICEONE:mFaithLapidus.VOICETWO:AndI'mSteveEmberwithPeopleinAmericainVOASpecialEnglish.TodaywetellaboutwriterRalphEllisonandhisfamousnovel"InvisibleMan."Thebookisaboutanamelessblackman'ssearchforhisidentityandplaceinsociety.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:RalphEllison'snovel,"InvisibleMan",waspublishedinnineteenfifty-two.Ellisonwasatoncecalledamajornewwriter.ThebookwontheNationalBookAward,ahighandrarehonorforafirstnovel.Sincethenmillionsofcopieshavebeenprinted.Thebookisstillusedinmanyuniversitiesandotherschools.Oneprofessorsaidthathehasusedthebookinhisteachingfortwenty-fiveyears.Hesaidthateachtimehereturnsto"InvisibleMan"hefindsnewideasinit.Ellisonwritesinthebeginningofhisbook:READER:"Iamaninvisibleman.Iamamanofsubstance,fleshandbone,fiberandliquids-andImightevenbesaidtopossessamind.Iaminvisible,understand,simplybecausepeoplerefusetoseeme.Whentheyapproachmetheyseeonlymysurroundings,themselves,orfigmentsoftheirimagination-indeed,everythingandanythingexceptme."VOICETWO:Fromthestart,"InvisibleMan"wasabookthatchangedthewaywhiteAmericansthoughtaboutblackAmericans.ItalsochangedthewayblackAmericansthoughtaboutthemselves.Anditcausedmajordisputesamongbothblackandwhitecritics.Blackcriticssaidthebookwastoodifficulttoread.Oneblackcriticsaidthattheblackmanneeded"InvisibleMan"likeheneededaknifeinhisback.AnotherblackwriterdismissedEllisonbecauseEllisondemandedthatwritingskillsmustbelearnedbeforepoliticalideascanbeexpressed.Somewhitecriticsrefusedtoacceptablackwriterwhodidnotwritefromdirectangeratwhites.Theyseemedtowanthimnottowritefromhismind,butfromthecolorofhisskin.Yetthebookcontinuestolivelongaftermostpeoplehaveforgottenthedisputes.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:RalphEllisonwasborninnineteenfourteen,inOklahomaCit½Oklahoma.HisfatherdiedwhenRalphwasthree.Hismothersupportedherselfandhersonbycleaningotherpeople'shouses.Shealsosupportedherson'sinterestinmusicandwriting.Shewouldtakehomeoldmusicrecordingsandmagazinesfromthehouseswheresheworked.Ralphlikedjazz,andplayedtrumpetinhishighschoolband.Hedreamedofwritingseriousmusic.VOICETWO:Innineteenthirty-three,Ralphenteredablackuniversity,TuskegeeInstitute,inthestateofAlabama.Hewantedtostudymusic.HemovedtoNewYorkCityinnineteenthirty-six.Hestillplannedtostudymusicandart.However;thatsameyearheranoutofmoneyandcouldnolongerattendschool.ThenineteenthirtiesinAmericaweredifficulteconomictimes.Therewerenotmanyjobstobefound,andevenfewerforblackmen.Ellisonworkedatmanythings.Heshinedpeople'sshoes.Heplayedtrumpetinajazzband.HeworkedfortheYoungMen'sChristianAssociation.Heworkedinfactories.Heworkedforabrieftimetakingpictures.LackofmoneywasanimportantreasonforRalphEllisonbecomingawriter.Hesaid:READER:"Ihavealwaysreadalot,andIbegantorealizeIhadacertaintalentforit.ItwasnoteasytobethekindofmusicianIwantedtobe:IdidnothaveenoughmoneytogotoJuilliardschoolofmusic.SoIstuckwithwhatIhad."VOICEONE:InNewYorkCityzEllisonjoinedtheFederalWritersProject.ThiswasaprogramcreatedduringFranklinRoosevelt'spresidencytokeepwritersemployedatwriting.Hemettwoimportantblackwriters,LangstonHughesandRichardWright.Wrightsoonwouldpublish"NativeSon/'thebookthatmadehimfamous.1.ateduringWorldWarTwo,EllisonservedasacookintheUnitedStatesMerchantMarine.MerchantmarineshipscarriedwarsuppliestoAmericanandalliedsoldiers.ForEllison,thewarwasatimeoflearningandtryingtowrite.HereadbooksbytheAmericanwritersT.S.EliotzErnestHemingway,andWilliamFaulkner.AndhereadbooksbyforeignwritersliketheIrishwriterJamesJoyce.VOICETWO:RalphEllison'sstorieswerefirstpublishedduringWorldWarTwo.Whenthewarwasover;hevisitedafriendinthestateofVermont.Ellisonsaid:READER:"OnedayIwrote,lamaninvisibleman.'Ididnotknowwhatthosewordsrepresentedatthestart,andIhadnothoughtaboutwhatgavemetheidea."Thebookthatstartedwiththosewordstookalmostsevenyearstowrite.