Contemporary most influential writers and artists from foreign countries

Author: Li Yue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-08-01
Features: This book primarily discusses Borges. Borges' significance also lies in the fact that he created a highly novel and unique artistic form, which represents a direction for future literature. From him onwards, traditional literary concepts underwent a dramatic transformation, offering models for the Latin American New Novel, the French New Novel, and even Chinese avant-garde writers.
White asks: Where is the way out for modern people? How can one find a spiritual ideal realm from the loss of reality? In his novels, White explores a simple yet sufficient answer: "the realm of simplicity and humility." But how does one achieve this realm? White believes that only by enduring suffering. Thus, "suffering and redemption" became a prominent theme in his novels.
Pas passes between the extremes or opposing stances of political activities and loneliness, and his poetry exhibits this obvious fluctuation, which can be explained by the generation of writers he belonged to. Pas believes that individual solitude has a prerequisite: it must be transformed into a movement.
Bellow's humanism is the fundamental hue of his creation. In today's era of anxiety and increasing fear, many writers vividly depict the inescapable "diseases of the century" such as alienation, loneliness, and estrangement. How can humanity escape its contemporary predicament? Led by Bellow, Jewish writers, like Tolstoy, prescribe a cure: rekindling humanity's love.
B?ll In the 1950s, Europeans often equated Germans with Hitler. It was B?ll and other writers who established a new image of Germany abroad. At that time, Germany's prestige primarily stemmed from the prestige of its literature. B?ll was called "the Good German" because he dared to confront Germany's guilt during the height of the Cold War and oppose the erasure of memory.
Heller rose amidst this trend. His breakthrough novel, Catch-22, is a representative work of black humor and a classic of American society. He used fictional settings and characters to portray the absurdity and madness of war and bureaucracy, thereby extracting a metaphysical force that transcends concrete things, dominating and ruling the world.
Gordimer In 1991, Gordimer won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish Academy described her as "writing with strong intuition about the extremely complex personal and social relationships in her environment, while maintaining a sense of political engagement—actively participating without compromising her writing. Her works examine historical processes with profound insight, structuring and completing them."
Marquez In 1965, while driving his wife to the coastal city of Acapulco, Marquez suddenly turned the car around and said to his wife, "The One Hundred Years of Solitude I've longed for—you'll have to give me six months." From then on, he locked himself in his study and spent 540 days and nights at the typewriter. When he finally emerged with a stack of manuscripts, his wife held a loan slip, and they had already sunk into debt.
Aitmatov Numerous symbolic images flow through Aitmatov's works. All thoughts, mysteries, ideas, consciousness, and feelings that are difficult to express are embodied in these diverse and colorful symbols. It is these symbols, capable of transcending time and space, that allow Aitmatov to move from social critique to human critique, from depicting the physical to conveying feelings, from reality to eternity, and from his homeland to humanity.
Kundera "When I was a little boy wearing shorts, I dreamed of having a cream that could turn me invisible, so I could grow up, start writing, and even succeed. Now, success is no longer an issue, but I still long for that cream to make me invisible."
Updike Updike's novels excel in depicting family life and relationships. He delves into the emotions, entanglements, and dilemmas of both married and unmarried life, as well as the complex psychological activities accompanying union and separation. Sexuality became his way of exploring the meaning or content of life, earning him criticism in the process.
Mashur This was an exhilarating night. Mashur and the New York Philharmonic not only perfectly performed the works of Dvo?ák, Ravel, and Bernstein in their hearts but also unleashed a burst of American-style passion and romance—perhaps the unique charm of the New York Philharmonic.
John Williams This was a man of extremely ordinary appearance. He never acted or appeared on screen, yet he became a Hollywood movie star and a five-time Oscar winner. He was eccentric and rarely spoke, but his voice was widely known and long-lasting.
Abbado Eighty-six days after's death, over a hundred musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic held a democratic vote in their oval rehearsal hall to elect their new conductor. Forty minutes later, the baton held for 35 years by was passed to a 56-year-old Italian.
Pavarotti Due to his extraordinary physique, Pavarotti often appeared somewhat comical when singing heartfelt confessions to his beloved. His large body also brought many inconveniences in daily life—his sofas had to be reinforced, his cars custom-made, and his beds exceptionally sturdy. Thus, he earned the amusing nickname "Big P."
Accardo About how to practice the piano, Accardo spoke simply yet profoundly. He mentioned only the basic points: "long tones," "scales," and "staying alert." "In playing, it's often necessary to produce 16 or even 32 notes in one bow. If you lack the skill of using a long bow, you won't play well. Scale practice is like warming up before driving or exercising. Staying alert is key to efficient practice."
Agricola Her piano playing skills are extraordinary, with one of her trump cards being "speed!" Not only is she fast at reading music, sight-reading, and mastering works, but her fingers are also incredibly fast. She can play the left-hand octaves of Liszt's sonatas in less than a second.
