In the United States

Author: Susan Sontag
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: This book is the author's recent masterpiece. It immediately sparked a fervent response upon publication and consecutively won the National Book Award and the Jerusalem Prize. In America is a historical biography, with its protagonist modeled after the renowned Polish actress Modjeska. However, this work is not a simple repetition or record of Modjeska's life experiences but rather an organic integration of historical details, emotional portrayal, and modern consciousness. The protagonist, Marina, reigns supreme on the Polish stage, hailed as the "Queen of the Polish Stage" and the nation's hope. Yet, Marina grows weary of the flowers and cheers surrounding her, and as she enters middle age, she begins to experience both physical and psychological crises. In 1876, at the age of 35, Marina, along with her husband, son, and a group of admirers, emigrated to the United States and settled in a corner of California, hoping to complete "self-transformation" and "spiritual revival" in Fourier's simple community life.