参考译文：

上世纪二十年代是美国文学艺术非常活跃和非常重要的时期

在加尔文.柯立芝总统执政期间，美国社会的风俗习惯和人们的日常生活都发生了许多变化：许多年轻人开始向他们父辈的传统生活方式提出挑战，他们尝试新的观念和新的生活方式。各种各样的人都对新型的流行文化感兴趣。广播和电影把法庭审判、体育英雄和疯狂的社会交际等那些激动人心的新闻带给每一个人。上世纪二十年代还是美国文学艺术非常活跃和非常重要的时期，如文学、绘画和其他各种艺术形式都取得了一些美国历史上最为重要的成果。本周，我们就向你讲述这一时期的美国文学艺术成就。

绝大多数美国人都认为，上世纪二十年代美国快速的经济发展改善了人们的生活水平，他们支持保守的共和党总统加尔文.柯立芝所采取的政策，而且他们对企业界领导人和政府的经济体制充满信任。然而，美国许多严肃的文学艺术界人士则对社会有着不同的、暗淡的看法，他们被他们所看到的变化所深深地困扰，他们认为美国人对金钱和财富太过重视了。这些艺术家们拒绝这样的一个商业社会，而且他们还对一些政治价值观提出质疑。他们中的许多人主认为发生在欧洲的第一次世界大战已经是一个灾难性的错误，这些艺术家对一战后掌权的政治领导人不信任，他们觉得有必要对他们身边不断发生变化的世界进行抗议。

上世纪二十年代的这种反抗精神在美国的文学界尤为突出，这一时期的许多著名的文学家痛恨这种新的商业文化，其中一位是辛克莱.刘易斯，他是美国第一位诺贝尔文学奖获得者。刘易斯的作品主要反映的是美国中部乡村人的生活，他作品中的许多人物都是一个个愚蠢的男男女女，他们整天就知道追逐金钱和名誉。在他著名的小说《Main Street》（《大街》）中，他嘲笑和讽刺那些小镇上的企业主。对于来自美国东部的巴尔的摩市的报人门肯（Mencken）来说，社会批评也是他的写作中心。门肯认为，大多数美国人都非常的愚蠢和乏味，他毫不留情地批判那些人的价值观。当然，许多传统的美国人强烈反对这样的批评。例如，有些宗教人士和企业界领导人就攻击门肯，说他是一个危险的人，他的文字是对美国的背叛。但许多年轻人认为门肯是一位英雄，他作品中所反映的犯罪是真实的。

随着时间的流逝，人们对上世纪二十年代的刘易斯、门肯和其他一些作家的作品已经渐渐地淡忘，但这一时期的确产生了一些伟大的作品。这一时期中伟大作家之一是欧内斯特.海明威（Ernest Hemingway），海明威的作品反映的是爱、战争、体育以及其他一些话题。他使用简短的句子和简朴的词汇，他的风格非常犀利，与传统美国作家的风格所不同，而且他对生活的观点也与绝大多数美国人不同。另一位伟大的作家是斯科特.菲茨杰拉德（Scott Fitzgerald）。菲茨杰拉德着重描写的是美国富人追求幸福和新的价值观。在他的作品中充满着反抗传统信仰的人们。他的《The Great Gatsby》（《了不起的盖茨比》）至今被认为是美国文学史上最伟大的作品之一。那时第三个伟大的作家是威廉.福克纳（William Faulkner），福克纳的作品着重反映的是美国南方的特殊社会问题和生活方式。他的作品反映了六十年前南北战争中南方失败所给人们留下的紧张的社会情绪。他的作品包括《The Sound and The Fury》（《喧嚣与骚动》）、《As I Lay Dying》（《弥留之际》）和《Absalom, Absalom》（《押沙龙、押沙龙》）。和海明威一样，他也获得了诺贝尔文学奖。

上世纪二十年代，在美国历史上还产生了一位最伟大的剧作家和他的一些伟大的戏剧作品，这位剧作家就是爱尔兰裔美国人尤金.奥尼尔（Eugene O'Neill），他对人性的看法是黑暗的和激烈的。他的戏剧利用新式的舞台方法来表现他的思想，带给观众前所未有的冲击。他最著名的作品包括《Mourning Becomes Electra》（《悲悼》）、《The Iceman Cometh》（《急冻奇侠》）和《A Long Day's Journey into Night》（《长日入夜行》）。这一时期，美国还产生了一些伟大的诗人，最著名的诗也许是这首《The Waste Land》（《荒原》），这是一首由埃利奥特（T. S. Eliot）创作的悲伤的诗。

