经济学人60:驼鹿和人 Of moose and men
时间:2019-01-26 作者:英语课 分类:经济学人文艺系列
英语课
Still in Books and Arts; Book Review;Short stories; Of moose and men
文艺;书评;短篇故事;驼鹿和人;
Light Lifting. By Alexander MacLeod.
《轻量级举重》亚历山大·麦克劳德。
A good novel woos its readers, tantalizes 1 them with glimpses of flesh and gradually lures 2 them into a world from which they later emerge changed. Short stories, by contrast, rely on instant attraction and immediate 3 gratification. If they are good they leave one hungry for the next encounter. More often, though, they leave the reader slightly jarred, looking for greater fulfilment.
上乘小说总是招致读者追捧,运用肉体吸引读者,使读者沉浸在完全迥异的世界。对比而言,短篇小说依靠即时吸引力和直接的满足感。小说如是能吸引读者,读者渴望遭遇下一次火花碰撞。短篇小说时常使读者动摇,以获得更大的满足。
Alexander MacLeod does not. His brilliant debut 4 collection, “Light Lifting”, is engrossing 5, thrilling and ultimately satisfying; each story has the weight of a novel. The young Canadian writer is already winning plaudits in his own country. He can expect acclaim 6 far beyond.
而亚历山大·麦克劳德却不。 他的新诗集《轻量级举重》,引人入胜,惊心动魄,读者能从中获得满足。每一篇故事都是重量级的小说。这位年轻的加拿大作家已在他的家乡赢得满堂喝彩。他有望在千里之外赢得掌声。
These seven stories grip partly because they are long enough to immerse the reader totally. A good storyteller knows far more about his characters and settings than he shares with his audience. Mr MacLeod passes this test: though he plunges 7 the reader into fully 8 formed worlds, he leaves out just the right amount.
七个故事扣人心弦,部分原因是他们足以使读者沉浸其中而无法自拔。一个擅长讲故事的人不只是分享他的故事,而是对人物和背景也运筹帷幄。麦克劳德经得起考验;使读者沉浸在完全刻画的世界,而他却实时的抽身离开。
But it is the beautiful writing that really carries this book. The choice of words is spare, simple and unaffected, and the rhythm is perfect: despite the sadness that overlays many pieces, they flow with the comforting lull 9 of a bedtime story.
正是这些优美措辞成就了这本小说。小说用词犀利简炼,纯朴而不矫揉造作。还有那完美的旋律;除了字里行间流露出的伤感,小说洋溢着鼓舞人心的动听故事。
The first story, “Miracle Mile”, is the best. It mesmerizes 10 from its opening: “This was the day after Mike Tyson bit off Evander Holyfield’s ear.” Narrated 11 by a competitive runner, it captures the minutiae 12 of pre-race nerves—the “hiss” of a coach’s hydraulic 13 door ; the temperature “just inching its way over toward cool”—as well as the “miraculous desperation” that is winning.
第一个故事,“长跑奇迹”是最成功的故事。开场就吸引读者:“迈克尔·泰森咬掉霍利菲尔德耳朵那一天”。故事以竞跑着的口吻叙述,捕捉赛前种种细节:液压门的嘶嘶声。酷爽天气中掠过一丝丝热浪,不可思议的绝望也随之而来。
These are unflinching tales not of heroism 14, so much, but of survival. The most experimental piece, “Wonder about Parents”, snatches scenes from different homes. One family launches a crusade against headlice the “size of a poppy seed”, raking out hair night after night, “kids scratched raw”. Another drives cross-country through a snowstorm with their sick four-month-old daughter; the Christmas tree in the hospital bears a sign: “These gifts are empty boxes. Please refrain from opening.”
小说也不乏坚定的非英雄主义人物,得以幸存。最具挑战性的章节“父母的迷惘”从不同家庭中捕捉场景。一个家庭展开对罂粟种子大的头虱的围剿行动,夜以继日的梳理头发,“孩子们刮伤了头皮”。另一家在暴风雪中驱车穿过田野,车上是四岁的生病的女儿。医院的圣诞树象征:“这些礼物只是空盒子,请抑制打开的欲望。”
Other stories capture the consequences of a single moment when the ordinary tips into the extraordinary: in the title story a secondary schooler gets embroiled 15 in a bar brawl 16 on the last day of a summer job; in “Adult Beginner I”, after a woman nearly drowns in the ocean, fear becomes “a biological fact” in her life.
