Miss Lonelyhearts.docVIP

Miss Lonelyhearts 　　纳撒尼尔?韦斯特（Nathanael West） 1903年出生于纽约一个殷实的犹太移民家庭。他1924年毕业于布朗大学，随后到巴黎游学，15个月后返回纽约，加入父亲的建筑公司。不久后，他开始从事酒店管理业，在为落魄的纽约作家提供便宜食宿的同时，探索写作的可能性。从1931年到1934年，他相继出版了《巴尔索?斯奈尔的梦幻生活》（The Dream Life of Balso Snell）、《寂寞芳心小姐》（Miss Lonelyhearts）、《难圆发财梦》（A Cool Million）等作品。其中，《寂寞芳心小姐》深受名家好评，更被拿来与菲茨杰拉德的《了不起的盖茨比》（The Great Gatsby）相提并论，是韦斯特最受欢迎的作品。尽管这些作品在文学圈受到了赞誉，但是销量都不高。1935年，韦斯特来到好莱坞寻找发展机会，成为一名编剧。1939年，基于他对好莱坞电影产业的观察，他完成了《蝗灾之日》（The Day of the Locust）。1940年，韦斯特和妻子不幸死于一场车祸。韦斯特是美国“黑色幽默小说”的先驱，他的作品笑中带泪，对当时美国社会的种种乱象进行了入木三分的刻画和深沉的讽喻。 　　Excerpts1） 　　Although the deadline was less than a quarter of an hour away， he was still working on his leader2）. He had gone as far as： “Life is worth while， for it is full of dreams and peace， gentleness and ecstasy， and faith that burns like a clear white flame on a grim dark altar.” But he found it impossible to continue. The letters were no longer funny. He could not go on finding the same joke funny thirty times a day for months on end. And on most days he received more than thirty letters， all of them alike， stamped from the dough of suffering with a heart-shaped cookie knife. 　　On his desk were piled those he had received this morning. He started through them again， searching for some clue to a sincere answer. 　　Dear Miss Lonelyhearts― 　　I am in such pain I dont know what to do sometimes I think I will kill myself my kidneys hurt so much. My husband thinks no woman can be a good catholic and not have children irregardless of the pain. I was married honorable from our church but I never knew what married life meant as I never was told about man and wife. My grandmother never told me and she was the only mother I had but made a big mistake by not telling me as it dont pay to be innocent and is only a big disappointment. I have 7 children in 12 years and ever since the last 2 I have been so sick. I was operated on twice and my husband promised no more children on the doctors advice as he said I might die but when I got back from the