威廉巴特勒叶芝，亦译叶慈、耶茨，爱尔兰诗人、剧作家，著名的神秘主义者，是爱尔兰文艺复兴运动的领袖，也是艾比剧院的创建者之一，被诗人艾略特誉为当代最伟大的诗人。叶芝对戏剧也有浓厚的兴趣，先后写过26部剧本。 　　William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms. Yeats was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and, along with Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn, and others, founded the Abbey Theatre, where he served as its chief during its early years. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature as the first Irishman so honoured for what the Nobel Committee described as inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation. Yeats is generally considered one of the few writers who completed their greatest works after being awarded the Nobel Prize; such works include The Tower and The Winding Stair and Other Poems . Yeats was a very good friend of Indian Bengali poet Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. 　　Yeats was born and educated in Dublin, but spent his childhood in County Sligo. He studied poetry in his youth and from an early age was fascinated by both Irish legends and the occult. Those topics feature in the first phase of his work, which lasted roughly until the turn of the 20th century. His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889 and those slow-paced and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and the Pre-Raphaelite poets. From 1900, Yeats poetry grew more physical and realistic. He largely renounced the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with physical and spiritual masks, as well as with cyclical theories of life. 　　意识流小说巨匠James Joyce 　　詹姆斯乔伊斯，爱尔兰作家，诗人。1882 年2月2日生于都柏林信奉天主教的家庭，1941 年1月13日卒于瑞士苏黎世。 　　James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century. Joyce is best known for Ulysses , a landmark work in which the episodes of Homers Odyssey are paralleled in an array of contrasting literary styles, perhaps most prominent amongst these the stream of consciousness technique he perfected. Other major works are the short-story collection Dubliners , and the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Finnegans Wake . His complete oeuvre also includes three books of poetry, a play, occasional journalism, and his published letters. 　　Joyce was born to a middle class family in Dublin, where he excelled as a student at the Jesuit schools Clongowesand Belvedere, then at University College Dublin. In his early twenties he emigrated permanently to continental Europe, living in Trieste, Paris and Zurich. Though most of his adult life was spent abroad, Joyces fictional universe does not extend far beyond Dublin, and is populated largely by characters who closely resemble family members, enemies and friends from his time there; Ulysses in particular is set with precision in the streets and alleyways of the city. Shortly after the publication of Ulysses he elucidated this preoccupation somewhat, saying, For myself, I always write about Dublin, because if I can get to the heart of Dublin I can get to the heart of all the cities of the world. In the particular is contained the universal. 　　戏剧家George Bernard Shaw 　　萧伯纳爱尔兰剧作家，1925年「因为作品具有理想主义和人道主义」而获诺贝尔文学奖，是英国现代杰出的现实主义戏剧作家，是世界著名的擅长幽默与讽刺的语言大师。萧伯纳的一生，是和社会主义运动发生密切关系的一生，他认真研读过《资本论》，公开声言他是一个普通的无产者，一个社会主义者。然而，由于世界观上的局限性，他没能成为无产阶级战士，而终生是一个资产阶级改良主义者。 　　George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of theLondon School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60 plays. He was also an essayist, novelist and short story writer. Nearly all his writings address prevailing social problems, but have a vein of comedy which makes their stark themes more palatable. Issues which engaged Shaws attention included education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege. 　　He was most angered by what he perceived as the exploitation of the working class. An ardent socialist, Shaw wrote many brochures and speeches for the Fabian Society. He became an accomplished orator in the furtherance of its causes, which included gaining equal rights for men and women, alleviating abuses of the working class, rescinding private ownership of productive land, and promoting healthy lifestyles. For a short time he was active in local politics, serving on the London County Council. 　　In 1898, Shaw married Charlotte Payne-Townshend, a fellow Fabian, whom he survived. They settled in Ayot St Lawrence in a house now called Shaws Corner. Shaw died there, aged 94, from chronic problems exacerbated by injuries he incurred by falling from a ladder. 　　He is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize in Literature and an Oscar , for his contributions to literature and for his work on the film Pygmalion , respectively Shaw wanted to refuse his Nobel Prize outright because he had no desire for public honours, but accepted it at his wifes behest: she considered it a tribute to Ireland. He did reject the monetary award, requesting it be used to finance translation of Swedish books into English. 　　荒诞派代言人Samuel Beckett 　　塞缪尔贝克特，20世纪爱尔兰、法国作家，创作的领域包括戏剧、小说和诗歌，尤以戏剧成就最高。他是荒诞派戏剧的重要代表人物。1969年，他因以一种新的小说与戏剧的形式，以崇高的艺术表现人类的苦恼而获得诺贝尔文学奖。 　　Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright,theatre director, and poet, who lived in Paris for most of his adult life and wrote in both English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy andgallows humour. 　　