时间:2019-01-06 作者:英语课 分类:经济学人文艺系列


英语课

   Books and Arts; Book Review; New fiction from Japan;


  文艺;书评;来自日本的新小说;
  Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side;
  嗨,去野外散个步吧;
  A black cat, two moons and a host of nocturnal little people populate Haruki Murakami's new novel. But has he become more conventional?
  在村上春树的新书里,他将一只黑猫、两轮月亮以及一群夜晚小小人拟人化。但他是否变得更保守点了呢?
  Haruki Murakami filches 1 from George Orwell's “Nineteen Eighty-Four” for the title of his new novel, “1Q84”, making a play on kyu, the Japanese word for nine, by transposing the letter “Q” for the number “9”. Significantly, the action also takes place over the last nine months of 1984. But it would be a mistake to conclude from this that Japan's magical postmodernist has spent nearly 1,000 pages writing about a dystopian world where couples make love in an ash glade 3, hardly daring to speak because of the all-listening microphones in the trees. Mr Murakami's main influence here is not so much Orwell as Philip Pullman; his “1Q84” less a stairway to another world than a heave-ho into a whole new universe.
  村上春树的新书《1Q84》书名的灵感来自于对乔治·奥威尔( George Orwell)《1984》一书的借鉴(他把“9”改成了“Q",而在日语里,“9”的发音与Q谐音)。此外,值得注意的是,书里故事发生的时间也是1984年最后的9个月。因此,如果错误地认为这位日本后现代魔幻大师花了近1000页的笔墨,只为描写一个情侣在野外做爱,并由于树上装有所有人都能听到的窃听器而不敢发出丝毫声音的反乌托邦世界,这就错了。但是村上春树在这里的主要影响并不像奥威尔或是菲利普·普尔曼(Philip Pullman)一样,他的《1Q84》一书与其说是通往另一个世界的阶梯,还不如说是完全逃向一个全新的世界。
  Sitting in a taxi on the gridlocked elevated Metropolitan 4 Expressway in Tokyo, Aomame, the skinny heroine with asymmetric 5 breasts (her name means “green peas”), is catapulted into action when she hears Janacek's “Sinfonietta” on the radio. Her cabbie tells her she can beat the traffic by hopping 6 out of the car and down an emergency staircase at the next exit. He warns her that things will not be the same. But it is only when Aomame notices that the policemen have swapped 7 their holstered revolvers for bulky semi-automatic weapons that she realises she has entered a parallel universe.
  当身材纤瘦、两个乳房不对称的女主角青豆(Aomame,其意为“绿色的豆子”)坐在一辆出租车里,在堵得水泄不通的东京高速公路上蹒跚前行时,车里广播放着亚纳切克(Aomame)的小交响曲,此时此刻,故事开始了。出租车司机告诉青豆说她可以通过走一条附近出口的紧急通道来绕开堵车,不过,他警告说如果她这么做了,事情将会不一样了。但当青豆注意到警察们的左轮手枪变成了笨重半自动手枪时,才意识到自己进入了一个平行宇宙。
  This gripping beginning ensures the reader falls for Aomame, forcing Mr Murakami to work extra hard on her counterpart, Tengo, who appears in alternate chapters in the book. Tengo is an unpublished novelist who keeps to himself, working as a private maths tutor in a prep school. His father was a debt-collector who rounded up licence fees for the NHK television network, dragging his son along with him on Sundays as he called on households door-to-door. Tengo's beloved mother died when he was very young, and the boy's earliest memory is of hearing his mother having her breasts sucked by a man who was not his father. Tengo's flat-pack character fills out as the book evolves, in particular in a long passage when he visits his aged 8 father in his nursing home and tries to talk to him about the past.
  这一引人入胜的开头保证了读者会为青豆而倾倒,这迫使村上春树得花更大的力气去塑造他的另一个人物——天吾(Tengo),在书里,天吾的故事与青豆的故事平行进行。天吾在一所补习学校里担任数学老师,他是个孤僻的业余写手,但他的小说从没发表过。天吾的父亲是NHK公司负责上门收费的收款员,周日的时候会拉着儿子跟他一起到各家各户去收电视有线费。天吾挚爱的母亲在他很小的时候就去世了,而他最早的回忆则是听着一个不是他父亲的男人在吮吸他母亲的乳房。随着小说情节的进展,天吾原本单薄的形象逐渐丰满起来,其中有一大段他的形象特别突出,这一段描写了他去养老院探望年老的父亲,并试图与父亲谈论过去。
  Tengo's life changes when a friend, a grumpy editor named Komatsu, persuades him to clean up a raw manuscript by a teenage girl, Eriko Fukada, called Fuka-Eri throughout. Komatsu believes that the girl's autobiographical story, about being raised on a rural commune that changes into a sinister 9 cult 10 involved in mind games and child abuse, has all the makings of a bestseller if its style can be improved enough so that it wins a literary prize. Aomame, as might be expected from a woman who shimmies down from an overhead expressway without much concern for her stockings or her chestnut- coloured Charles Jourdan heels, turns out to be a minx on the make, a charming, ball-breaking, feminist 11 do-gooder who likes nothing better than rounding off a day's killing 12 with an all-night bout 2 of bisexual sex. Aomame is really a hired gun, who specialises in quietly offing wife-beaters and child rapists, a manga version of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander.
