這些書你看過嗎？最受外媒青睞的五本中國書

點(diǎn)此解咒

當(dāng)中國小說家莫言意外榮獲2012年諾貝爾文學(xué)獎時,，中國文學(xué)界也隨之受到了前所未有的關(guān)注。雖然這個人口大國出了像《道德經(jīng)》和《孫子兵法》這樣的名著,，但中國書籍在西方出版界的表現(xiàn)仍乏善可陳,。幸運(yùn)的是，西方出版商并未因此而放棄對一些最受喜愛的中國作品的翻譯工作,。

The surprise announcement last week that Chinese novelist Mo Yan had won this year's Nobel Prize in literature has focused unprecedented global attention on Chinese literature. 'Tao Te-Ching' and 'Art of War' notwithstanding, books from the world's most populous country have tended to get meager play in the Western press. Luckily, that hasn't kept publishers from commissioning translations of some of China's best-loved works.

但在眾多的書籍中,，嘗鮮者該從哪本著手呢？

But with dozens of titles to choose from, where should the intrepid reader start?

為了回答這個問題,，“中國實(shí)時報(bào)”欄目請教了《人民文學(xué)》（People's Literature Magazine）英文版雜志《路燈》（Pathlight）的編輯,。《路燈》致力于翻譯《人民文學(xué)》雜志與翻譯網(wǎng)站Paper Republic聯(lián)合出品的中國新小說與新詩歌,。以下的五本中國書籍都由《路燈》工作人員力薦,，第一本的作者是諾貝爾文學(xué)獎得主莫言。

To answer that question, China Real Time turned to the editors of Pathlight, a literary magazine dedicated to translating new Chinese fiction and poetry jointly produced by the translation website Paper Republic and People's Literature Magazine. Below, Pathlight staff recommend four of their favorite Chinese books in translation, starting with one from the new Nobel winner:

《天堂蒜薹之歌》（Garlic Ballads）,，作者：莫言

'Garlic Ballads,' Mo Yan

在埋頭開始完整地閱讀一部莫言的小說前,，讀者若想對其作品風(fēng)格有所了解，他的短篇小說集《師傅越來越幽默》（Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh!）也許是一個不錯的選擇,，或者去看看張藝謀根據(jù)莫言小說改編拍成的電影《紅高粱》（Red Sorghum）,。而對于那些熱衷于長篇小說的讀者而言，《天堂蒜薹之歌》是一個很好的選擇,。諾貝爾文學(xué)獎評委會就曾建議,，閱讀莫言應(yīng)當(dāng)從這部小說開始。

Readers who want to get a taste of Mo Yan before they commit to reading a whole book may want to pick up 'Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh!, ' a collection of Mo's short stories, or check out Zhang Yimou's film version of the novel 'Red Sorghum.' For those who want to read a full-length novel, the Nobel committee's recommendation of ' The Garlic Ballads' as a first Mo Yan novel is a good place to start.

《天堂蒜薹之歌》曾在卷首引用了一段斯大林語錄──雖然莫言在第二版的前言中承認(rèn)那段話是他自己杜撰的──但這仍引發(fā)了公眾對他新一輪的批評,。此前,，莫言就曾因未替同是諾獎得主卻身陷囹圄的**及其他異見作家大聲疾呼、出言相助而受到指責(zé),。

'The Garlic Ballads' opens with a quote attributed to Stalin -- though Mo admitted to making it up in the preface to the second edition of the novel -- that takes on new resonance in the light of recent criticisms of Mo for not being more outspoken in his support of imprisoned fellow Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo and other politically active writers:

一直以來,，小說家都試圖與政治保持距離，但小說本身卻永遠(yuǎn)無法脫離政治而單獨(dú)存在,。小說家都極度關(guān)注人類的命運(yùn)以至常常忽略了自己的命運(yùn),，他們的悲劇也因此而生。

Novelists are forever trying to distance themselves from politics, but the novel itself closes in on politics. Novelists are so concerned with 'man's fate' that they tend to lose sight of their own fate. Therein lies their tragedy.

