英語名人堂：瑪雅·安吉羅

瑪雅·安吉羅(Maya Angelou),1928年4月4日出生于美國密蘇里州圣·路易斯市。美國黑人作家、詩人、劇作家、編輯、演員、導演和教師。在貧民窟的匱乏生活中長大的安吉羅曾當過廚師、電車售票員、女招待和舞蹈演員。隨后的幾十年她成為一位成功的歌手、演員、劇作家和導演，廣泛涉足于戲劇、電影、音樂等領域，同時還是一位活躍的人權作家，一位非凡的女性。安吉羅是當代美國黑人女詩人中的杰出代表，她的詩歌創(chuàng)作從20世紀70年代延續(xù)到現(xiàn)在，迄今為止她已經出版了十幾部詩集，并獲得了多項大獎。她的詩歌代表著鮮明的民族主義立場、“黑色權力”(為黑人種族爭取自由和平等)以及黑人婦女的覺醒。她是好萊塢第一位非裔女編劇，在卡特和福特兩人政府內任職。

Maya Angelou is part of the fabric of modern America. She has told her story of being a key part of the civil rights movement through poetry, novels and film. She is best known for her sixautobiographies, most notably ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’. In 1993, President Bill Clinton asked her to recite one of her poems at his inauguration.

Angelou was born in Missouri in 1928 into a deeply segregated society. Her parent’s divorce meant she was sent back and forth between her mother and grandmother. Her mother’s boyfriend raped her when she was eight. His later murder left Angelou mute for five years. She studied drama and literature at school, and three weeks after graduating, gave birth to her son.

Angelou struggled to survive for many years. She experienced poverty, crime, prostitution and her son being kidnapped. She won a scholarship to study dance. Her career as a singer and dancer took off. She moved to New York and acted in Broadway plays. She also met Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X and became active in the civil rights movement.

Angelou became, and is to this day, a prolific writer. She also toured the USA giving lectures, appeared in TV series and wrote songs. Her screenplay, ‘Georgia, Georgia’ was the first written by a black woman to be made into a movie. Angelou has been highly honored for her significant cultural contributions and has over 30 honorary degrees. She is an American legend.