The Image of Scott in The Great Tragedy

Zweig (188 1 ~ 1942) is an Austrian writer. Born into a wealthy Jewish factory owner family in Vienna. When I was young, I studied philosophy and literature in Vienna and Berlin. 1904, new free editing. Later, I went to Western Europe, North Africa, India, America and other places. In France, I met Weil Harlan, romain rolland, Rodin and others, and I was influenced by them. Engaged in the translation of foreign literature (mainly poetry) before World War I.. After the outbreak of the war, he published the anti-war script "Jeremiah" (19 17), engaged in anti-war activities with romain rolland and others in Switzerland, and became a famous pacifist. After 19 19, he lived in seclusion in Salzburg for a long time and buried himself in writing. 1928 was invited to meet Gorky in the Soviet Union. 1938 went into exile in Britain and became a British citizen. 194 1 arrived in Brazil. 1942 On February 23rd, he and his wife committed suicide in Indianapolis, petro near Rio de Janeiro.

Zweig's literary activities began with poetry creation. The early poetry anthology Silver String (190 1) and Garland of the Past (1906) were deeply influenced by French Impressionism, Hofmannsthal, Rilke and others. His major achievements are biographical literature and novel creation, including The Three Masters by Balzac, Dickens and Dostoevsky (1920). Romain rolland (1921); Struggle with the Elves (1925), a biography written for German writers Holdrin, Kreis and Nietzsche; Three poets describing their lives (1928), biographies written for Tolstoy, Stendhal and Casanova; Joseph Fauci (1929); Psychotherapy (193 1) is a biography of Mesmer, the inventor of hypnosis, Mary Baker Eddie, the founder of church of christ, and Freud, a psychologist. The success or failure of Maria Stewart (1935) and Erasmus from Rotterdam (1935). His biography is not limited to historical facts, but centered on characters.

The main collections of short stories include First Experience (19 1 1), Madman in Malay (1922), Fear (1925) and Feeling Confused (/kloc). The only novel, Anxious Heart (1938), describes the love and suicide tragedy of a paralyzed girl. Most of Zweig's short stories describe the strange experiences of lonely people. The characters in his works are often teased by some mysterious fate and indescribable power, and finally destroyed by some enthusiasm. Twenty-four hours in a woman's life and a letter from an unknown woman describe the thoughts and feelings of middle-class women with delicate psychoanalytic techniques. Zweig's plays include Jeremiah (19 17), Frouboni (1927) and Silent Woman (1935).

After Zweig's death, his posthumous works Yesterday's World (1942) and Balzac (1946) were published one after another. The former is a long memoir, which records the lifestyle of Austria and Europe between the two world wars, while the latter is an unfinished biography that lasted for more than ten years.

(Selected from China Encyclopedia of Foreign Literature, China Encyclopedia Publishing House, 1982 edition)

Scott's letters before his death (Zweig)

Those letters are very touching. Death is imminent, but there is no sadness and despair in the letter, as if the letter is also filled with clear air under the dead sky. Those letters are addressed to people he knows and to all mankind; Those letters were written for that era, but what they said was eternal.

He wrote to his wife. He reminded her to take good care of his most precious legacy-his son, and the most important thing for him to take care of her is not to let his son be lazy. At the end of completing one of the most noble achievements in world history, he made such a confession: "You know, I have to force myself to pursue something-because I always like to be lazy." At the moment when he was about to die, he still felt glory rather than regret for his decision. "Everything about adventure, what can I tell you? Much better than sitting comfortably at home! "

With the most sincere friendship, he wrote letters to the wives and mothers of his companions who died with him to witness their heroism. Although he was dying, he comforted the survivors of his companions with strong and superhuman feelings-because he felt that such a death was memorable and such a moment was great.

He writes to his friends. He is very humble when he talks about himself, but he is full of incomparable pride when he talks about the whole nation. He said that at such a moment, he was very happy that he was the son of this nation-a person who could be called a son. He wrote: "I don't know if I am a great discoverer." But our ending will prove that our nation has not lost that brave spirit and endurance. "When he died, he made a friendly confession to his friends. He didn't say it because of the stubbornness of men in life. In his letter to his best friend, he wrote: "I have never met anyone I admire and love like you in my life, but I have never shown you what your friendship means to me, because you have a lot to give me, but I have nothing to give you." "

His last and most wonderful letter was addressed to his motherland. He thought it necessary to explain that although he failed in the struggle for British honor, there was no personal fault. He listed all kinds of accidents that failed him one by one, and at the same time, he earnestly appealed to all British people not to abandon his survivors with the unique and extremely sad voice of the deceased. His last thought is still not his fate. The last sentence he wrote was not about his own death, but about other people alive: "For God's sake, please take care of our family!" " "Here are some blank stationery.

(Excerpted from The Battle of Antarctica, translated by Shu Shanchang)

There are stars in the sky (Zhao Yan)

Stefan Zweig is famous for his novels, but I like his biographies. Our hearts are being wrapped in dust day after day, becoming hard and solid, becoming secular and utilitarian, and less and less leisure and mood to reflect on ourselves. I looked at Zweig with reverence to see how he held out the most primitive things in people's hearts, held them high and let them shine brightly. It turns out that people can be so strong, fearless, generous and noble. China's Southern Zen said that "the heart is clear, and it hits people's hearts directly", and Zweig's biography can also be said to hit people's hearts directly. Of course, Nan Chan pays attention to not writing words.

