VOA标准英语2013--Korean American Deli Owner Is A Calligrapher

 

Korean American Deli Owner Is A Calligrapher¹

Kwon Myoung-Won tends to customers at the counter while his wife So-Young makes the sandwiches. They've been working together for 20 years in this store that sells beer and wine along with specialty² sandwiches. 

“The store hours are from six thirty in the morning to ten at night. But I arrive at six, so I work 16 hours a day,” Kwon said.

The store, near Washington DC, does not exhibit art. But long rolls of rice paper are stored under a shelf for merchandise. When the store is not busy, usually in the late afternoon, it's time for calligraphy³. Kwon is writing the word “door,” in Korean, over and over. 

"Door implies opening. And getting through all the passages in life is also opening a door. But we cannot do that without efforts. We have to work hard to open the doors to achieve our dream," Kwon said. 

Most of Kwon’s calligraphies contain small Korean letters. He says that's a byproduct of circumstance.

“While running the store for long hours, I wanted to utilize⁴ the time because I barely had time at home. But when customers came in, I had to stop writing. Then the tip of the brush got dry and the mood changed. So I decided⁵ that I could work better with small letters,” Kwon said.

One of Kwon's works is the silhouette⁶ of a figure skater. It's formed from thousands of tiny letters. The skater is Olympic gold medalist Kim Yu-Na from South Korea. The letters are her nickname, “flower.” 

“I started calligraphy when I was seven. My older brothers who went to a village school wrote letters with a brush. I was fascinated watching them write words with a thin brush. So I started practicing myself,” Kwon said.

Some of Kwon’s works are displayed in the Library of Congress in Washington. Paul Taylor heads the Asian Program at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History in Washington. Kwon's calligraphy is on permanent display there, as well. 

“The most important element of Kwon Myoung-Won’s calligraphy we are emphasizing here is his use of classical form in a dynamic, modern, new kind of tradition that he carries forward as a member of the Korean diaspora based here not in Korea,” Taylor said.

For this piece, Kwon was inspired by President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. 

He's donating it to Lincoln's presidential library near Chicago.

Kwon has performed traditional Korean calligraphy at the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival in Washington. And he demonstrates his art at a local university.

“Diverse culture coexists in this country. So I try to help other people recognize the beauty of the Korean language and the art of Korean calligraphy. That is my dream,” Kwon said.

Kwon Myoung-Won says he's doing his best to make that dream come true. 

1 calligrapher   

n.书法家

参考例句：

• People would ask, then, how come a young calligrapher should choose to marry a cold-drink peddler? 以后人家会说——年轻的书法家，怎么找一个卖冷饮的？ 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• Wang Xizhi was a great calligrapher in ancient Chiina. 王羲之是中国古代一位伟大的书法家。

2 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

3 calligraphy   

n.书法

参考例句：

• At the calligraphy competition,people asked him to write a few characters.书法比赛会上，人们请他留字。
• His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful.他的书法苍劲有力。

4 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 silhouette   

n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓

参考例句：

• I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。
• I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。