Life with Swan

图书标准信息

• 作者 Paul West 著
• 出版社 Penguin Group (USA)
• 出版时间 2001-04
• ISBN 9781585671236
• 定价 127.20元
• 装帧 其他
• 开本 其他
• 纸张 其他

【内容简介】

Itis1970,andadown-at-the-heelsCaliforniacommunedevotedtopeace,freelove,andthesimplelifehasdecidedtorelocatetothelastfrontier—theunforgivinglandscapeofinteriorAlaska—intheultimateexpressionofgoingbacktotheland.Armedwiththespiritofadventureandna?veoptimism,theinhabitantsof“DropCity”arriveinthewildernessofAlaskaonlytofindtheirutopiaalreadypopulatedbyotheryounghomesteaders.Whenthetwocommunitiescollide,unexpectedfriendshipsanddangerousenmitiesarebornaseveryonestruggleswiththebareessentialsoflife:love,nourishment,andaroofoverone'shead.Rich,allusive,andunsentimental,T.C.Boyle'sninthnovelisatourdeforceinfusedwiththelyricismandtake-no-prisonersstorytellingforwhichheisjustlyfamous.Finalistforthe2003NationalBookAward,Fiction.

【作者简介】

T.CoraghessanBoyleSincethe1980s,T.CoraghessanBoylehasbeenchallengingreaderswithasmart,surrealstylethatmanagestosatirizeAmerica'spast,presentandfutureallatonce.AsBarbaraKingsolverwroteofhim,"WhatBoyledoes,anddoeswell,islayonthelineournationalcultofhypocrisy."BiographyIntheinterestoftimeandspace,itmightbeeasiertonotethewritersthatT.C.Boyleisn'tcomparedto.Butlet'sgivethereverseatry:DonaldBarthelme,JohnBarth,ThomasPynchon,EvelynWaugh,FranzKafka,JamesJoyce,KingsleyAmis,ThomasBerger,RobertCoover,LorrieMoore,StanleyElkin,TomRobbins,TomWolfe,HunterS.Thompson,DonDeLillo,FlanneryO'Connor.Oh,let'snotforgetF.LeeBailey.AndDr.Seuss.Boyle,widelyadmiredforhisacrobaticverbalskill,wildnarrativesandquirkycharacters(inoneshortstory,heimaginesaloveaffairbetweenDwightEisenhowerandNikitaKhrushchev'swife),hasdazzledcriticssincehisfirstnovelin1981.Considerthisexample,fromLarryMcCafferyina1985articleforTheNewYorkTimes:"Beneathitssurfaceplay,eruditionandsheerstorytellingpower,hisfictionalsopresentsadisturbingandconvincingcritiqueofanAmericansocietysojadedwithsensationalizedimagesandplasticizedexcessthatnothingstirsitsspiritanymore....ItisintothisworldthatMr.Boyleprojectshisheroes,whoaretypicallylusty,exuberantdreamerswhosewildlyinflatedambitionsleadthemintoaseriesofhilarious,oftendisastrousadventures."Butasmuchascriticswillbowathislinguisticgifts,somealsoknockhimforrestingonthemabittooheavily,hintingthattheimpressiveshowmanshipattemptstohideashortageofdepthandsubstance.CraigSeligman,writinginTheNewRepublicin1993,pointedoutthat"Boylelovesamess.Heloveschaos.Helovesmarshesandjungles,andhelovesthejungleoflanguage:luxuriantsentencesovergrownwithlianasoflists,sesquipedalianwordshangingdownlikerarefruits.Forallitsexoticism,though,hisproseislucidtothepointoftransparency.Itdoesn'trequiremuchdeeperconcentrationthanagoodnewspaper(thoughitdoesrequireadictionary)."ReviewingTheTortillaCurtainin1995,NewYorkTimescriticScottSpencerscratchedhisheadoverwhyBoylehadinvitedreadersalongforthisparticularride:"Mr.Boyle'sfictionalstrategyispuzzling.Whyarewebeingaskedtofollowthefatesofcharactersforwhomheclearlyfeelssuchcontempt?Notsurprisingly,thisisultimatelyoff-putting.PerhapsMr.Boylehasreceivedtoomuchpraiseforhiszanysenseofhumor;inthisbook,thatwitoftenseemsmerelyamaddeningvolleyofcheapshots.It'slikelivingnextdoortoagunnutwhospendsalldayandhalfthenightshootingatbeerbottles."Growingup,Boylehadnoaspirationstobeawriter.Itwasn'tuntilhisstudiesatStateUniversityofNewYork,whereheasamusicstudent,thathebumpedintohismuse."IwenttheretobeamusicmajorbutfoundIreallycouldn'thackthatattheageof17,"hetoldTheWriterin1999."Ijuststartedtoreadoutsidemyclasses--literatureandhistory.IwoundupbeingahistoryandEnglishmajor;whenIwanderedintoacreativewritingclassasajunior,IrealizedthatwritingwaswhatIcoulddo."Hethenstartedteaching,inparttoavoidgettingdraftedintotheVietnamWar,andlaterappliedtotheUniversityofIowaWriter'sWorkshop.Afteracollectionofshortstoriesin1979,hereleasedhisfirstnovel,WaterMusic,called"pitilessandbrilliant"byTheNewRepublic,andhasshuttledbackandforthbetweennovelsandshortstories,allknownfortheirexplosionsofcharacterimagination.Mr.Boyle'sliterarysensibility...thrivesonexcess,profusion,pushingpastthelimitsofgoodtastetocomicextremes,"McCafferywroteinhis1985NewYorkTimespiece."Heisamasterofrenderingthegrotesquedetailsoftherot,decayandsleazeofasocietyuptoitsearsinKMartoilcans,KittyLitterandtherustedskeletonsofabandonedcarsandrefrigerators."InhisreviewofDropCity,the2003novelsetinCaliforniacommunethatwonBoyleaNationalBookAwardnomination,DwightGarnerjoinsthechorusofcriticalacclaimovertheyears–"Boylehasalwaysbeenafiendishlytalentedwriter"–buthealsoacknowledgessomeofthecriticismthatBoylehasfacedinthesesameyears."TherapagainstBoyle'sworkhaslongbeenthathe'sasortofmadcappredatordrone,rainingdownhardnuggetsofcontempt,sarcasmandbitterhumoronthepoormenandwomeninhisbookswhilerarelygivinguscharacterswe'reactuallypersuadedtofeelanythingabout,"hewrote."Thisispartlyabumrap--andI'dhatetoknockcontempt,sarcasmandbitterhumor--butthere'senoughtruthinitthatit'sajoytofind,inDropCitythatBoylegivesusalotmorethansimplyalineofbong-addledinnocentsledtoslaughter."ButperhapstheneatestsummaryofBoyle'sworkwouldbefromLorrieMoore,oneofthenoveliststowhichhehasbeencompared.Ina1994NewYorkTimesreviewofBoyle'sshortstorycollectionWithoutaHero,shepraisedBoyle's"astonishingandcharacteristicverve,hisunavertedgaze,hisfascinationwitheverythinglunaticandqueasy.""Godknows,Mr.Boylecanwritelikeanangel,"shecontinueslater,"ifattimesacaustic,gum-chewingone.Andinthisstrong,variedcollectionmaybewehavewhatwe'dhopetofindinheavenitself(bythetimewebeggedourwaythere):nolesseningofbrilliance,plusacoupleoflaughstomitigateallthathighanddistantsighingoverwhatgoesonbelow."GoodToKnowBoylechangedhismiddlenamefromJohntoCoraghessan(pronounced"kuh-RAGG-issun")whenhewas17.Heisknownalmostasmuchforhisegoashiswriting."EachbookIputout,Ithink,'Goodbye,UpdikeandMailer,forgetit,"TheNewRepublicquotedhimassaying."IjokeatVikingthatI'mgoingtomakethemforgetthenameofStephenKingforever,I'mgoingtosellsomanycopies.Boyle'sphilosophyonreadingandwriting,astoldtoTheWriter:"Goodliteratureisaliving,brilliant,greatthingthatspeakstoyouonanindividualandpersonallevel.You'rethereader.Ithinktheessenceofitistellingastory.It'sentertainment.It'snotsomethingtobetaughtinaclassroom,necessarily.Tobealiveandbegood,ithastobeagoodstorythatgrabsyoubythenoseanddoesn'tletyougotillTheEnd."AlsoKnownAs:T.C.BoyleHometown:SantaBarbaraCaliforniaDateofBirth:十二月2,1948PlaceofBirth:Peekskill,NewYorkEducation:B.A.inmusic,StateUniversityofNewYorkatPotsdam,1970;Ph.D.inliterature,IowaUniversity,1977Website:http://www.tcboyle.com/