All along, there is only room for winners in our memory. Some people say that history is written for them. Even if there are a few exceptions occasionally, such as Xiang Yu and Li Zicheng, it is because they once enjoyed great fame and boundless scenery. There is an old saying in China that "the winner is king and the loser is the enemy", which refers to our inferiority complex. In fact, today, it is not alarmist to say that he is a loser. Even if he is famous in some way, he will disappear after a hundred years and retreat from people's minds to some kind of professional books. In fact, it is no wonder that this social reality. We must face life squarely. We have too many things in our heads. It is not easy to remember the winners. How can I take time out to care about losers? I am like this. Although I know that those losers should have their place, unfortunately, the world is unfair. But after all, there are still people different from us, such as Zweig.

This biography is called The Battle of Antarctica. Today, this scientific experimental station located at 90 south latitude of the South Pole is named Amundsen-Scott Station to commemorate two explorers who first arrived at the South Pole: Norwegian Amundsen and Englishman Scott. At that time, they each led an expedition and competed fiercely, making themselves the first people in the world to reach the South Pole. As a result, Amundsen's Biscottes team reached the pole nearly five weeks ahead of schedule, and successfully moved classes, but Scott and other five people were in the vast snow and ice. Instead of writing a biography of the winner Amundsen, Zweig turned his attention to Scott. This article and other 1 1 biographies about Napoleon, Lenin, Tolstoy, Goethe and Handel. It is included in a collection of works called "When Human Stars Shine".

As the pages turn, Scott's image gradually fills up. Royal Navy colonels are as cold, resolute and unsmiling as thousands of British people. As Zweig said, there is no special sign that he is a hero. He is not as solemn and stirring as Jing Ke's The Wind Rustling Xiao Han, as handsome as Zhou Gongjin's Talking and Laughing, or as lofty as Mao Zedong's Several Romantic Figures Looking at the Present. However, like these famous people, he also has a dream. Everyone once had their own dreams, but most people, after understanding the so-called "worldly wisdom" and estimating their own ability (not their potential), bowed back obediently, so our people turned into a cloud of smoke and didn't know where to go. Look at the sky, the stars are shining. The wise man said that the difference between heroes and ordinary people is only between "want" and "don't". Scott wants and must conquer the South Pole. He will be the first to stand on the southernmost spine of the earth and preach this supreme glory, which is not only his own, but also the pride of his motherland and even all mankind. He took action without hesitation. He began to organize an expedition. However, his lack of funds did not bother him. He gave his property and borrowed money because he was full of confidence in success. His young wife gave birth to a son for him, but like hector, he left his andromache without hesitation, and soon his friends and partners found him. Nothing in the world can shake his will anymore, and he is heading for the holy land in his mind.

……

65438+1October 18, Scott and his four partners reached the pole. "I can't see anything here, which is no different from the creepy monotony of the past few days." -This is robert Falcon scott's complete description of the pole. Something unusual. This is Amundsen's tent, with the Norwegian flag. There is a letter in it representing the unknown second place. He believed that the second place would definitely arrive here after him, so he asked him to take the letter to King Haakon of Norway. Scott accepted the most ruthless responsibility: to testify for another person's achievements in front of the world, and this cause is exactly what he loves. What should we call this behavior? Typical English gentleman demeanor? Is this frivolity equivalent to pulling the door for a lady? Or some sophisticated people will call it stupidity. Isn't it? As long as he erases Amundsen's traces and does something about it, the question of who will set foot on the pole first becomes a suspense, and whatever means are needed to achieve his goal, not to mention this is a lifelong dream. In any case, we are deeply moved by that noble soul, which is the light of human nature. Maybe Scott understands that Amundsen paid the same hard price. Behind the flying Norwegian flag, Amundsen and his partners worked hard for several years and dreamed of it all their lives. This is the glory they deserve, and it is also a degradation of themselves.

……

Look at what Scott wrote in his last book to his wife: "You know, I have to force myself to pursue something-because I always like to be lazy." You see, this is the final confession of a man who has accomplished one of the most noble achievements in the history of the world. His words are as humble as we usually say. Then he wrote, "What can I tell you about this expedition? Much better than sitting comfortably at home! "

165438+ 10/2, the bodies of the heroes have been found. At the British National Cathedral, the king knelt down to mourn these heroes. Their negatives and films were brought back, and their stories spread all over the world. It seems that futile things have come to fruition again. Vigorous destruction, although there is still life in death, although a person destroyed himself in the struggle against invincible bad luck, but his heart has become extremely noble.

When the stars of mankind shine!

American scientists defend British Antarctic explorers

Xinhuanet 2001September 14 A scientist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently published a new book. This new book holds that the failure of robert Falcon scott's Antarctic expedition nearly 90 years ago was not caused by Scott's decision-making mistakes, but by the changeable cold weather.

