美国国家公共电台 NPR Remembering The Great Poet Gwendolyn Brooks At 100

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Gwendolyn Brooks¹ would have turned 100 next month. She was the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize. And on the centennial of her birth, a new biography of the late poet is out this week. Here's Karen Grigsby Bates of our Code Switch team.

KAREN GRIGSBY BATES, BYLINE²: In 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks got the news of her Pulitzer Prize for poetry while sitting in the growing gloom of her living room. In a 1986 interview with the Library of Congress, Brooks confided³ she was in the dark because her electric bill hadn't been paid. So amidst her jubilation⁴ about the Pulitzer, she worried about what would happen when word of her honor became public and the press descended⁵ upon her.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GWENDOLYN BROOKS: The next day, reporters came. Photographers came with cameras. And I was absolutely petrified⁶. I wasn't going to say anything about the electricity. I knew that when they - (sobbing) when they tried to attach their cameras and all, nothing was going to happen.

BATES: Turned out the photographers were able to plug in their lights because someone - Brooks never knew who - quietly paid the bill. That, to a certain extent, was Gwendolyn Brooks' life - sometimes financially strapped⁷, always artistically⁸ sublime⁹.

In poet Angela Jackson's new biography, "A Surprised Queenhood In The New Black Sun: The Life And Legacy¹⁰ Of Gwendolyn Brooks," Jackson says even before her award, Gwendolyn Brooks was well-known by many African-Americans because she appeared in The Chicago Defender¹¹, a legendary¹² black newspaper.

ANGELA JACKSON: She published regularly from 1938 to about 1945 in The Chicago Defender. And the Defender was read not just by black people in Chicago but by black people all throughout the South, where it was distributed.

BATES: This new honor, Jackson says, now drew the attention of white America as well.

JACKSON: As with the Pulitzer for anyone, her notoriety increased. And the fact that she was the first African-American to be awarded the Pulitzer made her notoriety go through the roof.

BATES: Brooks' collections, like "A Street In Bronzeville," "The Bean Eaters" and "In The Mecca" describe black Chicago - its landmarks¹³, its customs, its people - in recognizable detail. She wrote about people not normally visible in the poetry world. Nora Brooks Blakely says this didn't surprise anyone who knew her mother.

NORA BROOKS BLAKELY: It was definitely important for her to speak about the people that she lived around, among, with. But fundamentally, Mama was an observer.

BATES: It was that quick eye that was the catalyst¹⁴ for one of Gwendolyn Brooks' most famous poems, which she reads here.

(SOUNDBITE OF POEM, "WE REAL COOL")

BROOKS: "We Real Cool." The pool players, seven at the Golden Shovel¹⁵. We real cool. We left school. We lurk¹⁶ late. We strike straight. We sing sin. We thin gin. We jazz June. We die soon.

BATES: Other work, like her Pulitzer Prize-winning volume "Annie Allen," described the life of a brown-skinned black girl in cadence¹⁷ and imagery that showed Brooks' mastery of classic poetic¹⁸ structure. It put her in the company of poets like Robert Frost and William Carlos Williams. But, daughter Nora Blakely recalls, there was still struggle.

BROOKS BLAKELY: I remember a lot of meals of beans and chicken wings before chicken wings got gourmet¹⁹ and popular - when chicken wings were just the cheapest part of the chicken.

BATES: Brooks and her husband, Henry Blakely, raised Nora and her older brother Hank in a home rich with books and music and intellectual discussions. Brooks' finances wouldn't change until the mid-'60s, when she began to teach poetry and writing at several colleges. Nora Blakely remembers one year her mother taught at three colleges concurrently²⁰.

BROOKS BLAKELY: That Christmas, suddenly the Christmas presents changed. And she just had a happy little fit where she only got presents that year for people from Marshall Field's and C.D. Peacock.

BATES: Born in Topeka, Kan., in 1917, Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks became a Chicagoan when she was 5 weeks old. She grew up on the city's South Side with thousands of black residents who had migrated out of the South near the end of World War I. At age 7, she was making her own books of stories and poems. As a teen, Harlem Renaissance²¹ poets James Weldon Johnson and Langston Hughes mentored²² her. In turn, she would spend her life encouraging aspiring²³ young poets, including Chicago poet Haki Madhubuti, who met her in the early 1960s.

HAKI MADHUBUTI: Like so many young poets at that time, I was pretty much in awe²⁴ of her craft, her work and her commitment to her community.

