5 People Who Became Famous After Death 生前寂寞，身后扬名的五位名人

2014-04-09AshGrant

新东方英语 2014年4期

Ash+Grant

Where theres life， theres death. Though a true statement， for some it seems that life and legacy continue on long after death. Many artists， poets， writers and others have been able to continue to live on through their stories， theories， art and ideas. Though not immortal， the works of certain people allow them to continue to be an important part of the world， despite no longer living.

The list below describes five people， who after death， became famous and made a profound impact on society as well as culture that can still be felt today. Not all of these people wanted fame， but ultimately achieved it， just in an untimely manner. I guess posthumous1） fame isnt all that bad.

Alfred Wegener

Born on November 1， 1880， Alfred Wegener dedicated his life to being a prolific German scientist， geologist， and meteorologist2）. In 1905， he received his astronomy degree from the University of Berlin and then set out on a life of discovery and experimentation. He went on expeditions to Greenland in order to study the polar air circulation， which was done before there was ever a widely accepted existence of the Earths jet stream3）. Wegener， during his life， also focused his research heavily on continental drift， in which he believed the continents were very slowly moving around the earth. But， despite research and information that backed his theory， it was not accepted until later on in the 1950s. He died in 1931 on a trip to Greenland due to heart failure.

The Death Effect

Though he made his theories known during his lifetime， not many people believed him， and they often went on with their own experiments， disregarding Wegeners findings. While he did discover the jet stream， continental drift and the fact that the continents are connected， he was never credited with these ideas until there was concrete evidence proposed and accepted. After his death， J. Tuzo Wilson4） provided substantial evidence to prove the existence of tectonic plates5） and continental drift. Once proven， Wegeners theories were brought to the forefront.

Galileo Galilei was born on February 15， 1564. He was a scientist， mathematician and astronomer who contributed valuable information and astrological tools to the scientific world. He created a telescope that allowed him to look at the planets， including Jupiter and Saturn， in which he was able to discover the moons orbiting these planets. Though he didnt discover the theory himself， he proved that Copernicus was correct in his heliocentric6） theory of our solar system. While his discoveries and theories were correct， he was often criticized by those heavily involved in religion， which was a way of life during his time， as they believed that the world was geocentric and was in one fixated place and did not move to revolve around the sun. He was accused of heresy7） by Pope Urban VIII and was put on house arrest8） until his death.

The Death Effect

While Galileo did make himself known， his theories were hardly accepted during his lifetime. During his lifetime， there was still a strong focus on incorrect religious beliefs. People didnt want to think outside of the Bible， and therefore anything that contradicted what the Bible claimed was ultimately thrown out and entirely disregarded. However， today， Galileo stands as the father of modern physics and his work is highly praised. Even though he didnt know it， Galileo was studying and experimenting with scientific ideas that today are considered highly important parts of the scientific world， including kinematics9） and strength of materials.

Born in 1822， Gregor Johann Mendel was an Augustinian10） priest， who today is known as the “father of modern genetics.” Even though his experiments didnt seem of much value during his time， little did people know that he had experimented with genetic inheritance by examining pea plants. Despite the fact that he was extremely shy and quiet and often had psychological breakdowns， he was heavily devoted to plant hybridization， botany， meteorology and learning more about natural science. One of his most famous experiments involved him cross-breeding two different types of pea plants. His experiments brought forth two generalizations， the Law of Segregation11） and the Law of Independent Assortment12）， which later became known as Mendels Laws of Inheritance. In 1884 Mendel died， but thankfully his discoveries did not.

The Death Effect

While he had made very significant findings， such as the fact that trait inheritance follows certain laws， Mendels theories and data were not recognized， used and praised until the 20th century. Many disregarded his theories and information due to the fact that they just didnt understand it. He was rediscovered in the 1900s and biologists over flocked to test out his experiments. Today， Mendel has two laws named after him， both dealing with genetics. One explains dominant and recessive genes， which he discovered after mixing a white and purple pea plant， and the product producing only purple flowers， and the other explains how alleles13） of different genes all assort independent of other alleles.

