完美的缺憾——弗罗斯特与诺贝尔文学奖

Robert Frost and Nobel Prize for Literature

弗罗斯特曾经说:"就学术而言,我是不完美的……我没有像拥抱老百姓那样,去取悦‘哈佛’。"弗罗斯特无疑是美国文学史上最受人们尊崇的作家之一。他一生获得了4次普利策奖、1次柏林根诗歌奖、多次美国大学优秀生诗人奖和世界上44所大学的荣誉学位,而且他还多次成为《时代周刊》和《生活》杂志的封面人物。那么,诺贝尔文学奖为什么与他失之交臂呢?笔者认为其主要原因是弗罗斯特选择了一条行人稀少的道路,追求简单深邃的诗歌艺术。

Robert Frost once said that ＂I＇m imperfectly academic. I haven＇t pleased Harvard as much as I have the encompassing barbarians. ＂ With four Pulitzer Pri- zes, the Bollingen Prize for Poetry, numerous Phi Beta Kappa Poet awards, forty-four honorary degrees and appearances on the covers of Time and Life, Frost is no doubt one of the most acclaimed writers in the history of American literature. The Nobel Prize, however, avoided him. Probably the main reason is the deceptive simplicity of his poetry, as his famous line says, ＂I took a road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference＂.