PBS高端访谈:我们如何记录2020年（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: No matter what age you are, it has undeniably been a year of many firsts. Between COVID and the election of the first woman vice president, 2020 will be a year for historians to examine and dissect for decades to come. Tonight, biographer and historian Janice Nimura shares her humble opinion on how we can all help shape the story that is taught to future generations. This essay is part of our ongoing arts and culture series, Canvas.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：不管你多大年纪，这一年无疑是许多第一。在疫情和第一位女性副总统当选之间，2020年将是历史学家们在未来几十年里审视和剖析的一年。今晚，传记作家兼历史学家尼穆拉分享了她的拙见，关于如何教授给后代这个故事。这篇文章是我们正在进行的艺术和文化系列“帆布”的一部分。

JANICE NIMURA, Author, The Doctors Blackwell: I started keeping a journal in 11th grade. It was an assignment for English class. But once I got going, I discovered what all writers know: Most of the time, you write not to set down what you think, but to figure out what you have to say. What you have written becomes part of your personal history. I can go back to that green notebook and remember what it felt like to be 16. I have been keeping a journal ever since. You see, the rhetoric of powerful people can persist for millennia, but that kind of writing is a polished mask for an audience. Journals, on the other hand, are scribbled in private, and full of naked feelings. They preserve the voices we don't usually hear, the very young, the elderly, the powerless. For biographers like me who seek treasure in archives, those are the most precious finds. And this is a critical moment to keep one. 2020 is a year none of us will forget, filled with grief, rage, anxiety, and confusion, and also determination, generosity, and hope. We have a lot to process, and what we write in this moment will capture it. We may not ever forget 2020, but our written voices will tell our great-grandchildren the story of right now and possibly help them face the crises of the future. So, keep a journal, find a notebook or jot notes on your phone. Write about what you had for dinner. Write about what makes you angry. Write about what you want. Or, if you don't feel like writing, draw. Paste in a photo of your cousins on Zoom or of a protest or your best friend wearing a mask. On the first page of my 11th-grade journal, I wrote: This is just for me. Write like no one is watching. That is, write like no one is watching right now. Someday, a historian or your own great-grandchild may lift your notebook from a dusty shelf or open a file on a forgotten hard drive and read your words with growing excitement. They will hear your voice reacting to the turmoil of 2020, figuring out what to feel. And they will learn something from it, just as you learned something about yourself when you wrote it.

詹尼斯·尼穆拉，作家，《布莱克威尔医生》：我从11年级开始写日记。这是英语课的作业。但一旦我开始，我发现了所有作家都知道的：大多数时候，你写信不是为了写下你的想法，而是想知道你要说什么。你所写的成为你个人历史的一部分。我可以回到那本绿色的笔记本上，回忆起16岁的感觉。从那以后我一直记日记。你看，有权势的人的花言巧语可以持续几千年，但对于观众来说，这种写作是一个完美的面具。另一方面，日记是私下里乱写的，充满了赤裸裸的情感。他们保留了我们通常听不到的声音，年轻人、老年人、弱者。对于像我这样在档案中寻找宝藏的传记作家来说，这些是最珍贵的发现。这是一个关键时刻来记录，2020年是我们不会忘记的一年，充满悲伤、愤怒、焦虑和困惑，还有决心、慷慨和希望。我们有很多事情要处理，我们在这一刻写的东西会抓住它。我们也许永远不会忘记2020年，但我们的书面声音将告诉我们的曾孙们现在的故事并可能帮助他们面对未来的危机。所以，记日记，在手机上找个笔记本或笔记。写下你晚餐吃了什么。写下什么让你生气。写下你想要的。或者，如果你不想写作，画画。把你堂兄弟姐妹的照片贴在Zoom上，或是抗议的照片，或是你最好的朋友戴着口罩的照片。在我11年级日记的第一页上，我写道：这是为我准备的。像没人在看一样写。也就是说，像现在没人看一样写。总有一天，历史学家或你自己的曾孙可能会把你的笔记本从满是灰尘的书架上提起，或者打开一个被遗忘的硬盘上的文件读你的话时，你会越来越兴奋。他们会听到你对2020年动荡的反应，想办法感受什么。他们会从中学到一些东西，就像你写这本书的时候学到的一样。

JUDY WOODRUFF: Such good advice from Janice Nimura. We thank you.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：詹尼斯·尼穆拉给了我这么好的建议。我们谢谢你。