VOA慢速英语2021--坦桑尼亚作家古尔纳获诺贝尔文学奖

Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah, 72, won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature for his writing on the "effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee," the award-giving body said on Thursday.

Born in 1948 on the island of Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania, Gurnah moved to Britain as a young refugee in 1968. He fled following the country's liberation from British rule because then-President Abeid Karume's regime mistreated Gurnah's Arab Muslim community.

Gurnah is the first African writer to win the award since the Zimbabwean Doris Lessing in 2007. Among the winners, he is only the second writer of color from sub-Saharan Africa, after Nigeria's Wole Soyinka, who won in 1986.

Gurnah is the author of 10 novels, including "Memory of Departure," and "Pilgrims Way." His novel "Paradise" is set in colonial East Africa during the First World War. Many of his works explore what he has called "one of the stories of our times," the deep influence of migration¹ both on people and the places they make their new homes.

Stumbled into writing

Gurnah recently retired² as a professor of post-colonial literature at the University of Kent. He got the call from the Swedish Academy in his home in southeast England.

"I think it's just brilliant and wonderful," Gurnah told Reuters when asked how he felt to win the prize. "It's just great – it's just a big prize, and such a huge list of wonderful writers - I am still taking it in," he said.

He has said he "stumbled into" writing after arriving in England as a way of exploring the emigrant³ experience -- both the loss and liberation.

Gurnah's native language is Swahili, but he writes in English. He is only the sixth Africa-born writer to be awarded the Nobel for literature. Since it was founded in 1901, it has mostly been awarded to European and North American writers.

Between cultures

Anders Olsson is chairman of the Nobel Committee for literature. He called Gurnah "one of the world's most prominent post-colonial writers." He said it was significant that Gurnah's roots are in Zanzibar, a place that "was cosmopolitan⁴ long before globalization..."

"His work gives us a ... picture of another Africa not so well known for many readers, a coastal⁵ area in and around the Indian Ocean marked by slavery and ... repression⁶ under different regimes and colonial powers: Portuguese⁷, Indian, Arab, German and the British," Olsson said.

He said Gurnah's characters are "between cultures ... between the life left behind and the life to come." They face racism⁸ and prejudice, but may not face the truth to avoid conflict with reality.

Back home in Zanzibar...

News of the award was greeted with excitement in Zanzibar, where those who knew Gurnah described him as soft-spoken and modest.

Farid Himid is a local historian whose father, a teacher, taught the young Gurnah. "The reaction is fantastic. Many are happy, but many don't know him, though the young people are proud that he's Zanzibari," he said.

"And many elder people are very, very happy. Also, me, as a Zanzibari. It's a new step to make people read books again, since the internet has taken over," Himid added.

The respected award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million). The money comes from the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.

Past winners

Past literature winners have mostly been novelists such as Ernest Hemingway, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Toni Morrison, poets such as Pablo Neruda, Joseph Brodsky and Rabindranath Tagore, or playwrights⁹ such as Harold Pinter and Eugene O'Neill.

But writers have also won for other kinds of work that include short fiction, history, essays, biography or journalism¹⁰. Winston Churchill won for his memoirs¹¹, Bertrand Russell for his philosophy and Bob Dylan for his song lyrics¹².

Last year's prize went to American poet Louise Glück. Still to come are prizes for outstanding work in the fields of peace and economics.

Words in This Story

novel – n. a long, written story about imaginary characters and events

fate – n. the things that will happen to a person or thing : the future that someone or something will have

liberate¹³ – v. the act or process of freeing someone or something from another's control

regime – n. a form of government

pilgrim – n. someone who travels to a holy place

paradise – n. a very beautiful, pleasant, or peaceful place that seems to be perfect

stumble – v. (always followed by an adverb or preposition) to find or learn about something unexpectedly

prominent – adj. important and well-known

cosmopolitan – adj. showing an interest in different cultures, ideas; having people from many different parts of the world

globalize – v. to make (something) cover, involve, or affect the entire world or, of a business: to begin to operate throughout the world

modest – adj. not showing or feeling great or excessive pride

1 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 emigrant   

adj.移居的，移民的；n.移居外国的人，移民

参考例句：

• He is a British emigrant to Australia.他是个移居澳大利亚的英国人。
• I always think area like this is unsuited for human beings,but it is also unpractical to emigrant in a large scale.我一直觉得，像这样的地方是不适宜人类居住的，可大规模的移民又是不现实的。

4 cosmopolitan   

adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的

参考例句：

• New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
• She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。

5 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

6 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

7 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

8 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

9 playwrights   

n.剧作家( playwright的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We're studying dramatic texts by sixteenth century playwrights. 我们正在研究16 世纪戏剧作家的戏剧文本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hung-chien asked who the playwrights were. 鸿渐问谁写的剧本。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

10 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

11 memoirs   

n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)

参考例句：

• Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
• I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

13 liberate   

v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由

参考例句：

• They did their best to liberate slaves.他们尽最大能力去解放奴隶。
• This will liberate him from economic worry.这将消除他经济上的忧虑。