Beckett is widely regarded as among the most influential writers of the 20th century. Strongly influenced by James Joyce, he is considered one of the last modernists. As an inspiration to many later writers, he is also sometimes considered one of the first postmodernists. He is one of the key writers in what Martin Esslincalled the Theatre of the Absurd. His work became increasingly minimalist in his later career. 　　Beckett was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature for his writing, whichin new forms for the novel and dramain the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation. He was elected Saoi of Aosdna in 1984. 　　小说家戏剧家Oscar Wilde 　　奥斯卡王尔德为剧作家、诗人、散文家，19世纪与萧伯纳齐名的英国才子。他的戏剧、诗作、小说则留给后人许多惯用语，如：活得快乐，就是最好的报复。 　　Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of Londons most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams and plays, and the circumstances of his imprisonment which was followed by his early death. 　　Wildes parents were successful Dublin intellectuals. Their son became fluent in French and German early in life. At university Wilde read Greats; he proved himself to be an outstanding classicist, first at Dublin, then at Oxford. He became known for his involvement in the rising philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles. As a spokesman for aestheticism, he tried his hand at various literary activities: he published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on the new English Renaissance in Art, and then returned to London where he worked prolifically as a journalist. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. 　　At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray . The opportunity to construct aesthetic details precisely, and combine them with larger social themes, drew Wilde to write drama. He wrote Salome in French in Paris but it was refused a licence. Unperturbed, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London. 　　At the height of his fame and success, while his masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest , was still on stage in London, Wilde had the Marquess of Queensberry, the father of his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, prosecuted for libel, a charge carrying a penalty of up to two years in prison. The trial unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and trial for gross indecency with other men. After two more trials he was convicted and imprisoned for two years hard labour. In 1897, in prison, he wrote De Profundis which was published in 1905, a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials, forming a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. Upon his release he left immediately for France, never to return to Ireland or Britain. There he wrote his last work,The Ballad of Reading Gaol , a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. He died destitute in Paris at the age of forty-six. 　　天籁歌者恩雅Enya 　　恩雅，爱尔兰共和国著名独立音乐家。若以乐队而言，恩雅一词则包括：恩雅本人、Nicky Ryan、以及Roma Ryan。恩雅此名实则是爱尔兰语名称在英语中的拼音。 　　Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. 　　Enya began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to perform solo. She gained wider recognition for her music in the 1986 BBC series The Celts. Shortly afterwards, her 1988 album Watermark propelled her to further international fame and she became known for her distinctive sound, characterised by voice-layering, folk melodies, synthesised backdrops and ethereal reverberations. She has performed in 10 languages. 　　Enya continued to enjoy steady success during the 1990s and 2000s; her 2000 album A Day Without Rain sold 15 million copies, and became the top selling new age album of the 2000s in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan. She was named the worlds best selling female artist of 2001. She is Irelands best-selling solo musician and is officially the countrys second-largest musical export after the band U2. Her album sales were more than 75 million worldwide, with over 26.5 million in album sales in the US. Her work has earned her four Grammy Awards and an Academy Award nomination. 　　著名的摇滚乐队U2、The Cranberries 　　U2是一支成立于1976年的爱尔兰都柏林摇滚乐队，自80年代窜起走红之后，一直到进入21世纪的今天，仍然非常活跃于全球流行音乐乐坛。音乐风格上，除了传统的另类摇滚之外，在90年代中、后期U2也曾一度尝试过将摇滚与电子舞曲融合的流行摇滚。在歌曲主题上U2的创作内容也非常广泛，尤其是对于政治性的话题并不避讳，例如对社会公平公正的追求以及对人权问题的探讨。 　　U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2s early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music. Throughout the groups musical pursuits, they have maintained a sound built on melodic instrumentals, highlighted by The Edges timbrally varied guitar sounds and Bonos expressive vocals. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal themes and sociopolitical concerns. 　　卡百利乐队 ，又译为小红莓乐队、红草莓乐队、小红莓合唱团，1990年代成立于爱尔兰利默里克。与U2、Sinead OConnor、Enya等一样，被誉为是带领爱尔兰音乐走向世界的重要力量。卡百利乐队一共有5张录音室专辑，2003年，随着乐队成员们纷纷宣布单飞，卡百利一度沉寂了六年。这期间，乐队主唱Dolores曾经发行过两张个人专辑。2009年，Dolores公开宣布乐队将重组并举办世界巡演，卷土重来，卡百利这个名字终于重新回归大众视野。 　　The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989. The band consists of vocalist Dolores ORiordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Although widely associated with alternative rock, the bands sound also incorporates indie pop, post-punk, Irish folk and pop rockelements. 　　