2006年VOA标准英语-New York Festival Celebrates Literature from Di

By Amanda Cassandra
New York
04 October 2006

In early autumn, an array of international artists presented their best on the page and on the stage in the Harlem section of New York City.  The presentation is part of a new festival celebrating storytelling through books and performance. 

The three-day UpSouth International Book Festival presented works and performances by artists and writers of various backgrounds and nationalities.  Some came from as far away as Mexico, Cuba, Ecuador, Trinidad and Sierra Leone; others as close as Harlem.

Festival founder¹ Malaika Adero says it was launched to shine a light on contemporary storytelling as an art and tool for enlightenment.

"The purpose is to promote great storytelling, to promote primarily great books and the people who make them," she said.  "To celebrate literature as a storytelling medium, but also to celebrate dance, music, film, all the forms in which we use to tell our stories and to do so in a way that showcases the brilliance² of diversity."

Guests of the festival included actor and activist³ Ruby⁴ Dee, who read from her book Life Lit by Some Large Vision, a compilation⁵ of speeches by her late husband, actor Ossie Davis.  Another writer, Pulitzer Prize winner Oscar Hijuelos, read from his book Cuba Is ... Poetry in both Spanish and English.

Adero says her goal in starting the festival is to bring together a multi-cultural group of artists so they have a new platform to connect with each other and with audiences.

"It is an opportunity for artists to meet other artists doing other kinds of work," she said.  "It is an opportunity for the audience to meet artists and authors in an intimate way and engage with them.  It is very much about creating a dialog and creating community across all kinds of boundaries."

Actor Ruby Dee says although storytelling has taken on various new forms because of television and other media, books will never lose their allure⁶.

"There are dimensions that we can get from books that are not possible on television.  There is something about seeing it in the book, that hearing on television and the radio does not satisfy," she said.

Adero hopes to continue to expand the festival each year, because she says the mission of the festival is timeless.  Humans, she says, have been telling stories since long before the written word.

1 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

2 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

5 compilation   

n.编译，编辑

参考例句：

• One of the first steps taken was the compilation of a report.首先采取的步骤之一是写一份报告。
• The compilation of such diagrams,is of lasting value for astronomy.绘制这样的图对天文学有永恒的价值。

6 allure   

n.诱惑力，魅力；vt.诱惑，引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• The window displays allure customers to buy goods.橱窗陈列品吸引顾客购买货物。
• The book has a certain allure for which it is hard to find a reason.这本书有一种难以解释的魅力。