在绘画领域，上世纪二十年代的美国出现了许多重大的变化。经济的快速发展，使得人们有钱为自己的家庭购买一些艺术品来装饰。那时，有六十家博物馆对外开放。慢慢地，美国人开始学习严肃的艺术。实际上，自上世纪初开始，美国艺术就发生了重大的变化。在1908年，一群纽约的艺术家举办了一场历史性的展览，这些艺术家设法利用他们的绘画向人们展示真实的生活，他们绘制各种各样的新的东西。例如，乔治.布鲁茨画了许多反映拳击运动的充满激情和写实的作品，他的作品和其他一些现实主义艺术家的作品一道作为“垃圾箱艺术学校”（ "Ash Can" school of art）而闻名。另一个艺术团体是由著名的摄影家阿尔佛雷德.斯蒂格利茨（Alfred Stieglitz）领导的现代艺术家，这个艺术团体于1913年在纽约、芝加哥和波斯顿举办了一系列的展览，这些展览向美国人展示了欧洲的艺术作品。美国人第一次有机会欣赏诸如毕加索（Pablo Picasso）和乔治.布拉克（Georges Braque）的作品。

这次展览在美国公众中引起了广泛的争论。传统的艺术批评家们指责这次展览的组织者试图推翻基督精神和美国的价值观。前总统西奥多.罗斯福和其他一些人甚至公开指责说，这种新的艺术形式对美国是一种威胁。然而许多年轻的美国画家和艺术爱好者则不这么认为，他们对这种来自欧洲的新的艺术风格的作品非常感兴趣，他们认真研究。很快，查尔斯.德缪斯（Charles Demuth）、约瑟夫.斯特拉（Joseph Stella）和其他一些美国画家开始以这种新的立体派风格创作精美的绘画作品。约翰.马林（John Marin）创作了精美的纽约和缅因州海边的风景画。另外，像马克斯.韦伯（Max Weber）和乔治.奥基夫（Georgia O'Keeffe）这类艺术家，他们以想象超出现实的手法进行绘画。和文学一样，这一时期这些现代的艺术家的作品直到多年后才受到人们的欢迎。

上世纪二十年代美国最伟大的建筑设计师是弗兰克.劳埃德.赖特（Frank Lloyd Wright）。赖特认为，建筑的设计应该与当地景观和风俗相适应，而不能简单地复制古代的建筑风格。他以新的方法来利用当地的材料，赖特发明了许多方法，以此将自然之美融合到建筑之中。然而，绝大多数美国人仍然无法认识赖特的作品，他们还是用那些有着传统观念的建筑设计师，这些设计师通常将建筑物，如住房、办公楼、大学校园和其他建筑设计成古典而又安全的风格。

现在回头看，上世纪二十年代美国文学和艺术的确是美国历史上极为重要的时期，那时产生了许多新的艺术形式和艺术思想。海明威的写作风格一直影响着美国作家。许多画家说，那一时期标志着美国现代绘画艺术的诞生。而美国和其他一些国家学生现在正在研究弗兰克.劳埃德.赖特的建筑设计思想。美国社会的巨大变化，给这些艺术家们的个人生活带来了许多痛苦和悲伤，但他们对社会的反抗和充满想象力的创作，随着时光的流逝，其作品的影响力与日俱增。

简评：

经济的大发展，必然会带来社会的大变化，社会的大变化，必然会带来文学艺术和思想的大变化，除非，这其中有人为的作用，影响到文学艺术的自由发展，影响到思想的自由释放。

经济发展不是人类社会的目的，人的全面发展才是真正的目的。经济发展只是为实现人自身的全面发展创造了良好的条件而已。同样，如果经济发展是以破坏环境、破坏人的自由为代价得来的，这样的经济发展，不仅无用，反而是十分有害的。

上世纪二十年代，美国通过经济的快速发展，向我们展示了一幅社会全面发展的宏伟画卷，之所以能够取得这样的成就，实现经济与社会全面发展，实现经济与人的自身同步发展，其根本在于这个社会拥有自由，并为了充分地让人人都能享受自由而发展起来的民主。如果没有自由和民主，可以想象，这一切可能都不会存在。

The 1920’s were an active and important period for the American arts

Frank Lloyd Wright's home in Oak Park, Illinois　弗兰克.劳埃德.赖特设计建造的位于伊利诺斯州橡树公园里的房子

There were many changes in the social customs and day-to-day life of millions of Americans during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge. Many young people began to challenge the traditions of their parents and grandparents. They experimented with new ideas and ways of living. People of all kinds became interested in the new popular culture. Radio and films brought them exciting news of court trials, sports heroes and wild parties. The nineteen twenties also was one of the most active and important periods for the more serious arts. Writers, painters, and other artists produced some of the greatest work in the nation's history. This week in our series, we take a look at American arts during this exciting period.　

Most Americans approved strongly of the economic growth and improved living conditions during the nineteen twenties. They supported the conservative Republican policies of President Calvin Coolidge. And they had great faith in the country's business leaders and economic system. However, many of the nation's serious artists had a different and darker view of society. They were troubled deeply by the changes they saw. They believed that Americans had become too interested in money and wealth. These artists rejected the new business society. And they also questioned the value of politics. Many of them believed that the first World War in Europe had been a terrible mistake. These artists had little faith in the political leaders who came to power after the war. They felt a need to protest the way the world was changing around them.　

