2020年经济学人 英国小说书评--去布里克斯顿(2)

These "Astorians" comprise not only "fairly conventional male Jewish shopkeepers" with dreams of a racier existence, but some gay and black confederates. A series of escapades, charmingly told if loosely connected, depict¹ Benny and his mates—among them "Maxie the Ganoff" or "thief", "Spanish Joe" and "Fancy Goods Harry"—as they sidestep the law to recapture the "rule-breaking" thrills of their slumland youth. "Benny the Fixer" and his chutzpadik gang nurture² Robin³ Hood⁴ fantasies as they raid a crooked⁵ jewellers or cheer on the career of "Kid Joey", a half-Jamaican, half-Irish Brixton boxer⁶. They believe a "moral framework" blesses their scams. Not so "Little Jack⁷" Lewis—a big cheese among "South London's more felonious residents", weapons-grade thug and sinister⁸ proof that playing at crime may lead swiftly down into darkness.

这些“阿斯托利亚人”不仅包括梦想变得更有活力的“相当传统的犹太男店主”，还包括一些同性恋者和黑人同盟。一系列结构松散但叙述迷人的冒险故事中描述了本尼和他的朋友“马克西·加诺夫”/“小偷”、“西班牙的乔”和“花哨商品哈里”：他们违背法律，重获贫民窟青年的“违规”惊险刺激。“掮客本尼”和他鲁莽的帮派抢劫了一家经营不正当的珠宝店，幻想成为罗宾汉，还为一半牙买加血统、一半爱尔兰血统的布里克斯顿拳击手“小孩乔伊”加油打气。他们相信“道德框架”让他们的骗局能够进行下去。“小杰克”路易斯是“伦敦南部凶恶人群”、武器级恶棍和进行犯罪游戏的邪恶证据中间的重要人物，他可能会迅速坠入黑暗。

Colourful and episodic, "Pomeranski" scatters⁹ its stories liberally. A detour¹⁰ to Kingston, Jamaica, gives readers a tantalising glimpse, but no more, of the island's long-settled Jewish community. It might have benefited from a tighter focus on fewer figures, such as near-tragic Sam "the Stick" Golub, crippled in childhood and driven by a "constant quest for revenge". Ultimately, the book endorses¹¹ Bertha's scorn for the "nonsense" of treating "petty thieving and threatening people as a sort of political stance". Mr Jacobs, though, keeps the mood genial¹² and the yarns¹³ flowing. The wheezes¹⁴ of his Astorians add an exuberant¹⁵ shot of yiddishkeit to "the everlasting¹⁶ drama that was Brixton".

多彩而偶发的“波梅兰斯基”把它的故事自由地散布开来。绕道去牙买加金斯敦的路途吊了读者的胃口，但没有让他们看到在这座岛屿定居已久的犹太社区。这可能从对少数人的密切关注中获益，比如悲惨的山姆“棒子”戈卢布在童年时就成了跛子，是“不断追求复仇”的目标使他向前。最终，这本书对伯莎鄙视的“小偷小摸和以政治立场之名来威胁别人”的“一派胡言”表示赞同。尽管如此，雅各布斯先生还是以平和的心态完成了这个故事。他的阿斯托利亚人故事把犹太人的热闹添加到了“布里克斯顿永恒的戏剧”中。

1 depict   

vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述

参考例句：

• I don't care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。
• Children's books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。

2 nurture   

n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持

参考例句：

• The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
• The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。

3 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

4 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

5 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

6 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

9 scatters   

v.（使）散开， （使）分散，驱散( scatter的第三人称单数 )；撒

参考例句：

• He scatters money about as if he were rich. 他四处挥霍，好像很有钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Truth raises against itself the storm that scatters its seeds broadcast. 真理引起了反对它自己的狂风骤雨，那场风雨吹散了真理的广播的种子。 来自辞典例句

10 detour   

n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道

参考例句：

• We made a detour to avoid the heavy traffic.我们绕道走，避开繁忙的交通。
• He did not take the direct route to his home,but made a detour around the outskirts of the city.他没有直接回家，而是绕到市郊兜了个圈子。

11 endorses   

v.赞同( endorse的第三人称单数 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• There isn't one country in the Middle East that now endorses the Eisenhower Doctrine. 但至今没有一个中东国家认可它。 来自辞典例句
• Whether any of this truly endorses Dr Patel's hypothesis is moot. 这些视频能否真正证明帕特的假设成立还是个未知数。 来自互联网

12 genial   

adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的

参考例句：

• Orlando is a genial man.奥兰多是一位和蔼可亲的人。
• He was a warm-hearted friend and genial host.他是个热心的朋友，也是友善待客的主人。

13 yarns   

n.纱( yarn的名词复数 )；纱线；奇闻漫谈；旅行轶事

参考例句：

• ...vegetable-dyed yarns. 用植物染料染过色的纱线 来自辞典例句
• Fibers may be loosely or tightly twisted into yarns. 纤维可以是膨松地或紧密地捻成纱线。 来自辞典例句

14 wheezes   

n.喘息声( wheeze的名词复数 )v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They've tried some brilliant wheezes, but every time, Jerry's twigged at the last moment. 他们使用了一些华丽的陈腐俏皮话，但是每次到了最后关头，德国人就察觉了。 来自互联网
• The lungs are clear to auscultation bilaterally, without any wheezes, rales, or rhonchi. 双肺听诊清音，无喘鸣或干湿罗音。 来自互联网

15 exuberant   

adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的

参考例句：

• Hothouse plants do not possess exuberant vitality.在温室里培养出来的东西，不会有强大的生命力。
• All those mother trees in the garden are exuberant.果园里的那些母树都长得十分茂盛。

16 everlasting   

adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的

参考例句：

• These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
• He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。