《天堂蒜薹之歌》取材于1987年發(fā)生的真實(shí)事件：貧困的農(nóng)民響應(yīng)當(dāng)?shù)卣�府的號召大量種植蒜薹,，結(jié)果蒜薹滯銷,、爛在地里。農(nóng)民因此沖擊了縣政府辦公室,，抗議過高的稅費(fèi),、過路費(fèi)及規(guī)費(fèi),。這部小說一開始就描繪了抗議活動領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者之一的高羊被逮捕、被拷打的情景,。而這一切,，都發(fā)生在他瞎眼的女兒面前。接著,，作者筆鋒一轉(zhuǎn),、切換場景，講述了一對注定永訣的戀人──高馬和方金菊──與非法包辦婚姻抗?fàn)幍墓适拢ń鹁赵谶@樁婚約中被許配給一位比她年長許多的男人）,。

'The Garlic Ballads' has as its backdrop the story -- based on real events in 1987 -- of poor farmers who storm the county government offices in protest over extortionate taxes, tolls, and fees after their garlic crops, planted at the urging of the local government, rot, unsold, in the fields. The novel begins with the arrest and beating of Gao Yang, one of the leaders of the protest, in front of his blind daughter, then cuts to the doomed lovers Gao Ma and Fang Jinju as they attempt to resist Jinju's betrothal to an older man in an illegal arranged marriage.

就像莫言其他的長篇小說一樣,，《天堂蒜薹之歌》將活生生的現(xiàn)實(shí)與超現(xiàn)實(shí)的意象融為一體，描繪了官僚權(quán)勢的貪贓枉法之為與農(nóng)民個體的悲涼窘迫之態(tài),，并將其置于長期漸變的歷史悲劇大背景中,。

Like many of Mo's longer novels, 'The Garlic Ballads' combines gritty realism with surreal imagery, depicts the venal cruelty of official power, and presents personal tragedy in the context of the long, slow-motion tragedy of history.

──布倫丹·奧卡尼（Brendan O'Kane），翻譯網(wǎng)站Paper Republic聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人及《路燈》雜志特約編輯

-- Brendan O'Kane, Paper Republic co-founder and Pathlight contributing editor.

《丁莊夢》（Dream of Ding Village）,，作者：閻連科

'Dream of Ding Village,' Yan Lianke

《丁莊夢》雖然是一部文學(xué)作品,，但它卻架構(gòu)在真實(shí)的“賣血潮”之上�,！百u血潮”風(fēng)行于過去的二十年間,，由于很多人在賣血過程中接觸了受感染的血液，致使艾滋病在中國農(nóng)村蔓延**,。閻連科在小說中將個體的故事放大：丁村前任村長在血頭丁輝的哄騙下踏上了賣血之路,，即便那時他連在田間勞作的力氣都已消失殆盡，也依舊在賣血,。

Although a work of fiction, ' Dream of Ding Village' is based on the very real 'blood boom,' a phenomenon of the last 20 years that has led to the spread of HIV among Chinese villagers because of the selling of contaminated blood. Yan Lianke zooms in on individual stories such as the ex-mayor of Ding Village, cajoled into selling blood by blood merchant Ding Hui, even as his energy for his job toiling the fields wanes by the moment.

雖然閻連科在寫作表達(dá)情感時用的好像是同一種腔調(diào),、且常常用恢弘的筆觸描繪死亡與苦難，但《丁莊夢》這部小說卻因以著名的“閻式”嘲諷口吻洞察人情而可讀性極強(qiáng),。他對現(xiàn)代中國農(nóng)村地區(qū)愚謬生活的刻畫絕對不吝筆墨且飽蘸深情,。這部小說也因此類細(xì)節(jié)而出彩，比如,，那些可能一輩子都沒有走出過丁村的農(nóng)民,，卻在離世時躺在了刻有繁華勝景圖的棺材里：“是大城市的勝景圖。如北京的天安門,，上海的電視塔，廣州的大賓館,，還有哪些大城市的商業(yè)街,，繁華道，跨江橋,、百貨樓,、噴泉池,，這些等等的，**八八的,�,！�

Though Yan writes emotions as if they're one shade and paints death and suffering with large brush-strokes, 'Dream of Ding Village' is an extremely readable tale with observations in Yan's famous satirical style. He's positively effusive on the absurdities of modern rural China and the novel is resplendent in details such as peasants, who have probably never set foot outside of Ding Village, being buried in coffins carved with scenes 'depicting famous landmarks: Beijing's Tiananmen **, Shanghai Oriental Pearl television tower, Guangzhou's high-rise hotels, and various bustling commercial districts, department stores, suspension bridges, fountains, parks and public **s.'