The spirit of protest was especially strong in serious American writing during the nineteen twenties. Many of the greatest writers of this period hated the new business culture. One such writer was Sinclair Lewis. He was the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Lewis wrote about Americans living in the towns and villages in the central part of the United States. Many of the people in his books were foolish men and women with empty values. They chased after money and popularity. In his famous book "Main Street," Lewis joked about and criticized small-town business owners. Social criticism also was central to the writing of the newspaper writer H. L. Mencken, from the eastern city of Baltimore. Mencken considered most Americans to be stupid and violent fools. He attacked their values without mercy. Of course, many traditional Americans reacted strongly to such criticism. For example, some religious and business leaders attacked Mencken as a dangerous person whose words were treason against the United States. But many young people thought Mencken was a hero whose only crime was writing the truth.　

F. Scott Fitzgerald

The work of Lewis, Mencken, and a number of other writers of the nineteen twenties has been forgotten by many Americans as the years have passed. But the period did produce some truly great writing. One of the greatest writers of these years was Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway wrote about love, war, sports, and other subjects. He used short sentences and rough words. His style was sharper and different from traditional American writing. And his strong views about life set him apart from most other Americans. Another major writer was F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald wrote especially about rich Americans searching for happiness and new values. His books were filled with people who rejected traditional beliefs. His book "The Great Gatsby" is considered today to be one of the greatest works in the history of American writing. A third great writer of the nineteen twenties was William Faulkner. Faulkner wrote about the special problems and ways of life in the American south. His books explored the emotional tension in a society still suffering from the loss of the Civil War sixty years before. Some of Faulkner's best books were "The Sound and The Fury," "As I Lay Dying" and "Absalom, Absalom." Like Hemingway, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.　

The nineteen twenties also produced the greatest writer of theater plays in American history, Eugene O'Neill. O'Neill was an Irish-American with a dark and violent view of human nature. His plays used new theatrical methods and ways of presenting ideas. But they carried an emotional power never before seen in the American theater. Some of his best known plays were "Mourning Becomes Electra," "The Iceman Cometh" and "A Long Day's Journey into Night." A number of American writers also produced great poetry during the nineteen twenties. Probably the most famous work was "The Waste Land," a poem of sadness by the writer T. S. Eliot.　

There also were important changes in American painting during the nineteen twenties. Economic growth gave many Americans the money to buy art for their homes for the first time. Sixty new museums opened. Slowly, Americans learned about serious art. Actually, American art had been changing in important ways since the beginning of the century. In nineteen-oh-eight, a group of New York artists arranged a historic show. These artists tried to show real life in their paintings. They painted new kinds of subjects. For example, George Bellows painted many emotional and realistic pictures of the sport of boxing. His work, and the painting of other realistic artists, became known as the "Ash Can" school of art. Another important group of modern artists was led by the great photographer Alfred Stieglitz. This group held a major art show in nineteen thirteen in New York, Chicago, and Boston. The show presented modern art from Europe. Americans got their first chance to see the work of such painters as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. 　

The show caused a huge public debate in the United States. Traditional art critics accused the organizers of the show of trying to overthrow Christianity and American values. Former president Theodore Roosevelt and others denounced the new art as a threat to the country. However, many young American painters and art lovers did not agree. They became very interested in the new art styles from Europe. They studied them closely. Soon, Charles Demuth, Joseph Stella, and other American painters began to produce excellent art in the new Cubist style. John Marin painted beautiful views of sea coasts in New York and Maine. And such artists as Max Weber and Georgia O'Keeffe painted in styles that seemed to come more from their own imagination than from reality. As with writing, the work of many of these serious modern painters only became popular many years later.　

The greatest American designer of buildings during the nineteen twenties was Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright believed that architects should design a building to fit its location, not to copy some ancient style. He used local materials in new ways. Wright invented many imaginative methods to combine useful building design with natural beauty. But again, most Americans did not know of Wright's work. Instead, they turned to local architects with traditional beliefs. These architects generally designed old and safe styles for buildings -- for homes, offices, colleges, and other needs.　

Writers and artists now look back at the roaring nineteen twenties as an extremely important period that gave birth to many new styles and ideas. Hemingway's style of writing continues to influence American writers. Many painters say the period marked the real birth of modern American art. And architecture students in the United States and other countries now study the buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright. The changes in American society caused many of these artists much sadness and pain in their personal lives. But their expression of protest and rich imagination produced a body of work that has grown in influence with the passing years.　

http://www.21voa.com/path.asp?url=/201101/se-nation-170-the-1920s-the-arts-06-jan-11.mp3