Born on January 19， 1809 in Massachusetts， Edgar Allan Poe flew under the radar14） his entire life. He is known as an American Romantic Movement writer who often focused on macabre15） mystery， and is the first to write a detective-fiction short story. He had hoped to become a successful writer and make a living by doing so， but his life went otherwise. While Poe was able to publish his prose as well as short stories， he wasnt usually paid for them， and if he was， it was just a few dollars. His piece， The Raven， sold for $9， which is a highly praised work of literature today. After his wifes premature death， his life seemed to go downhill. He was moving from place to place in order to keep publishing his work and attempting to stay out of legal trouble due to excessive drinking. However， in 1849， Poe died of what doctors say to be a combination of many possible things， ranging from suicide to rabies16）， to heart disease.

The Death Effect

While Poes work was published， he never made much money， and never received the fame he has today. All over the world his work is celebrated for introducing a new type of writing style and theme into the literature world.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said， “Each [of Poes detective stories] is a root from which a whole literature has developed…. Where was the detective story until Poe breathed the breath of life17） into it？” High praise from someone who many feel is the most important detective novelist of all time.

Born on July 3， 1883 in Prague， Franz Kafka was part of a middle-class Jewish family. He was the eldest of all of the children and was put under most pressure to help his family by his father. After attending school at the Charles-Ferdinand University of Prague， he studied chemistry， then switched to law， and became extremely interested in writing and other literary elements. Though he found quality jobs， he quit them often due to conflicts with the time. Kafka wanted more time to himself in order to write， and later in life moved to Berlin in 1921 in order to get this time. But， in 1924 he died suddenly， apparently from starvation， due to the fact that he was suffering from tuberculosis18） and was no longer able to eat.

The Death Effect

“Dearest Max， my last request： Everything I leave behind me … in the way of diaries， manuscripts， letters， sketches， and so on， [is] to be burned unread.”

While alive， Kafka only published a few pieces of his unfinished works. His writing didnt get much attention until after he died， and that is when many began to discover his style of writing， which was highly existential and modern， and often reflected his own life in a dry19）， humorous way. Before dying， Kafka never really finished his works. The Metamorphosis stands as one piece of literature that was completed， but many see it as a short story， not a novel. His work wasnt published until after he died， by a lifelong friend named Max Brod. Today， there is still a search for lost letters and manuscripts written by Kafka.

His fame lives on as Kafka has a museum dedicated to his work in Prague， Czech Republic. Possibly more notable is the fact that the term “Kafkaesque” is widely used today to describe bizarre concepts and ideas which are prevalent in his works， particularly The Trial and The Metamorphosis.

有生就有死。这话虽然不假，但对某些人而言，即便过世之后很久，生命和身后留下的影响似乎也不会停止。许多离世的艺术家、诗人、作家等都得以通过自己的小说、理论、艺术和思想来延续生命。虽然不能永垂不朽，但有些人会因其作品而能继续在世上占有举足轻重的地位，尽管他们已经离世。

下面介绍的五个人都是过世后闻名天下的。时至今日，我们仍可以感受到他们对社会和文化产生的深远影响。他们并非都想成名，但最终都功成名就了，只是名声来得不是时候。但我想身后之名也没那么糟糕吧。

阿尔弗雷德·魏格纳

阿尔弗雷德·魏格纳出生于1880年11月1日，他终身致力于科研工作，是一名成果丰硕的德国科学家、地质学家和气象学家。1905年，他在柏林大学获得天文学学位，随即展开了毕生的探索和实验工作。为了研究极地的大气环流，他曾多次赴格陵兰岛考察，而那时人们还未曾广泛认同地球急流的存在。在有生之年，魏格纳还着重将精力专注于大陆漂移的研究，在研究中他认为大陆正非常缓慢地在地球表面移动。但是，尽管有研究和资料支持他的理论，这一学说却直到后来的20世纪50年代才被接受。1931年，魏格纳在赴格陵兰岛考察途中因心力衰竭不幸逝世。

