名人轶事49:Louisa May Alcott

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special English program, People in

America. Every week we tell about a person important in the history of the

United States. Today we tell about Louisa May Alcott. She wrote one of

America's best loved children's books.

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VOICE ONE:

In eighteen sixty-eight, an American publisher asked a struggling young

writer to write a book for girls. At first, the writer, Louisa May Alcott,

was not sure she wanted to do it. She said she never liked girls. And she

never knew many, except her sisters. She thought her family's activities and

experiences might be interesting to others. But, she said, probably not.

VOICE TWO:

Alcott decided to write the book anyway. She told about her experiences

growing up in the northeastern United States during the middle of the

nineteenth century. Her book proved to be more than interesting. “Little

Women” became one of the most popular children's books in American

literature. It has been published in more than fifty languages.

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VOICE ONE:

Louisa May Alcott was born in Pennsylvania in eighteen thirty-two. She was

the second of four daughters. She had one older sister, Anna. And two younger

sisters, Elizabeth, called Beth, and May. Her parents were Bronson and

Abigail Alcott. Her father was an educator and social reformer.

The Alcotts later settled in concord, Massachusetts. Several great American

writers were friends of the family. They included Ralph Waldo Emerson,

Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau. Mister Alcott provided the

girls' education. He taught them many subjects. He also made them write about

their personal thoughts and experiences.

VOICE TWO:

The Alcotts did not have much money. Louisa worked to help support her

family. She tried teaching, sewing, and taking care of children. She did not

like any of these Jobs.

Louisa thought of herself as a writer. At the age of sixteen, she wrote her

first book. It was called “Flower Fables.” She decided to sell what she

wrote. She wrote many kinds of poems, stories, and plays. Her stories were

exciting, but unrealistic. She sold them to newspapers and magazines for

small amounts of money.

VOICE ONE:

In eighteen sixty-two, during the American Civil War, Louisa May Alcott went

to Washington, D.C. She served as a nurse in a military hospital. She cared

for sick and wounded soldiers. She wrote letters to her family about her

experiences. She included these letters in a book that was published the next

year. Critics praised it but it did not bring her much money. And, working in

the hospital damaged her health.

VOICE TWO:

In eighteen sixty-five she visited Europe as a helper to an older woman.

Alcott hoped to re-gain her health. She spent a long time away from her

family. Her health did not improve. But she thought about her writing. When

she returned, she agreed to her publisher's request that she write a book for

girls based on the life she knew.

“Little Women” was published in eighteen sixty-eight. The book was

immediately popular with people of all ages. It brought Alcott fame and a lot

of money. She continued writing other popular books for young people. These

included “An Old-Fashioned Girl,” “Little Men, and “Eight Cousins.”

VOICE ONE:

Louisa May Alcott wrote books for adults, as well as children. She published

these under another name -- A. M. Barnard. These books were published before

“Little Women” made her famous. They were very different from her

children's stories. They were about love, power, and unhappiness. They have

been published again in the United States.

One book is called “Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May

Alcott.” The book includes four mystery stories. Another is called “The

Lost Stories of Louisa May Alcott.” These stories are about love, betrayal,

and illegal drugs.

VOICE TWO:

Alcott wrote a story called “A Long Fatal Love Chase.” It is about an

independent young woman. She marries an older man who already has a wife. She

flees from him. He follows her throughout Europe. The book tells of insanity,

violence, and death. Louisa May Alcott tried to get the book published in

eighteen sixty-six. The publisher rejected it. He said it was too shocking.