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发表于 2010-12-9 18:19:49
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本帖最后由 abyssthinice 于 2010-12-10 08:02 编辑
VOX POPULI: Let smiles, not sobs or sniffles, predominate
2010/12/07
There are many Christmas trees around the world, but the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York is probably the most famous.
This year's tree is a 22-footer (6.7 meters), and Japanese newspapers and television networks covered the annual lighting ceremony of this iconic tree last week.
The occasion reminded me that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of the U.S. novelist O. Henry (1862-1910), who depicted the joys and sorrows of ordinary New Yorkers.
Of his 280 or so stories, the best known are those set in late autumn to the year-end when cold winds buffet the city.
"The Last Leaf" is probably the most popular. No less beloved are "The Gift of the Magi," set on Christmas Eve, and "The Cop and the Anthem" about the homeless at the onset of winter.
The author's portrayal of people who have fallen through the cracks of prosperity is kindly and poignant. Each of these stories is a gem, like a comforting light burning on a winter night.
But much loved as O. Henry's works are, I understand they are considered lightweight literature, mainly because they are sentimental in nature, and the author is a master of surprise endings--elements that make for mass entertainment.
The author and his works appear to overlap his protagonists probably because they are detached from authorities.
This holiday season is not a time of good cheer for many New Yorkers. Unemployment is up again in the United States.
O. Henry was said to have been always searching the streets of New York for story ideas.
I wonder what tales he would come up with in these bleak times were he alive today.
"Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating," goes a famous line from "The Gift of the Magi."
I would prefer smiles, rather than sniffles, to predominate. This year-end won't be an easy time for many Japanese, either, but I hope to hear or read stories that will bring smiles to people's faces around the nation.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 6 |
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