  当天吾的朋友——性子暴躁的编辑小松(Komatsu)劝服他去修改少女深田绘里子(Eriko Fukada)(文中一直叫做深绘里)小说的初稿时,天吾的生活发生了变化。深绘里这部自传体的小说描写了自己生长的村庄公社被转变成了一个邪恶的新兴宗教团,充满勾心斗角和虐待儿童。小松认为如果小说风格能得到很好修改的话,使其拿下一座文学奖,那就足以让它成为畅销书了。青豆,人们原来也许以为她是一个不顾自己还穿着丝袜和褐色佐丹高跟鞋摇摇晃晃地翻过高空中的公路的女子,事实上却是一个野心勃勃的狐狸精,一个迷人而强势的女权主义者,一个妄图替天行道者,最喜欢每天出去干净利落地杀人,然后晚上来场疯狂的通宵性爱,男女不限。青豆实际上是个职业杀手,精于无声无息地除掉那些虐待妻子或侵犯儿童的男人,简直就是史迪克·拉尔森(Stieg Larsson)笔下丽丝贝·莎兰德(Lisbeth Salander)的日本漫画版。
  Aomame's and Tengo's parallel stories begin to rub against one another long before the characters do. They both see a black cat and two moons (one shiny and normal, the other misshapen and moss-coloured); and both know about the little people who emerge periodically from the mouth of a sleeping child and disappear under the child's bed. The two heroes were once at school together and even, briefly 13, held hands at the age of ten. An unresolved longing 14 to recapture that moment permeates 15 both their lives, and the will-they-won't-they question overshadows the whole book.
  早在两位主角在这个反乌托邦世界里相遇之前,青豆和天吾这两条平行的故事线就开始交织在一起了。他们都看见了一只黑猫和两轮月亮(一轮形状正常,散发着光芒,另一轮却形状诡异,而且是苔藓一般的颜色);他们也都知道小小人:那些小小人会不时从睡着的小孩口中爬出来,消失在床底下。 两位主角是校友,而且,他们在十岁的时候还有过一次牵手。想要重新拾回那个瞬间的渴望无法满足,渗入了他们两人的生活,而全书充斥着他们最终能在一起吗这个问题。
  Herein lies the conundrum 16 of “1Q84”. Mr Murakami's reputation as Japan's greatest literary surrealist is based on a series of short stories and novels, such as “Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World”, which came out in 1985, and “Norwegian Wood” two years later. His early works were intensely personal fantasies involving unhappy, virtually disembodied men and suffused 17 with references to Western music and literature. “1Q84” is much longer, but also far more conventional.
  这里有个关于“1Q84”的谜题。村上春树因一系列超现实主义的短文和小小说而被誉为日本最伟大的文学大师,这些文章包括1985年出版的《世界尽头与冷酷仙境》以及1987年出版的《挪威的森林》等。他早期的作品集中于描写郁闷的游魂般的男人的个人幻想,充斥各种西方音乐和文学的参考资料。相比之下,《1Q84》篇幅要长得多,但也保守得多。
  Like two American writers, Jonathan Franzen and Jeffrey Eugenides, both known for their fizzy inventiveness but whose recent work is more plot-driven, Mr Murakami seems to have made a conscious move towards romantic narrative 18. Mr Franzen's latest book asks whether the married protagonists 19 will stay together; Mr Eugenides's which of the two main heroes will his heroine end up with (if any). It is Mr Murakami's turn, now, to cut in on the boy-girl gavotte. This has certainly proved a popular move. When the first two volumes of “1Q84” were published in Japanese in 2009, more than 1m copies were sold in just a few weeks; the third volume followed to similar acclaim 20 a few months later. Keeping up originality 21 can be hard work. But Mr Murakami's new direction, like that of Mr Franzen and Mr Eugenides, is bringing him thousands of fresh readers. And that is a good thing.
