2. JOHN STEINBECK, THE GRAPES OF WRATH

　　2. 《愤怒的葡萄》，约翰·史坦贝克著

　　Arguably Nobel Prize-winning American writer John Steinbeck’s greatest work, The Grapes of Wrath follows the fortunes of the Joads, a family of Oklahoman farmers forced to flee their Dust Bowl home during the Great Depression. On the road to California, they encounter hunger, poverty, abandonment, and exploitation, yet also great generosity, sacrifice, maturity, and finally rebirth. Upon publication, the novel’s accessible prose and sensitivity to the plight of America’s labouring poor both resonated with the country’s working classes and aroused the ire of some of Steinbeck’s contemporaries. A true paean to the power of the human spirit, it is studied in high school English classrooms to this day.

　　《愤怒的葡萄》可以说是诺贝尔文学奖获得者、美国作家约翰·史坦贝克最出色的长篇小说，故事描写了约德家族的兴衰。20世纪30年代大萧条时期，这个俄克拉荷马州的农家因为其农场位于美国中部的“灰盆”(当时因为气候原因频繁爆发大规模沙尘暴)，被迫逃离家园。在走向加州的路上，他们遭遇了饥饿，贫穷，被遗弃和剥削等悲惨经历，同时也见证了同胞的慷慨、牺牲、成熟和最后的重生。小说刚刚出版时，因史坦贝克的文笔朴实感性，体恤民情，引起了美国工人阶级的共鸣，但同时也激起了一些同时代人士的怒火。这部小说歌颂了人文精神的力量，迄今都是美国学生英语课堂里的必学材料。