Previous comments always said that Scott's decision-making mistakes led him and four teammates to trudge 1450 km on the road of Antarctic exploration with sledge and equipment, and finally embarked on the road of death. But in this month's new book "The coldest March", the author Susan Solomon said that in the winter of191~1912, the weather with the lowest temperature of -37℃ for several weeks is much colder than usual, which is exactly the case.

As an atmospheric research chemist, Solomon analyzed the influence of cold weather on Scott and his party's equipment, and consulted the records of weather conditions in books and diaries she found from all over the world. Solomon himself was awarded the National Science Medal of 1999 for discovering the reason of ozone depletion over Antarctica. Before her first trip to Antarctica to study the ozone layer, she began to read the diaries written by Scott and his teammates.

Solomon compared this information with the data collected by the Antarctic automatic weather station in the past 17 years, some of which were collected only a few kilometers away from Scott's expedition route. According to the data displayed by the automatic weather station, in these years, only the temperature of 1988 dropped to the same low temperature as that of Scott's expedition to Antarctica, and it lasted as long. Solomon objectively analyzed the correct decisions and mistakes of Scott and his party, and put forward his own views. She thinks that "this is not flattering him."

Solomon said that on the basis of studying small-scale exploration activities and historical records, Scott and his party estimated that the weather in Antarctica would be very bad.

So they plan to use the sails on the sleigh to speed up, so that they can "run all the way home". Solomon says this plan is very good. A few weeks before Scott's trip to the Antarctic, a Norwegian expedition led by Roald Amundsen had landed on the Antarctic continent, and they used dogs to pull sledges. Scott and his party used sledges pulled by horses and people, and as a result, the horses were frozen and stuck in the mud. Scott and his party didn't realize the cost of their trip until they reached the South Pole.

On the return trip, Scott and two teammates fell only 275 kilometers away from the base camp, and the other two teammates were "one step ahead" before.

However, The New York Times's articles about Solomon's research results triggered letters from readers, and the newspaper later published several of them. The letter pointed out that Amundsen and his teammates faced the same cold weather, and their success was only due to better preparation, thus becoming the first person to land on the Antarctic continent.

The Last Trek —— A Fragment of Captain Scott's Diary

65438+1Saturday, October 27th

In the morning, we walked through the snow ditch where the snowstorm raged. Damn snow arches the waves and looks like a raging sea. Wilson and I will lead the way on skis, and the rest will walk. Finding the road is an arduous and unusual task ... our sleeping bags are wet. It's not too fast, but it's getting wet. We are getting hungry. It would be nice if we ate more, especially lunch. If we want to get to the next supply station as soon as possible, we must walk faster. The next supply station is less than 60 miles from here, and we still have food for a whole week. But don't expect a real meal until you get to the supply station. The road is long in Xiu Yuan, but it is extremely difficult. ...

Thursday, February 65438 +0

I spent the whole day trekking. It took four hours and 45 minutes to walk eight miles. We are still walking at 8 pm. We only had a quick lunch on February 29th of 10, when we left the supply station for only one week. According to the calculation of three meals a day, we still have eight days' food in hand, so it should be no problem to get to the next stop. Evans' finger is in bad condition now, and he has lost two nails. It's frostbite

Saturday, February 6th, 5438+07

The situation today is very bad. Evans looks much better after a good sleep. As usual, he said he was fine. He still walked in his original position, but half an hour later his snowboard fell off and he had to leave the sled. The road conditions are extremely bad. Then we stopped for about 1 hour, and Evans followed, but walked slowly. Half an hour later, his shoes were lost again. We stood in the middle of the monument rock and looked at Evans. Later, we set up a tent for lunch. Evans still didn't show up after dinner. We looked around and saw that he was far away from us. Now we are alert, and the four of us slide back together. I was the first to come to this poor man and was shocked by his appearance. He knelt on the snow, disheveled, his gloves were gone, and his hands were covered with ice. There is a crazy expression in his eyes. I asked him what was wrong, but he said slowly that he didn't know, only that he thought he must have fainted. We helped him to his feet. After two or three steps, he fell down again. He was completely frozen. Wilson, Bowles and I went back to drag the sled, and Oates stayed where he was and took care of him. Evans was unconscious when we came back. He was still unconscious after we carried him into the tent. At midnight 12: 30, he passed away peacefully.

Wednesday, February 22nd

Needless to say, we are destined to experience the most severe moment on our way home. Shortly after leaving today, the southeast wind became extremely violent, and the wind swept the ground. We immediately lost the already blurred and indistinguishable road signs. I didn't see the expected conical stone signpost at lunch. ..... but these misfortunes have not discouraged us, which really should be recorded. In the evening, we drank thick soup made of horse meat, which was delicious. This is really refreshing and refreshing. ...

Sunday, February 26th

It's night, and it's freezing. We got cold feet because the shoes and socks we wore during the day were not dry at all. We consume food carefully, but we should have more food. I'm looking forward to the next supply station, which is only 50 miles away from us now. When we get there, we will be able to carry enough supplies and continue our journey.