C
Louise Gluck has been no stranger to awards over her long and storied career, since her
first publication in 1968. In 1993, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her collection of poems, The Wild Iris. And on Oct 8 she became the 16th woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature with the Nobel prizes first awarded in 1901.
Gluck was honored “for her unmistakable poetic voice that, with plain beauty, makes
individual existence universal”. Often said to be an autobiographical poet, drawing from her
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life, “she is not to be regarded as a confessional poet (告白派诗人). Gluck seeks the universal,” Nobel Committee Chair Anders Olsson said in a statement.
Gluck, 77, the author of 12 poetry collections, has been able to turn her life experiences
into universal themes covering life, loss, and loneliness. Because of this, readers have often found her poetry to be “dark”. However, there is much more than darkness in her voice, as noted by Olsson. “It is straightforward and ... a voice full of humor and biting wit,” he said.
For example, in her poem Snowdrops, she uses the coming of spring after winter to show
rebirth of life after death. She leads readers down a depressing path only to reconnect with the light at the near end. At the conclusion of the poem, readers are left to feel the “raw wind of the new world” as they watch a new spring. This is often the case in Gluck’s poetry, being able to feel joy even after not having done so for a long time.
When her work Faithful Virtuous Night received a National Book Award for Poetry in
2014, a judge for the award went on to say, the collection comes from “a world where darkness blurs (使模糊) ordinarily sharp edges around the oppositions ... [of] our lives－loss and renewal, male and female, the living and the dead”.
Although she’s already a well-known writer, experienced in exploring pain and healing,
Gluck did feel honored to be given the Nobel award. However, when asked what the prize means to her, the poet responded by saying, “It’s too new... I don’t know really what it means.” Her only hope is that she can continue her daily life.
28 What can we know about Louise Gluck?
A. Her first book was published in 1993.
B. The Wild Iris won her the Nobel Prize in literature.
C. She draws from her life experiences in her writing.
D. She is seen as a successful confessional poet.
29. What does Olsson think of Gluck’s poems?
A. They focus on individual existence.
B. They are too dark for readers.
C. They are mainly about human psychology.
D. They are frank and humorous in style.
30. Why does the author mention Snowdrops in paragraph 4?
A. To introduce the main plots of this poem.
B. To describe Gluck’s creativity in choosing themes.
C. To show the features of Gluck’s poetry.
D. To explain Gluck’s purpose in writing Snowdrops.
31.How does Gluck feel about winning the Nobel Prize in literature?
A. She is not qualified for the prize.
B. It is not meaningful for her.
C. It may influence her daily life.
D. The history of the award isn’t long.
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