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.
(MUSIC)
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.