身后之名

尽管魏格纳在有生之年已将自己的理论公之于众，但并没有多少人相信他。人们常常自顾自地继续着实验，对魏格纳的发现置之不理。尽管他的确发现了急流、大陆漂移以及大陆之间相互连接这一事实，但直到有人提出确凿的证据并被接受之后，人们才将这些观点归功于魏格纳。在魏格纳过世之后，J·图佐·威尔逊提供了充分的论据来证明构造板块和大陆漂移的存在。一经证实，魏格纳的理论就跻身前沿理论之列。

伽利略·加利莱伊出生于1564年2月15日。作为一名科学家、数学家和天文学家，他为科学界贡献了宝贵的资料和占星工具。他发明了可以用于观测木星、土星等行星的望远镜，并用望远镜发现了围绕这些行星运转的卫星。尽管太阳系中的“日心说”理论并非由伽利略本人发现，但他却证明了哥白尼提出的这一理论的正确性。虽然伽利略的发现和理论是正确的，但他却常常陷于虔诚宗教徒的批判之中——虔诚的宗教信仰是他所处时代的一种生活方式——因为人们相信地球是世界的中心，它岿然不动，不会围绕太阳公转。伽利略被罗马教皇乌尔班八世指控发表异端邪说，被软禁在家直至离世。

身后之名

虽然伽利略的确使自己声名在外，但终其一生，他的理论都几乎没有被接受。在他的有生之年，人们仍固执地坚持着错误的宗教观点。他们不愿跳出《圣经》的框架来思考，因此任何与《圣经》中的观点相悖的事物最终都会被摒弃并被完全忽视。然而，如今，伽利略被誉为“现代物理学之父”，他的研究也受到高度赞扬。尽管伽利略本人并不知晓，但他当初所研究和进行实验的科学观点如今被视为科学界极其重要的组成部分，包括运动学和材料力学。

格雷戈尔·约翰·孟德尔出生于1822年，是一名奥古斯丁修会的神父，如今被誉为“现代遗传学之父”。尽管他的实验在他生活的时代看起来没有太大价值，但人们并不知道他通过观察豌豆植株来进行基因遗传实验。虽然他极其害羞，少言寡语，并常受心理崩溃之扰，但他仍全身心地致力于植物杂交、植物学和气象学的研究以及对自然科学的更深入了解。他最著名的实验之一是将两个不同品种的豌豆植株进行杂交繁育。他的实验揭示了两个定律——分离定律和自由组合定律，即后来被人们熟知的孟德尔遗传定律。孟德尔于1884年逝世，但值得庆幸的是，他的科学发现并没有随他而逝。

身后之名

尽管孟德尔做出了重大的科学发现，比如发现性状遗传遵循某些规律，但直到20世纪，孟德尔的理论和数据才获得认同、得以使用并受到称赞。许多人无视他的理论和信息，仅仅因为他们不理解。到了20世纪初期，他再次得到关注，生物学家们蜂拥去验证他的试验结果。如今，有两个定律都是以孟德尔的名字命名的，同属遗传学的范畴。其中一个定律解释了显性基因和隐性基因的遗传规律，他将开白色花与开紫色花的豌豆植株进行杂交，结果只得到开紫色花的植株，从而发现了这一定律。另一个定律解释了不同基因的等位基因是如何独立于其他等位基因来实现全部独立分配的。

