VOA慢速英语--美国队在印度斋浦尔文学节庆祝

India's artistic¹ and intellectual elite² gathered in the U.S. city of Boulder³, Colorado last month to celebrate some of the literary world's most gifted writers.

The Jaipur Literature Festival was launched in Jaipur, India in 2006. It now has nearly 300 speakers and about 500,000 people attending the events every year.

The festival also travels around the world. Its first stop in the United States was Boulder, a city known for its technology industry.

Festival co-director Namita Gokhale told VOA she loves Boulder's highly-educated community. But her favorite part of Boulder is its natural environment.

"Something about this place reminds me of my hometown in the Himalayas," she says.

Wherever the festival goes, Gokhale said, it seeks to create a deep feeling of happiness through life experiences.

Happiness, she added, "means extracting a deeper understanding from possibly even the most tragic⁴ situations."

Lighthearted moments

In her book, "Good Talk," Mira Jacob writes about race and gender⁵ struggle in her large family. Speaking at the festival, Jacob told her painful story. But she also created a sense of happiness that made her listeners laugh.

Jacob explained that her Indian-born mother tells her friends, "Mira has her stories, and I know the truth."

Tragedy and triumph

Izzeldin Abuelaish is a Palestinian-born medical doctor. His book, "I Shall Not Hate," tells the story of the Israeli bombing of his home 10 years ago. The attack killed his three daughters.

"But I can keep them alive in my heart... It's with wisdom, with kind, courageous⁶, strong words and with good (acts)," Abuelaish told listeners.

Ethiopian-born writer Maaza Mengiste was another speaker. "The Shadow King" tells of the 1935 Italian invasion of Ethiopia and a tragedy that followed.

Mengiste said her story is not just a story about Ethiopia: it's about "every woman and every girl who's had to survive some kind of conflict, whether it's in war or in the home."

"Silence in some ways protects us," she added. "Until we hear someone else's story, and understand that we're not alone."

Mengiste is a Fulbright scholar who uses non-traditional ways to discover stories from the past. She goes on the social networking service Twitter and asks users to send pictures of women during wartime.

With stories like these, the Jaipur Literature Festival asks those who love literature to seek a deeper understanding of the human experience.

Words in This Story

elite – n. the most successful or powerful group of people

remind – v. to cause to remember

extract – v. to choose and take out (parts of a written work) for a separate use

gender – n. the behavior, culture of emotions normally linked to one sex

courageous – adj. brave

novel – n. a long written story usually about imaginary events

Fulbright Scholar – n. a program that brings international students to America to study, teach or do research and sends American students overseas to do the same

1 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

2 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

3 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

4 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

5 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

6 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。