  和两位均因创造性而闻名(但他们现在的作品更加注重阴谋)的两位美国作家乔纳森·弗兰岑(Jonathan Franzen)和杰弗里·尤金尼德斯(Jeffrey Eugenides)一样,村上春树似乎也有意描写男女之间的爱情故事。弗兰兹的新书怀疑已婚的主角们是否还会在一起;尤金尼德斯则抛出了女主角会跟两位主要男主角中的哪位在一起(如果她要跟一个人在一起的话)的问题。现在,轮到村上春树来决定男女主角之间的关系了,这显然是最近的流行趋势。2009年当《1Q84》的前两卷在日本出版时,几周之内就卖出了100多万本;几个月之后,第三卷也卖出了同样数目。追求原创性绝非易事,但是就如弗兰兹和尤金尼德斯一样,村上春树的新方向为他带来了成千上万的新读者。 这是件好事。

v.偷(尤指小的或不贵重的物品)( filch的第三人称单数 )
  • He is so solemn that everyone who sees him filches. 他这人太严肃,谁见了他都打憷。 来自互联网
n.侵袭,发作;一次(阵,回);拳击等比赛
  • I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
  • That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。
n.林间空地,一片表面有草的沼泽低地
  • In the midst of a glade were several huts.林中的空地中间有几间小木屋。
  • The family had their lunch in the glade.全家在林中的空地上吃了午饭。
adj.大城市的,大都会的
  • Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
  • Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。
a.不对称的
  • Most people's faces are asymmetric. 大多数人的脸不对称。
  • We have made no reference to asymmetric carbon atoms. 我们未曾涉及不对称碳原子。
交换(工作)( swap的过去式和过去分词 ); 用…替换,把…换成,掉换(过来)
  • I liked her coat and she liked mine, so we swapped. 我喜欢她的外套,她喜欢我的外套,于是我们就交换了。
  • At half-time the manager swapped some of the players around. 经理在半场时把几名队员换下了场。
adj.年老的,陈年的
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
adj.不吉利的,凶恶的,左边的
  • There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
  • Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值,而且包藏祸心。
n.异教,邪教;时尚,狂热的崇拜
  • Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书,但有一定的崇拜者。
  • The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。
adj.主张男女平等的,女权主义的
  • She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
  • From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起,男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
adv.简单地,简短地
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
n.(for)渴望
  • Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
  • His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。
弥漫( permeate的第三人称单数 ); 遍布; 渗入; 渗透
  • Studies show that water vapor quickly permeates plastic packaging material. 研究证明水蒸汽能迅速渗入塑料封装材料。
  • Democracy permeates the whole country. 民主主义(的思想)普及全国。
n.谜语;难题
  • Let me give you some history about a conundrum.让我给你们一些关于谜题的历史。
  • Scientists had focused on two explanations to solve this conundrum.科学家已锁定两种解释来解开这个难题。
v.(指颜色、水气等)弥漫于,布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 )
  • Her face was suffused with colour. 她满脸通红。
  • Her eyes were suffused with warm, excited tears. 她激动地热泪盈眶。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的
  • He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
  • Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。
n.(戏剧的)主角( protagonist的名词复数 );(故事的)主人公;现实事件(尤指冲突和争端的)主要参与者;领导者
  • Mrs Pankhurst was one of the chief protagonists of women's rights. 潘克赫斯特太太是女权的主要倡导者之一。 来自辞典例句
  • This reflects that Feng Menglong heartily sympathized with these protagonists. 这反映出冯梦龙由衷地同情书中的这些主要人物。 来自互联网
v.向…欢呼,公认;n.欢呼,喝彩,称赞
  • He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
  • His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。
n.创造力,独创性;新颖
  • The name of the game in pop music is originality.流行音乐的本质是独创性。
  • He displayed an originality amounting almost to genius.他显示出近乎天才的创造性。
标签: 经济学人 散步
学英语单词
alkali-resistant beaker
aphrophoras
automatic colour separation device
baer stapler
bandwidth hog
barkas effect
bedrockrockbottom
beer muscles
Beethoven exploder
bloodysputum
borduring
boron carbide fiber
brittlebush
buyable
centre control board
cereals and oilseeds processing machinery
chilladors
circuit contact
close one's ears to
collalto (hochgall)
come to town
constult
contact icing
cordless terminal
cornigera
country ham
cross-referencing system
deadener
decision for context free grammar
delocalized pi-bond
department hour rate method
dirt collector
double sampling mode
Dugong idae
folliott
free gas cap
gamma-function
generalized Green's function
genus hippocrepiss
giovans
give one's word of hono u r
gold auction
Gouin accumulator
gruard rail
high-titer
home sweet home
horizontal parabola dc control voltage
HSAM
hydropneumatic recoil system
imperialities
inflow entrance
interest-rate futures
kiddywinkle, kiddywinky
lattice continuity
limit of rollability
lock-in-clause
long-wavelength region
mabels
maugein
Maughold Head
mazonia
miscreates
moblog
moist cough
ne-yo
neo Impressionism
noncommitally
nuclear fuel fabrication plant
numinen
oil cells
oil rigs
onkilonite
organiza
orifice-metering coefficient
pay his attentions to
pedestrian barrier
physician-patient
Populus lancifolia
premium and bond issuance expense
printed works
qualified audit certificate
randonne
raw wounds
real analytic fiber bundle
rotating field type alternator
runaway collision
Salix gyirongensis
secure against
share the booty
side-tracking
silent agitators
skysurfing
socket base
Socratics
solanum wendlandiis
southern chernozem
squeezed fold
Stadol
valvular
wet-ink pen
without success
zone of pollution