美国名人 作家 苏珊·桑塔格.docx

美国名人作家苏珊桑塔格SusanSontag:OneofAmerica'sMostInfluential20th-CenturyThinkersplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-15:57repeatByJiIIMoss2006-3-11(MUSIC)VOICEONE:mBarbaraKlein.VOICETWO:AndmSteveEmberwithPeopleinAmericainVOASpecialEnglish.Todaywetellaboutawriterwhohelpedinfluencemodernculture.HernamewasSusanSontag.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:SusanSontagwasconsideredoneofthemostinfluentialliberalthinkersintheUnitedStatesduringthetwentiethcentury.Shewroteseventeenbooks.Theyhavebeentranslatedintothirtylanguages.Theyincludenovels,shortstories,essaysandfilmscripts.Shewasalsoafilmmaker;playwrightandtheaterdirector.Andshewasahumanrightsandanti-waractivist.Shewassaidtoownfifteenthousandbooksinherpersonallibraryinherhome.ShewasbornSusanRosenblattinNewYorkCityinnineteenthirty-three.Herfather,JackRosenblatt,wasatraderinChina.Susan'smotherspentmostofhertimeinChinawithherhusband.FamilymembersraisedSusanandheryoungersistecJudithzwhentheywereveryyoung.WhenSusanwasfive,herfatherdiedoftuberculosis.HermotherreturnedfromChinaandmovedthegirlstoTucson,Arizona.There,MissusRosenblattmetNathanSontag.ThecouplemarriedandthefamilymovedtoLosAngeleszCalifornia.VOICETWO:SusanSontagwasanextremelyintelligentchild.Shecouldreadbyagethree.Shefinishedhighschoolattheageoffifteen.Twoyearslater,SusancompletedhercollegeeducationattheUniversityofChicagoinIllinois.Whileattheuniversity,sheattendedaclasstaughtbyPhilipRieff.Hewasatwenty-eightyearoldexpertonhumansocietyandsocialrelationships.Thetwoweremarriedinnineteenfifty,tendaysaftertheyfirstmet.Susanwasseventeenyearsold.ThecouplemovedtoBoston,Massachusetts.Innineteenfifty-two,theyhadason,David.Hegrewuptobecomeawriterandtheeditorofhismother'sworks.VOICEONE:SusanSontagcompletedtwomaster'sdegreesfromHarvardUniversityinCambridge,Massachusetts.ThefirstwasinEnglish;thesecondwasinphilosophy.ShealsobeganadoctorateprograminreligionatOxfordUniversityinEngland.Howevecshenevercompletedthatprogram.SusanandPhilipendedtheirmarriageinnineteenfifty-eight.Severalmonthslater,SusanmovedwithhersontoNewYorkCity.Sheheldseveraljobsteachingatuniversitiesandwriting.VOICETWO:SusanSontagbeganherprofessionallifewritingcreativeliterature.Shepublishedherfirstbookinnineteensixty-three.Itwasanexperimentalnovelcalled"TheBenefactor."Itexamineddreamsandhowpeoplethink.Fouryearslater;shepublishedhersecondnovel,called"DeathKit."ThestoryincludedsharpcriticismoftheUnitedStatesinvolvementintheVietnamWar.Sontagwroteseveralbooksofcreativeliterature.Yet,shebecamefamousforhercriticalessaysthatexamineddifferentkindsofsocialandartisticissues.Shewroteseriousstudiesaboutpopularartforms.Shewroteessaysaboutbooks,moviesandphotography.Shealsowroteessaysaboutsickness.VOICEONE:Innineteensixty-four;shewroteanessaycalled"NotesonCamp."Itwasanimmediatesuccessthatmadeherfamous.Campisaformofartorpopularculturethatishumorousbecauseitispurposelybad,falseorcommon.Intheessay,Sontagarguedthatapieceofartmaybebadyetconsideredgoodifitcreatesemotionalfeelingsinthepersonlookingatit.Theessayalsoincludedtheideaaboutpopularculturethatsomethingcanbe"sobaditisgood.""NotesonCamp"isstillwidelyreadtoday.VOICETWO:Innineteensixty-nine,SusanSontagwrote"TheStyleofRadicalWill."Itexploredmoderncultureincludingdrugs,filmandmusic.Sheoncesaidittookbetweenninemonthstoayeartowriteonethirty-pageessay.Hercollectionofsixessaysaboutphotographyasanartformtookfiveyearstowrite."OnPhotography"waspublishedinnineteenseventy-seven.ItreceivedtheNationalBookCriticsCircleAwardforcriticism.Heressaysexploredthevalueofthephotographicimageandtheactofpicturetakinginmodernculture.Photographs,shewrote,haveshapedhowpeopleseetheworld.Shewrotethatphotographsmakeusunabletosympathizewithhumansuffering.