埃德加·爱伦·坡1809年1月19日出生在马萨诸塞州。终其一生，他始终低调神秘。如今，他作为美国浪漫主义运动时期的作家而闻名，通常专注于创作惊悚的悬疑小说，而且是短篇侦探小说的鼻祖。他原本希望成为一位成功的作家，并以此养家糊口，但他的生活却是另外一番景象。虽然坡得以出版自己的散文和短篇小说，但却常常拿不到稿酬，即便能拿到稿酬，也仅有几美元而已。他的诗歌《乌鸦》当初只卖了九美元，而如今这是一部受到高度赞誉的文学作品。在他的妻子早逝之后，他的人生似乎开始走下坡路了。为了继续出版自己的作品，并试图逃避酗酒引起的法律问题，他在各地颠沛流离。然而，1849年，坡去世了，医生说可能引起他死亡的原因很多，包括自杀、狂犬病和心脏病。

身后之名

虽然坡的作品得以出版，但他从未赚到过很多钱，也从未享受过当今这样的名望。他的作品如今名满天下，因为它们为文学界引入了一种新的写作风格和主题。

阿瑟·柯南·道尔爵士曾说：“[坡的]每一部[侦探小说]都为侦探小说类文学的发展提供了根基……在坡给侦探小说注入生命力之前，哪里存在侦探小说呢？”这是许多人眼中有史以来最重要的侦探小说家对坡的高度赞誉。

1883年7月3日，弗朗茨·卡夫卡出生在布拉格一个中产阶级犹太家庭。他是家中的长子，迫于父命，他承受着最大的养家压力。从布拉格查理大学毕业后，他学习过化学，继而转向法律，并开始对写作和其他文学工作产生极大的兴趣。尽管他找到的工作都不错，但他却经常因为时间冲突而辞职。卡夫卡想给自己更多的时间去写作，为了获得写作时间，他于1921年搬到了柏林。然而，1924年，他突然去世，明显死于饥饿，因为他当时身患肺结核，已无法进食。

身后之名

“我最亲爱的马克斯，下面是我最后的请求：我过世后留下的每件东西……包括日记、手稿、信件、草稿等，请不要阅读，全部烧毁。”

在有生之年，卡夫卡仅仅发表了几篇未完成的作品。去世后，他的作品才受到广泛关注。也是在那时，很多人开始发现他的写作风格，这种风格高度体现了存在主义和现代主义，经常以一种冷面滑稽和幽默的方式折射卡夫卡自己的生活。去世之前，卡夫卡从未真正地完成过自己的作品。《变形记》是一篇已完成的文学作品，但很多人认为它只是一个短篇故事，不是小说。直到去世后，卡夫卡的作品才被其毕生的挚友马克斯·布罗德发表。时至今日，仍有人在寻找卡夫卡遗失的信件和手稿。

卡夫卡盛名依旧，他在捷克共和国的布拉格拥有一个用于展示自己作品的博物馆。或许更值得一提的是“卡夫卡式”一词，该词如今被广泛地用来描述怪诞的概念和思想，而这些在卡夫卡的作品中无处不在，在《审判》和《变形记》两部作品中尤为如此。

1. posthumous [?p?stj?m?s] adj. 死后的，身后的

2. meteorologist [?mi?ti??r?l?d??st] n. 气象学家

3. jet stream：[气]急流，指位于对流层上层或平流层中的强而窄的气流，是全球大气环流的重要环节。

4. J. Tuzo Wilson：J·图佐·威尔逊（1908～1993），加拿大地球物理学家和地质学家，因对板块构造论的贡献而在全世界享有盛誉。

5. tectonic plate：[地] （地壳）构造板块

6. heliocentric [?hi?li??sentr?k] adj. [天]日心的

7. heresy [?her?si] n. 异教；异端邪说

8. house arrest：[律] （本宅）软禁

9. kinematics [?k?n??m?t?ks] n. [物]运动学

10. Augustinian：奥古斯丁修会的。奥古斯丁，即奥勒留·奥古斯丁（Aurelius Augustine， 354～430），古罗马帝国时期基督教思想家，是奥古斯丁修会的发起人。

11. Law of Segregation：（遗传学用语）分离定律