2021年经济学人 《魔术师》书评

Books and Arts -- Book Review

文学与艺术——书评

Literary lives -- Daylight on the magic

文学生涯——揭开魔法

The Magician. By Colm Toibin.

《魔术师》，作者：科姆·托宾。

Thomas Mann’s last, unfinished novel tells of a confidence trickster named Felix Krull.

托马斯·曼最后一部未完成的小说讲述了一个名叫菲利克斯·克鲁尔的骗子的故事。

In “The Magician”, Colm Toibin’s fictionalised portrait of the great German writer, the ageing Mann thinks of himself as a similar “dodger” who “got away with things”.

在科尔姆·托宾对这位伟大德国作家的虚构描写作品《魔术师》中，日渐衰老的曼认为自己像是一个“逃避现实的人”。

He believes that the skill to “reverse their own story as the wind changed” is a hallmark of humankind.

他认为，“随着风向变化改变自己的行事”的技能是人类的典型特征。

In Mr Toibin’s immersive novel about the author’s life and times, Mann is a consummate¹ actor.

在托宾这部关于作者生活和时代的沉浸式小说中，曼是一个完美的演员。

His “distant, bookish tone” and “personal stiffness” mask a restless and conflicted soul.

他“冷漠又充满书生气的语调”和“固执己见”掩盖了他矛盾不安的灵魂。

Most obviously, this long-married father of six, an upright pillar of German-speaking culture, learns how to cloak his homosexual desires.

最惹人注目的是，这位结婚已久的六个孩子的父亲、德语文化的顶梁柱，学会了如何掩饰自己的同性恋性向。

After brief encounters during his bourgeois² upbringing in Lubeck and Munich, Mann’s taste for younger men settles into chaste³ flirtations, private diaries, or just “the secret energy in a gaze”.

他在吕贝克和慕尼黑的资产阶级环境中成长期间曾有过短暂的邂逅，此后，曼对年轻男人的涉猎逐渐转变为纯洁的调情、私人日记，或者仅仅是“凝视中的隐秘力量”。

In politics, too, Mann knows how to dissemble and compromise.

在政治上，曼也懂得如何掩饰和妥协。

Even when his conservative patriotism⁴ has given way to outrage⁵ at the Nazis⁶, his courage falters⁷ and he prevaricates⁸ over taking a public stand.

即使当他的保守爱国主义已让位于对纳粹的愤怒时，他还是勇气衰弱，在公开场合含糊其辞。

Slowly, when an honoured exile in America, he rises to become a champion of democracy.

慢慢地，当他光荣流亡到美国时，他成为了民主的捍卫者。

It takes almost until the end of his 80-year life for this great pretender to feel “he could freely speak the truth”.

这位高明的伪装者几乎到他80年的生命结束之际才感到“他可以畅所欲言了”。

The saga⁹ has other threads.

这个传奇故事还有其他故事线。

Mann’s unruly brood of troubled children act out all the emotional drama that the Nobel-prizewinning author of “Death in Venice”, “The Magic Mountain” and “Doctor Faustus” forbids himself.

曼那一群任性的问题孩子们演绎出了这位诺贝尔奖得主所有的情感戏剧——他的作品有《威尼斯之死》、《魔山》和《浮士德医生》——而他却禁止自己表露这些情感。

After the suicide in Cannes of Klaus Mann—reckless, outspoken¹⁰, openly gay—Michael, another of Thomas’s sons, tells him that “we, your children, do not feel any gratitude¹¹ to you.”

在克劳斯·曼在戛纳自杀后——鲁莽、坦率、出柜的同性恋——托马斯的另一个儿子迈克尔告诉他，“我们作为你的孩子，对你没有任何感激之情。”

The literary prophet, touted¹² as a post-war president of liberated¹³ Germany, earns little reverence¹⁴ at home.

这位文学先知虽被吹捧为战后解放德国的总统，在国内几乎不受尊敬。

Many chroniclers, including four of Mann’s six children, have told his story.

许多编年史者，包括曼六个孩子中的四个，都讲述过他的故事。

So “The Magician”, which invents dialogue but takes no flagrant liberties with facts, rests on a mountain of prior testimony¹⁵.

