| Cici 的个人资料Whispers in April照片日志列表 |  工具  帮助 |
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2007/5/27 What is the purpose of life?"To be
the eyes
and ears
and concience
of the creator of the universe
you fool."
-- Breakfast of Champions 2007/5/23 失语龙应台在其一本作品中提及张爱玲时写道“她的沉默或许不该叫沉默，该叫失语。沉默还是自己的选择，失语则纯属迫不得已。”
正是这样。同样是收声，沉默只因不愿开口，但并不意味没有通融的可能，沉默者不过是耍耍脾气玩冷战。失语者则已经看清因果，索性放弃，既然说了也白说，不如收声。选择沉默的尚存沟通的诚意，而失语者吝啬到连最后一点诚意也随着紧闭的双唇一并收起来。
依架我选口左失语 2007/5/11 Do you really prefer a happy ending?前面提到Yann Martel的小说[Life of Pi]，就此转一篇友人写的书评，有删节，是避免泄漏小说的关键内容，打消了悬念。
少年Pi的奇幻漂流
若不是因为布克奖的缘故，我很可能会将之当成一本讲圆周率的数学普及读本而不幸错过。然而圆周率也未尝同整本小说没有关联，Yann Martel在一篇采访中说：“我选择Pi这个名字，是因为这是个不理性(irrational)的数字，然而科学家们还是利用这个不理性的数字达成对宇宙的理性认识。对我而言，宗教亦是如此，虽然它‘不理性’，然而有了宗教，我们对宇宙的理解才无懈可击(sound)。”
然而Pi信不止一种宗教，“所有宗教都是真实的，”他引用“甘地老爹”的话为自己申辩。小说的第一部分《多伦多与本地治理》(Pondicherry，不知为何译成了一个似乎有意义的词)写的是Pi的少年时代——他的动物园家庭、关于他名字的笑话及"Pi"的由来、他的多重信仰——这是整本小说的伏笔。 第二部分《太平洋》讲述了Pi和一只450磅重的孟加拉虎在太平洋上飘泊了227天的故事。这一部分的大多数段落像极了国家地理频道或动物世界，但渐渐地，现实和想象的分野变得模糊，“食人岛”的出现令小说变得魔幻，然而即使如此，若小说仅以Pi获救而结束，其充量也不过是一部精彩的历险故事/成长小说而已。 是短短的第三部分令先前的阅读呈现出崭新的意义。两个日本调查员并不相信幸存的Pi讲述的故事是真实的。冈本先生说：“我们非常喜欢。(……)我们会记住它很长很长时间。但是为了调查的目的，我们想知道究竟发生了什么事。”此时，Yann Martel借Pi之口说出了他对真实性(其实也是对小说及其阅读的)看法: “难道对某件事情的叙述不总是变成一个故事吗？” “叙述某件事情——用语言来叙述，无论是英语还是日语——难道不已经是某种创造了吗？” “这个世界并不是它本来的样子。它是我们所理解的样子，不是吗？在理解某件事情的过程中，我们加进了一些东西，不是吗？难道这不使得生活成为了一个故事吗？”(P329) 在小说的末尾，Pi讲述了“另一个故事”，另一个残酷得令小说的"Happy Ending”名不符实的故事。(第一部分的最后一句是："This story has a happy ending.") 在另一故事里，落在救生艇里的不是Pi和三个动物，而是包括他母亲在内的四个活生生的人……在这个可怕的故事最后，读者发现只有Pi苟活了下来。(xxxxxx此处略去内容披露) 正是这第二个故事令读者对第一个故事产生了全新的理解，那只450磅重的孟加拉虎，不正是Pi的alter ego吗？同样的弱肉强食的残酷生存法则背后，与其说第一个故事里的动物是对人的隐喻，不如说第二个故事里的人具有各异的动物性更为妥贴。“真是个可怕的故事。”调查员感叹道。 于是，当Pi问调查员更喜欢哪个故事时，他们异口同声地说：“有动物的故事更好。”Pi说：“谢谢。和上帝的意见一致。” 原来，之所以这是个“能让人产生信仰的故事”，只因为现实太过残酷，我们实在不能如不可知论者一般，因为”缺乏想像力而错过了更好的故事”(P71）；即使上帝有时沉默，即使这有多么不理性…… 同样的，小说不也如同某种宗教吗？ “小说就是有选择地改变真实(Selective transforming of reality)，不是吗？不就是通过扭曲真实而揭示其本质吗？(The twisting of it to bring out its essence)” by BTR in 2005 ++++++++++++++++++
After Pi told his castaway story to the investigators, they thought his story hard to believe.