另一个故事通过记录某个时刻,从寻常中挖掘不寻常。在暑期工作的最后一天中等学校学者卷入酒吧斗殴 ;在”成年人的初学者1”中,一和女人即将在海中溺水身亡,恐惧成为她人生中”生理现象”。
Much fiction is narrated by outsiders, but in Mr MacLeod’s imagination being an outlier depends on the context. In “The Loop”, for example, a cycle courier stands out as an able-bodied, right-minded youth among the fat, elderly and invalid 17 people to whom he delivers medication.
众多小说是局外人叙述,但在麦克劳德的小说是靠上下文来决定叙述的。例如在“环“这个故事中描写身体强壮,刚直不阿的年轻人和一群体型肥胖的残疾老人,而后者引发读者思索。
Not every story in “Light Lifting” is perfect. A couple could be tighter; the male characters are better formed than the female ones. But these are small niggles in a stunning 18 work. Mr MacLeod’s next contribution will be eagerly anticipated.
《轻量级举重》中并不是每个故事都那么完美无缺。男性人物形象比女性更容易塑造。在繁琐细节中展现宏伟主题。读者急切盼望麦克劳德下一个创作。
吸引力,魅力(lure的复数形式)
- He left home because of the lures of life in the city. 他离家是由于都市生活的诱惑。
- Perhaps it is the desire for solitude or the chance of making an unexpected discovery that lures men down to the depths of the earth. 可能正是寻觅幽静的去处,或者找个猎奇的机会的欲望引诱着人们进入地球的深处。
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
- His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
- We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
n.首次演出,初次露面
- That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里,他初次在百老汇登台,扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
- The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。
adj.使人全神贯注的,引人入胜的v.使全神贯注( engross的现在分词 )
- He told us an engrossing story. 他给我们讲了一个引人入胜的故事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- It might soon have ripened into that engrossing feeling. 很快便会发展成那种压倒一切的感情的。 来自辞典例句
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.跳进,投入vt.使投入,使插入,使陷入vi.投入,跳进,陷入v.颠簸( plunge的第三人称单数 );暴跌;骤降;突降
- Even before he plunges into his program, he has his audience in his pocket. 他的节目甚至还没有出场,就已控制住了观众。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- 'Monseigneur, he precipitated himself over the hill-side, head first, as a person plunges into the river.' “大人,他头冲下跳下山坡去了,像往河里跳一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
v.使安静,使入睡,缓和,哄骗;n.暂停,间歇
- The drug put Simpson in a lull for thirty minutes.药物使辛普森安静了30分钟。
- Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull.经过两个星期的平静之后,地面战又突然爆发了。
v.使入迷( mesmerize的第三人称单数 )
- This collection mesmerizes the Nepal's Himalayas, beautiful people and colourful festivals. 这张收录使尼泊尔的喜玛拉雅山脉、美丽的人民和多姿多彩的节日沉浸。 来自互联网
v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )
- Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
n.微小的细节,细枝末节;(常复数)细节,小事( minutia的名词复数 )
- the minutiae of the contract 合同细节
- He had memorized the many minutiae of the legal code. 他们讨论旅行的所有细节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adj.水力的;水压的,液压的;水力学的
- The boat has no fewer than five hydraulic pumps.这艘船配有不少于5个液压泵。
- A group of apprentics were operating the hydraulic press.一群学徒正在开动水压机。
n.大无畏精神,英勇
- He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
- Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。
adj.卷入的;纠缠不清的
- He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
- John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵,但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.大声争吵,喧嚷;v.吵架,对骂
- They had nothing better to do than brawl in the street.他们除了在街上斗殴做不出什么好事。
- I don't want to see our two neighbours engaged in a brawl.我不希望我们两家吵架吵得不可开交。
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的
- He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
- A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。
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