内容简介
Winesburg,Ohio(1919)isSherwoodAnderson'smasterpiece,acycleofshortstoriesconcerninglifeinasmalltownattheendofthenineteenthcentury.AtthecenterisGeorgeWillard,ayoungreporterwhobecomestheconfidantofthetown'ssolitaryfigures.Anderson'sstoriesinfluencedcountlessAmericanwritersincludingHemingway,Faulkner,Updike,OatesandCarver.Thisneweditioncorrectserrorsmadeinearliereditionsandtakesintoaccountmajorcriticismandtextualscholarshipofthelastseveraldecades.IntheperfectlyimaginedworldofanarchetypalsmallAmericantown,Andersonrevealsthehiddenpassionsthatturnordinarylivesintofontsofunforgettableemotions.PlayedoutagainstthedeceptivelyplacidbackdropofWinesburg,Anderson'slooselyconnectedstoriescoalesce,likechapters,intoapowerfulnovelofloveandloss.
作者简介
SherwoodAndersonwasborninCamden,Ohio,onSeptember13,1876,toIrwinandEmmaSmithAnderson.HisfatherwasanitinerantharnessmakerandsometimehousepaintermoreinterestedinswappingbarroomtalesofCivilWaradventuresthaninprovidingforawifeandsevenchildren.In1883theAndersonssettledinClyde,Ohio,asmalltownintheheartlandofAmericathatlaterservedasamodelforWinesburg.ThereyoungSherwood,nicknamed'Jobby'becausehewasalwaysreadytowork,heldanynumberofoddjobstohelpsupportthefamily.Althoughhereceivedaspottyeducationandneverfinishedhighschool,Andersonpossessedanentrepreneurialspiritandalwaysimaginedagloriousfutureforhimself.Ayearortwoafterhismother'sdeathin1895,hejourneyedtoChicagoandfoundemploymentinawarehousebutwassooncalledupformilitaryserviceinCubaattheendoftheSpanish-AmericanWar.Uponhisreturn,heattendedWittenbergCollegeinSpringfield,Ohio,forayear.Inthesummerof1900AndersontookajobbackinChicagoasanadvertisingcopywriter.Hesatisfiedhisgrowinginterestincreativewritingbyturningoutessays,sketches,andstoriesinhissparetime.Followinghismarriagein1904toCorneliaLane(withwhomhewouldhavethreechildren),AndersonbecameheadofamailorderfirminClevelandandsubsequentlyestablishedhisownbusinessinElyria,Ohio.Partlyasanescapefromgrowingmaritalandfinancialproblems,hebeganwritingnovelsaround1910.'Iamone,'hesaid,'wholoves,likeadrunkardhisdrink,thesmellofink,andthesightofagreatpileofwhitepaperthatmaybescrawleduponalwaysgladdensme.'Nevertheless,inNovember1912AndersonsufferedacompletenervousbreakdownandsoonreturnedtoChicagotoresumeacareerinadvertising.Overthenextyearshebecameoneoftherebelliouswriters(othersincludedCarlSandburgandBenHecht)andculturalbohemianstakingpartintheso-called'ChicagoRenaissance.'In1916hepublishedsomeoftheWinesburgtalesinseveralliterarymagazinesaswellashisfirstnovel,theautobiographicalWindyMcPherson'sSon.Thatsameyearhismarriageendedindivorce,andAndersonwedTennesseeMitchell,anadventurous,emancipatedsculptor.Asecondnovel,MarchingMen,followedin1917,andabookoffree-versepoems,Mid-AmericanChants,cameoutin1918.ButitwastheappearanceofWinesburg,OhioayearlaterthatsecuredAnderson'sreputation.'NothingquitelikeithaseverbeendoneinAmerica,'saidH.L.Menckenofthebookthatbrokeallconventionsasitlaidbarethelivesofinhabitants(or'grotesques'asAndersoncalledthem)ofasmallMidwesterntown.CriticMalcolmCowleyassessedtheauthor'sachievement:'AndersonmadeagreatnoisewhenhepublishedWinesburg,Ohioin1919.Theoldercriticsscoldedhim,theyoungeronespraisedhim,asamanofthechanginghour,yethemanagedinthatearlyworkandotherstoberelativelytimeless....Hesoonbecameawriter'swriter,theonlystorytellerofhisgenerationwholefthismarkonthestyleandvisionofthegenerationthatfollowed.Hemingway,Faulkner,Wolfe,Steinbeck,Caldwell,Saroyan,HenryMiller...eachoftheseowesanunmistakabledebttoAnderson.'Theauthorhimselfreflected:'WiththepublicationofWinesburgIfeltIhadreallybeguntowriteoutoftherepressed,muddledlifeaboutme.'The1920sproved,inpart,aproductiveandrewardingperiodforAnderson.HesoonturnedoutPoorWhite(1920),anovelthatdepictedasmallMidwesterntownchangedbytheindustrialrevolution.Inthesummerof1921hetraveledtoEuropeandmetJamesJoyce,GertrudeStein,andFordMadoxFord.TheTriumphoftheEgg,moreofAnderson'snaturalisticimpressionsofAmericanlifeintalesandpoems,waspublishedtocriticalacclaiminthefallofthatyear,andinDecemberthedistinguishedliterarymagazineTheDialawardedhimitsfirstannualprizeforliterature.Thereafterdevotinghisenergiesexclusivelytowriting,Andersonproducedtwomorenovels—ManyMarriages(1922)andDarkLaughter(1925),hisonlybestseller—aswellastwomorecollectionsofstories,HorsesandMen(1923)andAliceandtheLostNovel(1929).Inaddition,heturnedouttwopersonalnarratives—AStoryTeller'sStory(1924)andTar:AMidwestChildhood(1926)—plusamiscellaneouscollectionofarticlesandsketches,SherwoodAnderson'sNotebook(1926),andbookofprosepoems,ANewTestament(1927).Yetmanyoftheseworksreceivedmixedreviews,andtheconsensusarosethatAndersonhadfailedtoliveuptohisearlierpromise.Moreover,Anderson'sprolificoutput—andperipateticexistence—duringthedecadetookatollonhisrelationships.Nosoonerwashedivorcedfromhissecondwifein1924thantheauthorwedElizabethPrall,abookstoremanagerhehadfalleninlovewithonatriptoNewYorkCity.ForatimethenewlywedssettledintheFrenchQuarterofNewOrleans,whereAndersonbefriendedoneofElizabeth'sformeremployees,afledglingwriternamedWilliamFaulkner.Earlier,inChicago,AndersonhadencouragedtheyoungErnestHemingwayinhiswritingcareer,onlytohaveHemingwayparodyhiminTheTorrentsofSpring.In1926AndersonsetoutonalecturetourtohelppayforthefarmhehadboughtnearMarion,Virginia,whichwouldbehishomefortherestofhislife.UponreturningfromEuropethefollowingyear,heresumedlecturingandpurchasedtwoVirginianewspapers.Fearinghehadwrittenhimselfout,AndersonspentthenextyearandahalfeditingtheSmythCountyNewsandtheMarionDemocrat.HelloTowns!,afragmentarybookofarticlesandcolumnsculledfromthetwoweeklypapers,appearedtopoorreviewsin1929,thesameyearheseparatedfromhisthirdwife(adivorcefollowedin1932).Andersonsawhisliteraryreputationdeclineinthe1930s.Heproducedtwoflawednovels—BeyondDesire(1932)andKitBrandon(1936)—thatembodiedhisbeliefsaboutboththefailureandthepromiseofAmericanlife.Andersonalsobroughtoutafinalvolumeofstories,DeathintheWoodsandOtherStories(1933),aswellasthreecollectionsofessays—PerhapsWomen(1931),NoSwank(1934),andPuzzledAmerica(1935).InadditionhedramatizedWinesburg,Ohioandseveralotherofhismostpopularworks.HomeTown,thelastofAnderson'sbookspublishedinhislifetime,cameoutin1939.LateinFebruaryof1941hesailedfromNewYorkonatriptoSouthAmericawithhisfourthwife,theformerEleanorCopenhaver,whomhehadmarriedin1933.Takenillaboardship,SherwoodAndersondiedofperitonitisinahospitalinthePanamaCanalZoneonMarch8,1941.HewasburiedonMarch26inthecemeteryinMarion,Virginia.Hisfinalwork,SherwoodAnderson'sMemoirs,appearedposthumouslyin1942.