Plácido Domingo After achieving great success on stage, Plácido Domingo added a new dimension to his artistic career—conducting. He has now been conducting for a decade. "I deeply love this work. If there comes a day when I can no longer sing, I will fully turn to conducting."
Carles After his career was at its peak, a terrible misfortune suddenly struck him. In the morning of July 1987, while in Paris, Carles suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed. He was diagnosed with leukemia, with only a one-in-ten chance of survival. Carles fell apart.
Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma is an ambassador and diplomat who communicates with people and the world through music. He travels the world with his piano, and his beautiful melodies act as a living bond, uniting audiences of different nationalities and races.
Mutter "It's not necessary to pick up the violin to practice. Reading music or reading related books is also practicing. If you only focus on the violin and don't absorb nutrients from other areas, your playing won't have the true, moving life force."
De Kooning was one of the leading figures of American Abstract Expressionism and a major eccentric on the contemporary art scene. Despite being slightly younger than Picasso, he spent his life in rivalry with him and held no regard for any art masters, living or dead. His paintings were rebellious, wild, and bizarre, yet they delivered a powerful visual shock to the world.
Lucian Freud Lucian Freud, the grandson of the famous founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, was greatly influenced by this fact throughout his life. He seemed to inherit his grandfather's intense interest in shaping and capturing the mental states of his subjects, making it impossible for viewers to observe his figures without attention, down to the smallest detail.
Rauschenberg Although Rauschenberg's name is often associated with Pop Art and Neo-Dada, his works are difficult to define with a single term. His style is and uniquely individual, combining both destructive and constructive elements. For ordinary viewers, artists, and theorists in the postmodernist movement, digesting the vast "legacy" he left behind is not an easy task.
Baselitz These two experiences—conflicts with the authorities in East Berlin and with the censors in West Berlin—seem to have permanently instilled in Baselitz a deep aversion to all forms of political entanglement. Baselitz resolved to invert the motif in his paintings, a feature that has since become a well-known aspect of his art.
Bergman Bergman plunged the camera directly into the human psyche, vividly recreating the history of characters' mental changes, earning him the title of "stream-of-consciousness" cinema. Not only did he explore philosophical questions about life, death, religion, aging, and women through film, but he also guided Swedish cinema for a period onto a path dubbed "soul cinema" by European critics.
Spielberg This man, who has made countless fortunes for the film empire, holds his childhood in the highest regard. He said, "In all my films, I use my childhood—I return to that time to find inspiration and stories. My childhood is the most fulfilling period of my life."
Stone Stone is a controversial figure, an American non-mainstream, anti-establishment director. He enjoys his role as an radical director who speaks and does what others dare not, challenging the war in Vietnam and the government.
Katharine Hepburn "Among all geniuses, acting is the most insignificant. Life is what matters. I always think I should have achieved greater success in more interesting fields."
Parker Film historians generally agree that Gregory Peck may not have been a great actor, but he was an exceptionally skilled and upright professional. Beyond his talent, what is even more admirable about Peck is his personal integrity, his purity, and his image of deeply rooted moral values. All of this made Peck a famous and rare figure in film history.
Marlon Brando Brando was never a conventional person from a young age. Undoubtedly, this was the result of his mother's upbringing, which advocated letting children's nature run free. As a result, Brando developed a penchant for mischief, and even at the age of 42 while filming The Godfather, he surprised everyone by taking off his pants and showing his pale buttocks to over a hundred extras.
Dustin Hoffman Anna finally couldn't take it anymore. While filming Kramer vs. Kramer, Hoffman received a suggestion for separation, and Anna even took his beloved daughter, Jennifer. Hoffman was in agony, pouring all his feelings into his role. He even said, "I can no longer tell which one is me!"
De Niro Even as a naive child, Robert De Niro possessed an extraordinary imagination and desire to perform. He would stare motionlessly at the various portraits his mother painted, imagining himself as one of them and engaging in dialogue with the figures.
Streep Melanie Streep avoids contact with the press and keeps herself isolated from the outside world. It is said that Streep once refused an invitation from the Canadian Prime Minister to visit other countries, famously remarking, "I don't understand why celebrities always want to meet people?"
Tom Cruise Despite the busy filming schedules of Tom and Nicole, they couldn't bear to be separated from their children. They always brought the kids with them, even to the set. Tom would often sprint to his son during filming breaks to change diapers.
Demi Moore At the age of 15, Demi's parents divorced amicably, and from then on, Demi indulged himself, going through a dark and decadent phase of his youth. Yet, it was precisely the family tragedy that forged his strong-willed, success-driven "ambition": "I observe successful people, figure out how they succeed, and then I try their methods like trying on clothes."
Jodie Foster "I've dreamed of winning an Oscar since I was a child. When I watch movies, I get lost in them. I want to be a famous actress, and acting is everything to me."