内容简介
In1809,NewYorkerswerebuzzingaboutaseriesofclassifiedadsconcerningthewhereaboutsofDutchhistorianDiedrichKnickerbocker.TheywereunawarethatWashingtonIrvinghadinventedthemanentirelyandplacedtheadshimself.Knickerbocker'spurportedmanuscript,AHistoryofNewYork,wasIrving'sown.ToldfromKnickerbocker'spointofview,AHistoryofNewYorkisachronicleofNewYork'sfiftyyearsunderDutchruleinthe1600sthatplaysfastandloosewiththefacts,touproariouseffect.AHistoryofNewYorkpropelledIrvingtotheheightsofliterarystardom.
作者简介
WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)wasbornintoarichNewYorkfamily,theyoungestofelevenchildren.YoungWashington'searlyeducationwaspatchybuthedevelopedanearlyloveforbooksandwriting.Asanadulthedidn'thavetoworryaboutearningalivingandafterpractisinglawforafewyearshebegantowritefornewspapersandmagazines.Hisfirstbook,Knickerbocker'sHistoryofNewYork(1809),wasthefirstAmericanhumorousbookwhichwasalsoliterature.ItwasagreatsuccessbutIrvingcontinuedtobeonlyapart-timewriter.In1815hemovedtoLondontomanagetheBritishendofthefamilybusinessandstayedforseventeenyears.Whenthefamilybusinesscollapsedin1817,Hehadtomakealivingforthefirsttime.TheimmediateresultwasTheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gentwhichcontainedhistwomostfamousfantasystories,RipvanWinkleandTheLegendofSleepyHollow.TheseclassicstorieshavekeptWashingtonIrving'snamealive.Heisoftencalled'thefatherofAmericanliterature'becauseofthecharmandstyleofhiswritingandbecausehewasalwaysbreakingnewground.
