French writer Annie Ernaux won the 2022 Nobel Prize in literature on Oct 6. She is the first French female to win the prize.
In the words of the Nobel committee, Ernaux was given the award “for the courage and clinical acuity (敏锐的洞察力) of her writing”. Having spent over 50 years as a writer, the 82-year-old winner has published more than 20 books. Rather than consider herself a writer of fiction, Ernaux has used the term “an ethnologist (民族学者) of herself”.
Born in 1940 in a village in Normandy, France, Ernaux grew up in a working-class environment. Her parents ran a combined grocery store and cafe. She worked as a teacher before becoming a full-time writer.
Two books by other French writers inspired her to be a writer: The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir and Distinction by Pierre Bourdieu. The former led her to write about feminism, and the latter raised her awareness of the huge gap between her and the environment she grew up in. Besides her reading influences, her “upbringing and experiences navigating adolescence and adulthood” also inspire many of her works, noted CNN.
Though the matters Ernaux describes in her books are serious and even sometimes heavy, they are always written in plain language. Ernaux described her style as “flat writing” through which she aims to tell her stories objectively, “unshaped by florid (过多修饰的) description or overwhelming emotions”, noted Fox News.
“She writes about things that no one else writes about, for instance her jealousy, her experiences as an abandoned lover and so forth. I mean, really hard experiences.” Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel Committee for Literature, said after the award announcement in Stockholm.
16. What can we learn about Annie Ernaux?
A.She is the first French person to win the Nobel Prize in literature. |
B.She was awarded for the courage and insights shown in her writing. |
C.The Nobel committee described her as “an ethnologist of herself”. |
D.She worked as a full-time writer right after graduation. |
17. What does the underlined word “navigating” mean in paragraph 4?
A.find the right way to deal with | B.be treated badly when someone was a child |
C.educate people to be kind | D.lose hope for the future |
18. Which of the following best describes Ernaux’s writing style?
A.Plain and relaxing. | B.Descriptive and serious. |
C.Humorous and sharp. | D.Objective and easy to understand. |
19. Why is Annie Ernaux different from other writers, according to Anders Olsson?
A.She focuses on serious matters. | B.She suffered a lot of hardships. |
C.Her works are short and moving. | D.Her works are about unexplored subjects. |