THE MAN WHO LOVED CHILDREN

Book ID/图书代码： 07861206B03958

English Summary/英文概要： With an Introduction by Randall Jarrell. Sam and Henny Pollit have too many children, too little money, and too much loathing for each other. As Sam uses the children’s adoration to feed his own voracious ego, Henny watches in bleak despair, knowing the bitter reality that lies just below his mad visions. A chilling novel of family life, the relations between parents and children, husbands and wives, The Man Who Loved Children, is acknowledged as a contemporary classic.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 1940年，评论家和公众对此书反应冷淡，
1968年，他们再度挖掘出这本书，并冠之以“现代经典”美名。
The Man Who Loved Children是澳大利亚作家Christina Stead著于1940年的作品。尽管于几十年前已被出版发行，直到1965年再版才受到广泛好评和欢迎。
时代杂志将其列为1923-2005年100本最佳英语小说之一。

The Man Who Loved Children是Christina Stead最富盛名的作品。小说以作者在澳大利亚悉尼渡过的青春期生活为基础，而书中背景却设定在美国城市，而时间也有所改变，将本来的1910s改为1930s。本书主要讲述了专制的家庭生活，是一部被Angela Carter比作希腊悲剧式的作品。书中，作者淋漓精致地向我们描述了令人难以置信的家庭困难挣扎以及成员之间的矛盾和亲密。

Sam Pollit就是书名中所说的那个爱孩子的人，然而，事实上，这个男人更爱的是自己。孩子对他而言是用来灌输自己的信仰和羡慕肯定自己的对象物品。Sam热爱自然，喜欢冒险探索。对于这个贫苦的家庭而言，当Sam向孩子滔滔不绝讲述自己的冒险经历，或一家人外出踏青时，他们的苦难得到了最大的解放。

Sam的妻子，Henny来自一个古老富裕的巴尔的摩家族，她总是被极度的贫苦和劳累的工作压得不堪重负。为这段痛苦婚姻所困的Henny开始痛恨丈夫Sam，孩子，乃至自己。她的不满情绪时常爆发出来，这对Sam而言是无情的控诉。于是，Sam就挥拳怒打妻子。

Henny总是企图自杀﹑谋杀或纵火，这使她的人生陷入绝望的深渊，无助的情感激增。她总是躲在屋子里，从来不参与家庭外出活动。

Lousia是家中的长女，她是Sam和前任妻子所生，因此常常成为继母发泄的对象。随着故事情节的发展，读者可以看到Lousia渐渐发展了与父亲截然不同的观点。面对家庭的纷争，她觉得自己有义务将自己和手足们从这永无休止的悲剧中解救出来……(YM)

Awards/获奖情况：Were the critics and the public right in 1940 when they rejected this strange book? Or were later critics right when, in 1968, they "rediscovered" The Man Who Loved Children and dubbed it a modern classic? Given the book’s excesses and strengths, it is difficult to make a reasonable literary judgment either way. But simply as a portrait of an extraordinary family, the book probably has no equal. And what a family! A charismatic, egotistical father (Sam) spouts nonstop high-minded rubbish while using playful camaraderie to dominate his seven children. His bitter wife (Henny), overworked and desperate, communicates mostly through screaming tirades. Louie, the sensitive older daughter, agonizes as she witnesses the events that eventually lead to tragedy. Although the larger-than-life domestic scenes may not always be pleasant to read, they are nevertheless unforgettable. Listening to them might actually be better than reading them, since the reader might be tempted to skip Sam’s long-winded harangues and so disrupt the narrative. With tapes, the splendid writing can be fully appreciated. M.C. Herbert reads the challenging text with skill and understanding. It is unfortunate, however, that the excellent introduction by Randall Jarrell is not included. Recommended for literary collections.?Jo Carr, Sarasota, Fla.---From Library Journal

"This crazy, gorgeous family novel is one of the great literary achievements of the twentieth century. I carry it in my head the way I carry childhood memories; the scenes are of such precise horror and comedy that I feel I didn’t read the book so much as live it."---Jonathan Franzen, author of The Corrections

"A story of life, faithfully plotted, clearly told, largely peopled with real souls, genuine problems; it is realistically set, its intention and drive are openly and fully revealed; it is also a work of absolute originality."---Elizabeth Hardwick

"It must be a classic, for there are very few novels in English that are as large and as beautifully written."---Robert Lowell

"One of the best novels of this century."---Walter Clemons, Newsweek

About the Author/作者介绍： Christina Stead was born and raised in Australia, but spent the bulk of her life abroad, living in Europe.
Considered by many to have been one of Australia’s greatest novelists, she was often spoken of in Nobel Prize-winning terms, especially with regard to her finest novel THE MAN WHO LOVED CHILDREN, which was based heavily on her own childhood.

Christina Stead土生土长在澳大利亚，但是大部分时间旅居欧洲。

Christina Stead著有12本书和无数短篇小说，其中很多都刊登在类似《纽约客》的报纸杂志上。尽管是个澳大利亚人，Christina Stead的小说故事情节大多数设定在英国，欧洲和美国等地，折射出她的游历生涯。

Christina Stead被公认为是澳大利亚最伟大的作家。1974年，她被授予在澳大利亚非常有知名度的Patrick White奖，并多次获诺贝尔奖提名。作者于1983年逝世。

Format:TRADE PAPERBACK

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE

Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE

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