有哪些文筆優美的英文原版書?

來自專欄魏劍峰:當我們在談英語學習時我們在談什麼70 人贊了文章

閱讀優秀的英語原版書不僅可以學習語言知識,還能提升我們對英文的鑒賞能力,讓我們對「好的英文」有更深的理解。今天在這裡推薦一本文筆優美的原版書:Call Me By Your Name

Call Me By Your Name出自美國作家André Aciman之手。這本書題材比較特殊,它是一本同性愛情小說。主人公Elio Perlman來自義大利一個知識分子家庭,他的父母每年夏天都會邀請一名博士生到他家進行學術交流。在1983年夏天,他遇到了前來訪學的美國大學生Oliver,不久兩個人之間產生感情,並一起度過了一個難忘的夏天。雖然這場邂逅為時只有六周,但它給雙方都留下了難以磨滅的印記。二十年後兩個人在義大利重逢,面對舊人舊景感慨萬千。書名Call Me By Your Name(請以你的名字呼喚我)其實是對兩人感情最好的詮釋:只有愛到極致,兩個人之間的邊界才會消失,才能做到你中有我,我中有你,才會想到用你的名字來呼喚我。

相比其他通俗流行小說,這本書並不好讀,因為作者在開頭花了很大的篇幅來描寫Elio面對Oliver的內心獨白。作者將少年情感中所有情緒的微妙轉折,所有細節所盪起的漣漪,都不吝筆墨地寫下來。這些意識流描寫極其精妙細膩,把一個少年面對暗戀對象的情愫都完整展現在讀者前面。在剛讀這本書的時候你可能會覺得這些心理描寫過於冗長枯燥,但讀到後面會發現它們恰到好處:前半部分的情感鋪墊讓後半部分兩人之間的相戀和離別更具張力。

Call Me By Your Name一大令人稱道之處在於它優美精妙的語言,從中我們可以一窺作者對人物心理的細膩觀察和深厚的語言功底。這裡舉幾個例子:

We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste!

這段話的意思是「為了讓我們更快癒合,我們從自己身上剝去了太多東西,以至於不到30歲就已經一無所有。每開始一段新的感情,能給與對方的就越少。為了不要有感覺而不去感覺,多麼浪費啊!」感情也是消耗品,每用完一點就少一點。go bankrupt這一說法用得很棒,能夠形象寫出一個人感情枯竭,無力再愛的狀態。

Twenty years was yesterday, and yesterday was just earlier this morning, and morning seemed light-years away.

這是兩人時隔20年後在義大利重逢時Elio的獨白。這句話讀起來似乎有些矛盾,但仔細想想也在情理之中。對於Elio來說,二十年既很長又很短:從時間距離上來看,二十年是很長的時間,足以讓一個人經歷人生的大起大落;對於久別重逢的戀人來說,美好的回憶歷久彌新,彷彿就在昨天,二十年的時間也顯得很短。

I wanted him dead too, so that if I couldnt stop thinking about him and worrying about when would be the next time Id see him, at least his death would put an end to it. I wanted to kill him myself, even, so as to let him know how much his mere existence had come to bother me, how unbearable his ease with everything and everyone, taking all things in stride, his tireless Im-okay-with-this-and-that, his springing across the gate to the beach when everyone else opened the latch first, to say nothing of his bathings suits, his spot in paradise, his cheeky Later!, his lip-smacking love for apricot juice.

這一段與《斷背山》裡面一句台詞有異曲同工之妙:I wish I knew how to quit you. 在這裡Elio為了忘掉Oliver,甚至產生了親手殺死Oliver的念頭,這樣他才不會忍不住想念。通過這段獨白我們可以感受到Elio對Oliver無法抑制的思念,他的每一個動作每一個表情都能擾動Elio的思緒。

If I could have him like this in my dreams every night of my life, Id stake my entire life on dreams and be done with the rest.

如果能在夢中和相愛的人在一起,那麼寧願長眠不醒。這可能是愛情的最高境界了。

Call Me By Your Name雖然是一部同性愛情小說,但美好的感情不分性別,書中對愛情細膩的描寫相信能讓很多人動容。你會在這本書中感受到真摯的人類情感。

除此之外,這本小說還有對應的電影改編版本Call Me by Your Name,強烈推薦感興趣的同學觀看。


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