The Cranberries rose to international fame in the 1990s with their debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Cant We?, which became a commercial success and sold over five million copies in the United States. The group was one of the most successful rock acts of the 90s and sold over 15 million albums in the United States alone. The band has achieved four top 20 albums on the Billboard 200 chart and eight top 20 singles on the Modern Rock Tracks chart .After a six-year hiatus, The Cranberries reunited and began a North American tour, followed by dates in Latin America and Europe in early 2010. The band recorded their sixth album, Roses, in May 2011, and released it on 27 February 2012. 　　流行乐队The Corrs、Westlife、Boyzone 　　可儿家族合唱团，由来自于爱尔兰小镇一个天主教家庭的四位兄弟姐妹吉姆、莎朗、卡罗琳、安德烈组成。可儿家族合唱团是一只独具爱尔兰凯尔特民族风格的乐团。他们父母亲是巡回演出乐团的乐师，在父母亲的指引下，大哥吉姆负责吉他及键盘、大姐莎朗负责演奏小提琴、二姐卡罗琳负责打鼓、小妹安德烈则是吹奏锡笛及身兼主唱。 　　The Corrs are an Irish band which combine pop rock with traditional Celtic folk music. The brother and sisters are from Dundalk, Ireland. The group consists of the Corr siblings: Andrea ; Sharon ; Caroline ; and Jim . 　　The Corrs have released five studio albums and numerous singles, which have reached platinum in many countries. Talk on Corners, their most successful album to date, reached multi-platinum status in Australia, and in the UK was the highest selling album of 1998. The band are only the second group in history to hold the number 1 and number 2 album positions simultaneously in the UK charts with Talk On Corners at number 1 and Forgiven Not Forgotten at number 2. The first group to achieve this accolade was The Beatles. Forgiven Not Forgotten was the second highest selling album in Australia in 1996, behind Alanis MorissettesJagged Little Pill. Their third studio album, In Blue went to number 1 in 17 countries. 　　The Corrs have been actively involved in philanthropic activities. They have performed in numerous charity concerts such as the Princes Trust in 2004 and Live 8 alongside Bono in 2005. The same year, they were awarded honorary MBEs for their contributions to music and charity. The Corrs are on hiatus because Jim and Caroline are raising families, while Andrea and Sharon are pursuing solo careers. Sharon doesnt know if The Corrs will get back together. 　　Westlife是在1998年成立的爱尔兰男子歌唱团体。 Westlife在爱尔兰和英国走红，在非洲、澳大利亚与亚洲也很受欢迎。1999年至2005年间，Westlife有13张单曲唱片在英国高据首位;其数量排名历史第四位，仅次于Elvis Presley、披头士和Cliff Richard。西城男孩也是英国流行音乐史上唯一一支头七支单曲空降榜首的乐队。西城男孩在世界范围内售出四千万张专辑，其中包括七张超白金专辑。2011年10月20日，成立14年的爱尔兰流行组合西城男孩在官网发布了解散声明。 　　Westlife were an Irish boy band formed in 1998. They disbanded in 2012 after almost 14 years together. Originally signed by Simon Cowell and managed by Louis Walsh, the groups final line-up consisted of Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan. Brian McFadden was a member from 1998 until his departure in 2004. 　　Westlife sold over 50 million records worldwide, a total that includes studio albums, singles, video release, and compilation albums. The group had accumulated 14 number-one singles in the United Kingdom and 26 top ten singles over their 14 year career. They are also the most frequent act to win The Record of the Yearthe only music award in the UK based on public voteswith four awards. Despite their worldwide success, Westlife had been unable to break into the U.S. market, having only one hit single, Swear It Again, which peaked in 2000. 　　In 2012 the Official Charts Company revealed the biggest selling singles artists in British music chart history with Westlife currently placed at 34th and the third most successful boyband in the UK. 　　In October 2011, Westlife announced that they would split in 2012 after finishing their Greatest Hits Tourfollowing the release of Greatest Hits. Their last ever concert, on 23 June 2012 at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, sold out to 85,000 people in just five minutes. Due to high demand, it was screened live in cinemas worldwide, and another date was added for 22 June at the same venue. 　　男孩特区或男孩地带是一队1990年代的爱尔兰男子乐团。他们于英国与欧亚某些地区非常成功，曾有六张唱片在英国取得最受欢迎单曲唱片的佳绩。Boyzone于2000年解散前共售出超过1000万张唱片。2007年年底，Boyzone决定复出，并于2008年和2009年两度举辨巡回演唱会。 　　Boyzone is an Irish boy band. Its most famous line-up was composed of Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately,Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating, and Shane Lynch. Boyzone have had 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Irish charts. The group have had 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12 of their 20 singles in the UK being in the UK Top 2. Boyzone are one of the most successful bands in Ireland and the United Kingdom. In total, Boyzone had 19 top 5 singles on the Irish Singles Chart, 18 top 10 hits on the UK charts, nine 1 Irish Singles Chart hit singles and six 1 UKhit singles and five 1 albums, with approximately 20 million records sold by 2010 worldwide. The number is confirmed by Gatelys book The Tree of Seasons. 　　Boyzone eventually made a comeback in 2007, originally with the intention of just touring. They were put together in 1993 by Louis Walsh, who is also known for managing Johnny Logan and Westlife. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTs The Late Late Show. Gately died on 10 October 2009 of natural causes while on his holiday in the Spanish island of Majorca with his civil partner, Andrew Cowles. In 2012, the Official Charts Company revealed the biggest selling singles artists in British music chart history with Boyzone currently placed at 29th and the second most successful boyband in Britain.To date, Boyzone has released four studio albums and seven compilation albums.