Mr Okamoto: "But for the purposes of our investigation, we would like to know what really happened."
"What really happened?"
"Yes."
"So you want another story?"
"Uhh...no. We would like to know what really happened."
"Doesn't the telling of something always become a story?"
"Uhh... perhaps in English. In Japanese a story would have an element of invention in it.. We don't want any invention. We want the 'straight facts', as you say in English."
"Isn't telling about something--using words, English or Japanese -- already something of an invention?Isn't just looking upon this world already something of invention? "
"Uhh..."
"The world isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it, no? Doesn't that make life a story?"
"Ha!Ha!Ha! You are very intelligent, Mr. Patel."
Mr. Chiba: "What is he talking about?"
Mr. Okamoto: "I have no idea."
Pi Patel: "You want words that reflect reality?"
"Yes."
"I know what you want. You want a story that won't surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won't make you see higher or further or differently. You want a flat story. An immobile story. You want dry, yeastless factuality."
"Uhh..."
"You want a story without animals."
"Yes!"
"We want a story without animals that will explain the sinking of the Tsimtsum."
"Give me a minute, please."
[Long silence]
"Here's another story."
[The story]
"He was such an evil man. Worse still, he met evil in me --- selfishness, anger, ruthlessness. I must live with that."
"Solitude began. I turned to God. I survived."
[Long silence]
"Is that better? Are there any parts you find hard to believe? Any thing you'd like me to change?"
Mar. Chiba: "What a horrible story."
......
"You can't prove which story is true and which is not. You must take my word for it. In both stories the ship sinks, my entire family dies, and I suffer. So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can't prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?"
Mr. Okamoto: "That's an interesting question..."
Mr. Chiba: "The story with animals."
Mr. Okamoto: "Yes. The story with animals is the better story."
Pi Patel: "Thank you. And so it goes with God." 2007/5/4 Cat's CradleTigers got to hunt
Birds got to fly
Men got to sit and wonder "why why why"
Tigers got to sleep
Birds got to land
Men got to tell himself understand
—— 摘自小说Cat's Cradle / Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. @ 1963
4月12号，美国作家冯内古特死了。BTR于是推荐我去看冯内古特的两本成名作“猫咪的摇篮(Cat's Cradle)” 和“冠军的早餐(Breakfast of Champions)”。他发了两个电子版拷贝过来。觉得用电脑看太伤眼睛，就把Cat's Cradle的前几章打印出来，在餐厅等中饭的时候一边看起来。
故事背景是美国，起因是主人公"我"，一位自由撰稿人，打算写一本关于第一枚原子弹爆炸的书，为此他给Fathers of Atom Bomb之一，已故的原子弹之父Dr. Felix Hoenikker (并非影射现实中的原子弹之父Dr. 奥本海姆) 的小儿子Newton Hoenikker去信，希望能从他那里收集一些资料，比如，美国向日本广岛投下原子弹的那天，他的父亲Dr. Hoenikker是怎样度过？
很好看。但不要以为这是一本围绕原子弹之父探讨科学和人性、理性与道德的小说。是个趣怪故事。
正如书名，Cat's Cradle，实际指一种游戏，而非字面上的猫咪的摇篮，这个游戏我们小时候也玩的，我们叫"跳绑绑"——如下图所示。也如书中Newt说的"All lies. No dame cat and no dame cradle."
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