经济学人58:游子被拒在外

 　　Books and Arts; Book Review;Post-apartheid South Africa；The rejected son；

　　文艺；书评；后种族隔离时代的南非；游子被拒在外；

　　Sometimes There is a Void: Memoirs¹ of an Outsider. By Zakes Mda.

　　有时候有一种空虚：局外人回忆录；Zakes Mda著。

　　They “stopped the gravy² train just long enough to get on themselves,” said Desmond Tutu in disgust over the post-apartheid greed of South Africa's liberation elite³. If Zakes Mda's account is anything to go by, the Nobel laureate was guilty of understatement. The African National Congress (ANC), he claims, is “overtaking Nigeria” in patronage⁴ and cronyism⁵.

　　对南非解放精英在后种族隔离时代的贪婪，戴斯蒙德·图图（Desmond Tutu）气愤地这样说，“他们长时间停下这辆财富之车好让自己上去”。扎克斯·姆达（Zakes Mda）宣称，非洲国民大会在赞助和任人唯亲上已“超过尼日利亚”。如果他的看法有任何参考意义的话，那这位诺贝尔和平奖得主（Desmond Tutu）恐怕低估了情况。

　　J.M. Coetzee, Christopher Hope, Damon Galgut and other South African writers have also been critical of the country's governing party. But Mr Mda's attack is far more bruising⁶ than theirs. Not only is he the country's leading black playwright⁷ and novelist; as a member of a prominent family forced to flee apartheid South Africa, and as an angry campaigner during those harsh years, his political credentials⁸ are impressive.

　　J.M. Coetzee, Christopher Hope, Damon Galgut 等其他一些南非的作家都对执政党持批评态度。但是姆达先生的攻击比他们的更加激烈。在本国他是黑人剧作家和小说家的领军人物，当显赫家族被迫逃离种族隔离政策的南非时他是一员，在那些艰难的岁月里他成为一个愤怒的活动家，他的政治立场总是让人印象深刻。

　　His father, A.P. Mda, was the “founding spirit” of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), which broke with the ANC in 1959 in protest against, among other things, that party's links with the Soviet⁹ Union. In political exile Mda senior practised law in Lesotho where, as an austere¹⁰ Christian¹¹, he embodied¹² the PAC's motto: “Service, Sacrifice and Suffering”. He charged deserving clients little or nothing for his services and moved his impoverished¹³ family into what his son describes as a slummy township. Their house had no electricity, a rusty¹⁴ corrugated¹⁵ iron roof and no ceiling; “the toilet was a pit latrine outside and we had to draw water from a communal¹⁶ tap a few streets away.”

　　他的父亲，A.P. Mda是阿尔扎尼亚泛非主义者大会（PAC）的精神铸造者，PAC于1959年与ANC进行对抗时破裂，此外，PAC还是一个与苏联有关的政党。在政治流放时姆达前辈曾在莱索托从事过法律方面的事，也就是在这儿，作为一个严谨的天主教人，他践行着PAC的宣言“奉献，牺牲和忍耐”。对于那些值得帮助的人他往往是服务了却不收钱或只收一点点钱，而他自己家却搬到了儿子口中所谓的贫民窟中。他们家里没有电，有的只是没有天花板的波纹铁皮屋顶；“至于卫生间也只是外面有一个蹲坑而且我们还得从几公里以外的公用自来水处抽水。”

　　The underlying¹⁷ and sometimes overriding¹⁸ theme in Mda junior's anguished¹⁹ autobiography²⁰ is his admiration²¹ for his father's life and his failure to live up to it. He is, he bravely admits, a physical coward. His only stab at violent political action ended in farce²². He was commissioned to murder an alleged²³ Communist spy but was so frightened that he emerged from behind a boulder²⁴ to hand over his Derringer pocket pistol to the man he was supposed to assassinate²⁵.

　　在姆达早期十分痛苦的自传中，这潜在的有时是最重要的主题是他对父亲生活的崇拜以及自己却未能实现。他自己也坦然承认是个典型的懦夫。他在暴力政治活动中的仅有努力也以胡闹而完事。他奉命去谋杀一名嫌疑的共产主义间谍，由于非常害怕，他逃到一块岩石后面手持德林格（口袋里的小手枪）对准那个他要暗杀的人。

　　The turmoil²⁶ in Mr Mda's private life saddened his mother as well as his father. He constantly mistook lust²⁷ for undying love and engaged in brief affairs with numerous women. The second of his three marriages ended in a protracted²⁸ fight for the custody²⁹ of children and the final pages of his book are spoiled by a spiteful assault on this former wife.