當(dāng)艾滋病潮席卷閻連科的出生地河南省、并廣泛地影響了生活在這片土地上的父老鄉(xiāng)親時,，他的這部致敬之作就更令人動容,。這個冷峻殘酷的故事由辛迪?卡特（Cindy Carter）翻譯，她的筆觸流暢,、文風(fēng)老練,，切中主旨要害且常常直指人心，字里行間有時還透著詩意,。（辛迪?卡特是Paper Republic聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人之一,。）

Yan's homage is the more touching as the HIV/AIDS crisis has affected mostly those from his birth province of Henan. The brutal story is smoothly translated by Cindy Carter, whose rendering is practiced, always to the point, and poetic at times. (Full disclosure: Ms. Carter is a co-founder of Paper Republic.

──劉欣，《路燈》雜志英文執(zhí)行編輯

-- Alice Xin Liu, Pathlight managing editor

《馬橋詞典》（A Dictionary of Maqiao）,，作者：韓少功

'A Dictionary of Maqiao,' Han Shaogong

在陳朽的當(dāng)代中國文壇,，《馬橋詞典》是一部受人青睞的先鋒之作。整部小說通過講述古往今來一系列豐富動人的小故事呈現(xiàn)了史詩般的歷史,，其結(jié)構(gòu)緊湊,，語言精辟�,！恶R橋詞典》以詞典的形式收錄了湖南一個小村寨──馬橋──的方言,。全書共錄有115個當(dāng)?shù)卦~條：從“磨咒”、“公地（以及母田）”到“背釘”,、“暈街”,，它以這些詞條為引子，從純詞典的形式延伸擴(kuò)展,、過渡為由一個個小故事拼繪成的大圖景,，飽含意蘊(yùn)。雖然《馬橋詞典》的故事內(nèi)容及背景與其他一些中國小說相似,，敘事者是一位在**期間下放到農(nóng)村的知青,，但作者選用的敘事文體卻讓世人眼前一亮。

A welcome relief from the overripe camp of much contemporary Chinese literature, ' A Dictionary of Maqiao' is a tightly written, gnomic work that packs epic historical sweep into a series of dense vignettes. Disguised as a 'dictionary' of the dialect of Maqiao, a small village in Hunan, the novel defines 115 local terms such as 'Curse-Grinding,' 'He-Ground (and She-Field),' 'Nailed Backs' and 'Streetsickness,' quickly expanding from a mere compendium of definitions into a patchwork tale of bizarre power. Though the story and its setting are familiar from other Chinese fiction -- an 'educated youth' is sent down to a village during the ** -- the author's narrative choices make that whole world feel new.

簡言之,，用詞典的語言來寫小說的方式使這本書與眾不同,、引人入勝。雖然很多中國小說都自詡繼承了魔幻現(xiàn)實(shí)主義的傳統(tǒng),，但《馬橋詞典》詮釋的這種風(fēng)格才稱得上純正到位：將熟知的世界描繪成一幅異鄉(xiāng)的摸樣,，通過對每個詞條進(jìn)行耐心、細(xì)化的定義來深化語義的神秘意蘊(yùn),，以這樣的方式引領(lǐng)讀者在字里行間探索領(lǐng)悟,。

That's the appeal of the book in a nutshell. Plenty of Chinese novels claim to be heir to the magical-realist tradition, but 'A Dictionary of Maqiao' does it right: Presenting the known world as a foreign land, promising to guide the reader through it and teach him its ways, but only deepening the mystery with each patient, detailed definition.

──艾瑞克·阿布漢森（Eric Abrahamsen）,，Paper Republic聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人及《路燈》雜志編輯主任

--Eric Abrahamsen, Paper Republic co-founder and Pathlight editorial director