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:Inthenineteen-seventies,SusanSontaglearnedshehadbreastcancer.Doctorsdidnotexpecthertosurvive.However,shewentthroughaseriesofdifficulttreatmentsandshesurvived.Herexperiencewiththediseasebecamethesubjectofoneofhermostfamousworks."IllnessasMetaphor"waspublishedinnineteenseventy-eight.Ametaphorisawordorphrasethatusuallymeansonethingandisusedtomeananotherthing."IllnessasMetaphor"isacriticalstudyofmodernlife.Sontagarguedthatmodernculturecreatesmythsorstoriesaboutsickness.Shealsocriticizedthelanguagethatpeopleusewhentheytalkaboutsickness-suchas"battlingadisease"or"thewaroncancer."Sontagfeltthesetermsmadesickpeoplefeelresponsiblefortheircondition.Herbookgavereadersthepowertodemandmoreinformationfromdoctors.Tenyearslater,sheextendedheropinionstothediseaseAIDS.Hershortstory"HowWeLiveNow"waspublishedinnineteeneighty-sixintheNewYorkermagazine.Herbook"AIDSanditsMetaphors"waspublishedtwoyearslater.Itwasaboutthesocialandpersonaleffectsofthedisease.SusanSontagwasalsopoliticallyactive.Duringthelatenineteeneighties,sheservedaspresidentoftheAmericangroupofaninternationalwriters'organization.Sheledanumberofcampaignstosupportoppressedandimprisonedwritersaroundtheworld.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:Inherlaterlife,SusanSontaggrewtiredofwritingessaysandcriticalstudies.Innineteenninety-twoshewroteahistoricallovestory.Thenovel,called"TheVolcanoLover;"spenttwomonthsontheNewYorkTimeslistofbest-sellingbooks.ThestoryisaboutaneighteenthcenturyBritishdiplomatinItaly,hiswifeandherfamouslover.Intwothousand,Sontagwasaccusedofcopyingtheworkofsomeoneelseinherfinalbook,called"InAmerica."Shestronglydeniedtheaccusations,"InAmerica"isbasedonthelifeofanineteenthcenturyPolishactress.TheactressmovestotheUnitedStatesandtriestoestablishaperfectcommunityinCalifornia.ThenovelreceivedaNationalBookAward.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:PublicreactiontoSontag'swritingswasoftendivided.Attimes,heressaysangeredreaders.Forexample,sheoncepraisedthecommunistsocietiesofCubaandNorthKorea.Yearslater;shedenouncedcommunismasaformofoppression.AftertheterroristattacksagainsttheUnitedStatesintwothousandone,SontagwroteanarticleintheNewYorkermagazinecriticalofAmericanpolicies.ShewrotethattheterroristattacksweretheresultofsomeAmericanalliancesandactions.Shealsowrotethattheattackersshouldnotbeconsideredweakbecausetheywerewillingtodie.Manypeoplecriticizedthearticle.Sontaglaterapologizedforhercomments.Herlastbookwas"RegardingthePainofOthers/'publishedintwothousandthree.Itwasalongessayontheimageryofwaranddisaster.Oneofherlastpublishedessayswascalled"RegardingtheTortureofOthers."ShewroteitintwothousandfourinreactiontothemistreatmentofIraqiprisonersbyAmericansatAbuGhraibprison.VOICETWO:SusanSontagreceivedmanyawardsintheUnitedStatesandfromothercountries.Israel,GermanyandSpainhonoredherwithawards.Intwothousandfour,twodaysafterherdeath,themayorofSarajevoannouncedthecitywouldnameastreetafterher.ThemayorcalledherawriterandahumanistwhoactivelytookpartinthecreationofthehistoryofSarajevoandBosnia.SusanSontagwasdifferentfromothersocialcriticsandintellectuals.Sheoftenappearedontelevision.Shemadepublicstatements.Sheappearedinfilmsandinadvertisements.SusanSontagdiedofleukemiainNewYorkCityintwothousandfour.Shewasseventy-oneyearsold.OnecriticpraisedSusanSontag'swritingeventhoughhesaidheoftendisagreedwithwhatshewrote.Hesaid,"Sheshowedyouthingsyouhadnotseenbefore.Shehadawayofreopeningquestions."(MUSIC)VOICEONE:ThisprogramwaswrittenandproducedbyJillMoss.I'mBarbaraKlein.VOICETWO:AndmSteveEmber.JoinusagainnextweekforPeopleinAmericainVOASpecialEnglish.