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:1.ikemanyothernovels,Ellison'sstoryisaseriesofexperiencesasthestorytellerlearnstodealwithlife.Yet,unlikeothernovels,"InvisibleMan"takesplaceinadream-likeatmosphereintheUnitedStates.Itisaworldwheredreamscomeclosetoreality,andtherealworldlooksUkeafrighteningdream.Themantellinghisstoryin"InvisibleMan"livesinahiddenundergroundspace.Buttoprovethatheexists,atleasttohimself,hehaslithisundergroundroomwithonethousandthreehundredsixty-ninelights.Theyremainlitwithpowerhehasstolenfromtheelectriccompany.InmuchofEllison'snovelthepersontellingthestoryisavictim,usuallyofwhitepeople,butalsoofsomeblacks.Hebothlovesandhatestheworld.Heplanssomedaytoleavehisundergroundshelter.Hesaysthatasamanheiswillingtobelievethat"eventheinvisiblevictimisresponsibleforthefateofall."VOICETWO:Themantellingthestorysaysthatasaboy,whitemencoveredhiseyeswithacloth.Thewhitementelltheboytoblindlyfightotherblackboys.Theblacksareforcedtofighteachothertopleasewhites.AttheendofthenovelthestoryhasmovedfromtheAmericanSouthtotheNorth.ThereareriotsinHarlemztheblackareaofNewYorkCity.Insteadoftenblackchildrenfightingeachotherblindly,grownblackmenarebattlingeachothertothedeath.Blacksstillarehavingtheirstrengthturneduponthemselves.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:Criticssaid"InvisibleMan"waswellwritten.Butsomecriticscalledthisaweakness.Theysaidthewritingseemedtohidethebook'sideasandmakethemlessaproductofblacklife.Onecriticsaidthathefounditdifficulttocall"InvisibleMan"anAfrican-Americannovel.Hesaidthatthemainpersoninthebookisasouthernblackman.But,thecriticsaid,heisallofus,nomatterwherewewerebornorthecolorofourskin.VOICETWO:After"InvisibleMan"waspublishedinnineteenfifty-two,RalphEllisontaughtatanumberofuniversities.HeretiredfromNewYorkUniversityinnineteeneighty.Whilehewasalive,hepublishedonlytwootherbooks.Theywerebooksofcriticismandessays,called"ShadowandAct"and"GoingtotheTerritory."RalphEllisondiedinnineteenninety-four;attheageofeighty.Afterhisdeath,abookofhisstories,"FlyingHome,"waspublished.Shortlybeforehisdeath,Ellisonhadtoldsomeonethathissecondnovelwasalmostfinished.Hehadworkedonthenovelforfortyyearswithoutfinishingit.Partsofthebookhadappearedinmagazinesduringthenineteensixtiesandseventies.Ellisonhadtorewritethenovelafteralargepartofitwasburnedinafireathishomeinnineteensixty-seven.Thenovelwassaidtobetwothousandpageslong.Finally,hisfriendJohnCallahanputthebooktogetherafterEllisondied.Thenovelwaspublishedinnineteenninety-nine.Itwascalled"Juneteenth."VOICEONE:Since"InvisibleMan"waspublished,manyAmericanwritershavesaidhowmuchEllisoninfluencedthem.Innineteenninety,anotherblackwriter;CharlesJohnson,wasgiventheNationalBookAward.Inreceivingtheprize,JohnsonthankedRalphEllisonforleadingthewayforblackwriters.Ellisonwaspresentattheceremony.HethankedJohnson.Thenheexpressedhisbeliefthatblackwritersshouldnotbeinfluencedonlybyotherblackwriters.Hesaid:READER:"Youdonotwriteoutofyourskin.Youwriteoutofyourideasandthequalityofyourmind."(MUSIC)VOICETWO:ThisprogramwaswrittenbyRichardThormanandproducedbyLawanDavis.ShepO'NealreadthepartofRalphEllisonandquotesfrom"InvisibleMan."mSteveEmber.VOICEONE:AndmFaithLapidus.JoinusagainnextweekforPeopleinAmericainVOASpecialEnglish.