因此，《魔术师》虽然创造了一些对白，但并没有公然捏造事实，它依旧建立在大量的事先证词之上。

Yet admirers of Mr Toibin—best known for “Brooklyn” and “The Testament¹⁶ of Mary”— will see what drew him to this tormented¹⁷ dynasty.

然而，托宾——他最著名的作品是《布鲁克林》和《玛丽的遗嘱》——的崇拜者将会明白是什么吸引他来写这个饱受折磨的家族。

The Irish author has often explored same-sex love in hostile climates, unpicked the entangling¹⁸ bonds that parents and children share, and, especially in “The Master”, his novel about Henry James, probed the mysterious links between self-denial and creativity.

这位爱尔兰作家经常探索充满敌意的环境下的同性爱情，解开父母和孩子之间的纠结，特别是在他关于亨利·詹姆斯的小说《大师》中，他探讨了自我否定和创造力之间的神秘联系。

From Bismarck’s Germany to the cold war, “The Magician” covers a lot of history alongside its personal tumult¹⁹.

从俾斯麦统治下的德国到冷战时期，《魔术师》在讲述个人骚动的同时，也讲述了很多历史。

With such a wagonload of baggage, the narrative²⁰ sometimes feels like a trudge²¹.

背负着如此沉重的包袱，这个故事有时让人感觉像是一场长途跋涉。

But Mr Toibin shines in close-up scenes of thwarted²² longing²³, delivering a grave homage²⁴ that is nevertheless flecked with irony²⁵ and mischief—just the tone Mann himself perfected.

但是托宾先生的精彩之处在于详细描写被挫败的渴望时，传达了一份庄严的敬意，同时夹杂着讽刺和顽皮——这正是曼本人擅长的基调。

The novel gently removes a con-man’s wardrobe of disguises, while celebrating this “dull interloper become magician” for the enduring spell his art has cast.

小说温和地褪去了这位骗子的伪装外壳，同时庆祝这位“沉闷的闯入者成为了魔法师”，因为他的艺术持久地散发着魔力。

1 consummate   

adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle

参考例句：

• The restored jade burial suit fully reveals the consummate skill of the labouring people of ancient China.复原后的金缕玉衣充分显示出中国古代劳动人民的精湛工艺。
• The actor's acting is consummate and he is loved by the audience.这位演员技艺精湛，深受观众喜爱。

2 bourgeois   

adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子

参考例句：

• He's accusing them of having a bourgeois and limited vision.他指责他们像中产阶级一样目光狭隘。
• The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois.法国革命受到中产阶级的鼓励。

3 chaste   

adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的

参考例句：

• Comparatively speaking,I like chaste poetry better.相比较而言，我更喜欢朴实无华的诗。
• Tess was a chaste young girl.苔丝是一个善良的少女。

4 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

5 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

6 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 falters   

（嗓音）颤抖( falter的第三人称单数 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃

参考例句：

• He never falters in his determination. 他的决心从不动摇。
• The plan never falters; the design never changes. It is all ordered. 大自然从不步履蹒跚，从不三心二意，一切都是有条不紊。

8 prevaricates   

v.支吾( prevaricate的第三人称单数 )；搪塞；说谎

参考例句：

9 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

10 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

11 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

12 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

13 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

14 reverence   

n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。

15 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

16 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

17 tormented   

饱受折磨的

参考例句：

• The knowledge of his guilt tormented him. 知道了自己的罪责使他非常痛苦。
• He had lain awake all night, tormented by jealousy. 他彻夜未眠，深受嫉妒的折磨。

18 entangling   

v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• We increasingly want an end to entangling alliances. 我们越来越想终止那些纠缠不清的盟约。 来自辞典例句
• What a thing it was to have her love him, even if it be entangling! 得到她的爱是件多么美妙的事，即使为此陷入纠葛中去也值得！ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

19 tumult   

n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹

参考例句：

• The tumult in the streets awakened everyone in the house.街上的喧哗吵醒了屋子里的每一个人。
• His voice disappeared under growing tumult.他的声音消失在越来越响的喧哗声中。

20 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• 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。

21 trudge   

v.步履艰难地走；n.跋涉，费力艰难的步行

参考例句：

• It was a hard trudge up the hill.这趟上山是一次艰难的跋涉。
• The trudge through the forest will be tiresome.长途跋涉穿越森林会令人疲惫不堪。

22 thwarted   

阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
• Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。

23 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• 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。

24 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

25 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。