VOA慢速英语--玛格丽特·阿特伍德获得戴顿文学和平奖

Canadian writer Margaret Atwood has won the top honor among the international Dayton Literary Peace Prizes.

Officials announced Monday that Atwood would receive the 2020 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished¹ Achievement Award. The award celebrates the power of literature to create peace, social justice and understanding around the world. The award is named for the former American diplomat² who led the 1995 peace negotiations³ in Dayton, Ohio that ended the Bosnian war.

Atwood's work has been in publication since the early 1960s. She produces all kinds of literature, from poetry to imaginary stories, to magazine and news reports, and lately, to social media messages. Much of her writing centers on oppression of women.

Her successful 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale became a popular television series in the United States. It is the story of a future United States where men hold all political power. Women are servants to men. They are not even permitted to read.

The book and its television version led to much political commentary, especially in the U.S. Some readers and watchers found the story had frightening similarities to American political happenings of the last several years. Protesters wearing clothing similar to the handmaids of the book and TV series have appeared at many political demonstrations⁴.

Sharon Rab is the founder⁵ and head of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation. She praised Atwood for popular success with writing that also educates people about social justice and environmental concerns.

"Margaret Atwood continues to remind us that ‘It can't happen here' cannot be depended upon," Rab wrote in an email.

Atwood thinks an American tendency to reject strong rule is the country's best defense⁶ against the kind of oppressive future she imagined in The Handmaid'sTale.

"I would bet on American orneriness and refusal to line up," she told The Associated Press.

Atwood also says she likes the television show.

"It's well done," said Atwood. The first season of the show followed the storyline of the book to its end. The next two seasons were new storylines.

In 2019, Atwood released a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale called The Testaments⁷. She won a Booker Prize for the work. She also won a Booker Prize for her novel The Blind Assassin.

Atwood will receive $10,000 in prize money as part of the Holbrooke lifetime achievement award.

The awards ceremony was planned for October, but will be held in the spring of 2021 because of the coronavirus. Atwood will be joined by the winners for the Dayton prizes in fiction and nonfiction. They will be announced next month.

I'm Susan Shand.

Words In This Story

orneriness – adj. being contrary or difficult

sequel – n. a book, movie, or TV show that follows the story of a previously⁸ released work

fiction – n. an imaginary story

1 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

2 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 testaments   

n.遗嘱( testament的名词复数 )；实际的证明

参考例句：

• The coastline is littered with testaments to the savageness of the waters. 海岸线上充满了海水肆虐过后的杂乱东西。 来自互联网
• A personification of wickedness and ungodliness alluded to in the Old and New Testaments. 彼勒《旧约》和《新约》中邪恶和罪孽的化身。 来自互联网

8 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。