英语名人堂：戈尔·维达尔

尤金·卢瑟·戈尔·维达尔（英语：Eugene Luther Gore¹ Vidal，1925年10月3日－2012年7月31日），美国小说家，剧作家，和散文家。出身于显赫的政治家庭，戈尔是美国政治的犀利评论者。他于1948年写的小说《城市与梁柱》（The City and the Pillar），作为美国第一步明确反映同性恋的主要小说引起社会争议。2012年7月31日，戈尔·维达尔于在家中因肺炎并发症去世，享年86岁

Gore Vidal was famous for speaking his mind on the hottest issues in America and around the world. He was a prolific² novelist, essayist and screen and stage play writer. He also ran for the US Senate. He was related to former US President Jimmy Carter and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore. Vidal was a strong critic of the George W. Bush administration.

 

Vidal was born Eugene Luther Vidal Jr. in New York in 1925. His father worked in the US Air Force and his mother was an actress. He disliked his first name and changed it to Gore when he was a teenager. He was raised and educated in Washington D.C. and spent a great deal of time learning from his grandfather, Democratic Senator Thomas Gore.

 

Vidal's writing career began when he was nineteen. The book 'Williwaw' was about his experiences in the military. In 1948, aged³ 22, he wrote his ground-breaking 'The City and the Pillar', which shocked many Americans. It was the first American novel to focus on homosexuality. The New York Times refused to review his next five books. This established Vidal's reputation for his outspokenness⁴.

 

For six decades Vidal wrote commentaries on American politics and society. He has a huge following of admirers, including critic Martin Amis, who said Vidal "is learned, funny and exceptionally clear-sighted. Even his blind spots are illuminating⁵." Vidal was a member of the World Can't Wait organization, which demands the impeachment⁶ of George W. Bush for crimes against humanity. He died in August 2012.

1 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

2 prolific   

adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的

参考例句：

• She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
• The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 outspokenness   

参考例句：

• He wondered whether his outspokenness a liability to John. 他怀疑自己那么心直口快，是否为成为约翰的包袱。
• He wondered whether his outspokenness might a. to his friend. 他怀疑自己那么心直口快，会否使他朋友背上思想包袱。

5 illuminating   

a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的

参考例句：

• We didn't find the examples he used particularly illuminating. 我们觉得他采用的那些例证启发性不是特别大。
• I found his talk most illuminating. 我觉得他的话很有启发性。

6 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。