BATES: Madhubuti, who first published under his birth name, Don L. Lee, came to prominence²⁵ during the Black Arts Movement, a decade in the mid-'60s to '70s that focused on black self-expression. He said he and a number of what Brooks fondly called the riotous²⁶ young people would meet at her small home and argue poetry and politics passionately²⁷.

MADHUBUTI: Our poetry changed, and her poetry changed.

BATES: And it wasn't only the poetry that changed.

MADHUBUTI: One day she showed up. (Unintelligible), walked in. She had a scarf on her head. And then she took the scarf off her head, and she had a natural hairdo.

BATES: For a proper middle-aged²⁸ black woman at the time, it was a bold move.

Brooks made other bold moves. She left her mainstream²⁹ publisher for black presses. Her old friend Haki Madhubuti heads Chicago's Third World Press, which has published her books for the past several years.

MADHUBUTI: She never took royalties³⁰. She said, you know, just use the money to build the press.

BATES: Gwendolyn Brooks believed in building black institutions and put her modest money where her mouth was. Nora Brooks Blakely says, while her mother enjoyed nice things, she considered them occasional enhancements not necessities. Instead, she created and funded poetry prizes to encourage others and gave money to people who needed the time and space to write.

BROOKS BLAKELY: I am constantly amazed by the number of people who come up to me and talk to me about the impact that Mama had on their lives.

BATES: A conference on poetry was established in her name at Chicago State University. Biographer Angela Jackson.

JACKSON: One year, Toni Morrison was a speaker. And she, at great length, talked about Ms. Brooks' influence on her writing - that she was able to write because of Gwendolyn Brooks.

BATES: Several schools were named after her. Students, actors and spoken-word artists often recite "We Real Cool" in tribute to this quiet, generous poet. On June 7, Chicago will hold a birthday celebration for Gwendolyn Brooks, a very American poet who elevated the stories of ordinary African-Americans with her extraordinary skill. Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR News.

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1 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 confided   

v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

参考例句：

• She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。
• He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 jubilation   

n.欢庆，喜悦

参考例句：

• The goal was greeted by jubilation from the home fans.主场球迷为进球欢呼。
• The whole city was a scene of jubilation.全市一片欢腾。

5 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

6 petrified   

adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• I'm petrified of snakes. 我特别怕蛇。
• The poor child was petrified with fear. 这可怜的孩子被吓呆了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 artistically   

adv.艺术性地

参考例句：

• The book is beautifully printed and artistically bound. 这本书印刷精美，装帧高雅。
• The room is artistically decorated. 房间布置得很美观。

9 sublime   

adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的

参考例句：

• We should take some time to enjoy the sublime beauty of nature.我们应该花些时间去欣赏大自然的壮丽景象。
• Olympic games play as an important arena to exhibit the sublime idea.奥运会，就是展示此崇高理念的重要舞台。

10 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

11 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

12 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

13 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

14 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

15 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

16 lurk   

n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏

参考例句：

• Dangers lurk in the path of wilderness.在这条荒野的小路上隐伏着危险。
• He thought he saw someone lurking above the chamber during the address.他觉得自己看见有人在演讲时潜藏在会议厅顶上。

17 cadence   

n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。

18 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

19 gourmet   

n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的

参考例句：

• What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
• A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。

20 concurrently   

adv.同时地

参考例句：

• He was given two twelve month sentences to run concurrently. 他两罪均判12个月监禁，同期执行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was given two prison sentences, to run concurrently. 他两罪均判监禁，同期执行。 来自辞典例句

21 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

22 mentored   

v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They had a fantastic dean who really mentored a lot of people. 那儿的教务长非常出色，的确为许多人提供了指导。 来自互联网
• The famous professor mentored him during his years in graduate school. 那位著名的教授在他读研究生期间指导他。 来自互联网

23 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

24 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

25 prominence   

n.突出；显著；杰出；重要

参考例句：

• He came to prominence during the World Cup in Italy.他在意大利的世界杯赛中声名鹊起。
• This young fashion designer is rising to prominence.这位年轻的时装设计师的声望越来越高。

26 riotous   

adj.骚乱的；狂欢的

参考例句：

• Summer is in riotous profusion.盛夏的大地热闹纷繁。
• We spent a riotous night at Christmas.我们度过了一个狂欢之夜。

27 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

28 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

29 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

30 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分