　　姆达混乱的私生活让他的父母感到很伤心。他常错把情欲看成不渝的爱，和好多女的搞暧昧却又匆匆了事。他的第三次婚姻以漫长的争夺孩子抚养权的斗争而告终；他书的最后一页在一次对前妻恶意施暴时弄脏了。

　　In contrast, Mr Mda achieved ever greater success in his public life. His plays were performed everywhere and he became a star turn at literary festivals in Europe and the United States. “We Shall Sing for the Fatherland”, a play he wrote 30 years ago, was once rated among his least political. It is now seen among his most prophetic as, in its author's words, it “looks at the life of the veterans of the liberation struggle who are now marginalised in the new society they helped to bring about.”

　　与此相反，姆达在他的政治生活上取得了巨大的成功。他的话剧到各地演出而他也成为明星出现在欧洲和美国文化节上。“我们为祖国歌唱”，这个他在30年前写的剧，在他最初的政治公演中还受到责骂。而现在它更多出现在他最多的预言中，用作者的话来说，“它看到解放斗争中老兵的生活，老兵们促成了这个新社会却生活在社会的边缘。”

　　This was the fate of A.P. Mda, whose contribution to the struggle, his widow lamented³⁰, was entirely³¹ forgotten by the triumphant³² ANC. Like his father, Mr Mda also feels marginalised. He applied³³ for several important cultural and media posts, the interviews went well but each time he was blackballed by the president's office. He helped set up a film and television production company and then found no new contracts were forthcoming from the South African Broadcasting Corporation after he refused “to pay the bribes³⁴ that the commissioning staff of the national broadcaster demanded from producers”.

　　这就是A.P. Mda的命运，他的遗孀悲痛地说，他为斗争所做出的贡献，在ANC大获全胜之时已被统统忘到脑后。就像父亲一样，姆达也有边缘化的感觉。他申请了几个重要的文化和媒体发布，访问进行的很顺利但是每次都会被总统办公室给取消。他投资成立一个电视电影制作公司，他发现自从他拒绝行贿后也就是所谓的国家广播公司协调人员向制片人的要求被拒后，南非广播公司就再没有新的合同了给他了。

　　As he was not wanted in his own country, Mr Mda left it to take up a professorship at Ohio University and strove to persuade himself that, as a liberal secular³⁵ humanist, “South Africanness” was just one of his several identities. An autobiography suffused³⁶ with love for his homeland says otherwise. So do his novels.

　　他感觉在祖国没有归属感，姆达离开了南非去俄亥俄大学去深造，他极力说服自己，作为一个自由的世俗的人道主义者，“南非公民”只是他数个身份的一个。那饱含对祖国热爱之情的自传对他轻语“要不然呢”。他的小说也是如此。

1 memoirs   

n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)

参考例句：

• Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
• I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 gravy   

n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快

参考例句：

• You have spilled gravy on the tablecloth.你把肉汁泼到台布上了。
• The meat was swimming in gravy.肉泡在浓汁之中。

3 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

4 patronage   

n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场

参考例句：

• Though it was not yet noon,there was considerable patronage.虽然时间未到中午，店中已有许多顾客惠顾。
• I am sorry to say that my patronage ends with this.很抱歉，我的赞助只能到此为止。

5 cronyism   

n.任人唯亲，对好朋友的偏袒

参考例句：

• Many small town mayor and city official practice cronyism.许多小镇的市长和大城市的官员都有任人唯亲的行为。
• Bringing business people into politics can also produce corruption and cronyism.商人从政也容易带来腐败和任人唯亲。

6 bruising   

adj.殊死的；十分激烈的v.擦伤(bruise的现在分词形式)

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• He slipped and fell, badly bruising an elbow. 他滑倒了，一只胳膊肘严重擦伤。 来自辞典例句

7 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

8 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

9 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

10 austere   

adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的

参考例句：

• His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
• The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 embodied   

v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
• The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

15 corrugated   

adj.波纹的；缩成皱纹的；波纹面的；波纹状的v.（使某物）起皱褶(corrugate的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• a corrugated iron roof 波纹铁屋顶
• His brow corrugated with the effort of thinking. 他皱着眉头用心地思考。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

17 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

18 overriding   

a.最主要的

参考例句：

• Development is of overriding importance. 发展是硬道理
• My overriding concern is to raise the standards of state education. 我最关心的是提高国民教育水平。

19 anguished   

adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式)

参考例句：

• Desmond eyed her anguished face with sympathy. 看着她痛苦的脸，德斯蒙德觉得理解。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The loss of her husband anguished her deeply. 她丈夫的死亡使她悲痛万分。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

20 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

21 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

22 farce   

n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹

参考例句：

• They played a shameful role in this farce.他们在这场闹剧中扮演了可耻的角色。
• The audience roared at the farce.闹剧使观众哄堂大笑。

23 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

24 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

25 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

26 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

27 lust   

n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望

参考例句：

• He was filled with lust for power.他内心充满了对权力的渴望。
• Sensing the explorer's lust for gold, the chief wisely presented gold ornaments as gifts.酋长觉察出探险者们垂涎黄金的欲念，就聪明地把金饰品作为礼物赠送给他们。

28 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

30 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

32 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

33 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

34 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

35 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

36 suffused   

v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• 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》