The stories behind The New Yorker's iconic covers | Françoise Mouly

翻译人员: joey deng 校对人员: Xingyu Xu

So 24 years ago,

24年前，

I was brought to The New Yorker

我加入了《纽约客》

as art editor

做艺术编辑，

to rejuvenate

想要带来一点活力

what had by then become a somewhat staid institution

改变当时有点古板的风格

and to bring in new artists

并且引进新的艺术家，

and to try to bring the magazine from its ivory tower

想将这本杂志带出象牙塔，

into engaging with its time.

让它与时俱进。

And it was just the right thing for me to do

这对我而言像是注定要做的事，

because I've always been captivated by how an image can --

我总是对图像非常着迷，

a simple drawing --

因为一幅简单的绘画，

can cut through the torrent of images that we see every single day.

就可以切入我门每天所见的图像洪流，

How it can capture a moment,

它是如何能捕捉一个瞬间，

how it can crystallize a social trend or a complex event

把用语言很难描述清楚的

in a way that a lot of words wouldn't be able to do --

社会趋势或者复杂事件具像化，

and reduce it to its essence and turn it into a cartoon.

提炼它的本质 并用卡通的形式表现出来。

So I went to the library

于是我去图书馆，

and I looked at the first cover drawn by Rea Irvin in 1925 --

找到了雷亚·欧文 在1925年所做的第一期封面，

a dandy looking at a butterfly through his monocle,

一位时髦男士透过单片眼镜 在观察一只蝴蝶，

and we call it Eustace Tilley.

我们叫他尤斯塔斯·提利。

And I realized that as the magazine had become known

我意识到随着杂志

for its in-depth research and long reports,

靠深度研究和长篇报道出名后，

some of the humor had gotten lost along the way,

这期间它的幽默感慢慢丢失了，

because now often Eustace Tilley was seen as a haughty dandy,

因为现在尤斯塔斯·提利 常常被视为一个傲慢的花花公子，

but in fact, in 1925,

但实际上，在1925年，

when Rea Irvin first drew this image,

当雷亚·欧文最初创作这幅画的时候，

he did it as part of a humor magazine

他是将其作为一本幽默杂志 的封面来画的，

to amuse the youth of the era,

为的是取悦那个年代的年轻人，

which was the flappers of the roaring twenties.

他们是咆哮的二十年代的引领者。

And in the library,

在图书馆里，

I found the images that really captured the zeitgeist

我找到了一些封面， 它们抓住了大萧条时代

of the Great Depression.

的时代精神。

And it showed us not just how people dressed

它展现的不仅仅是人们的穿着打扮，

or what their cars looked like,

或他们开的是什么车，

but also what made them laugh,

还包括什么会让他们发笑，

what their prejudices were.

他们有什么偏见。

And you really got a sense

你能真切感受到，

of what it felt like to be alive in the '30s.

生活在30年代是什么感觉。

So I called on contemporary artists,

于是我邀请当代的画家们，

such as Adrian Tomine here.

比如艾德里安·托明。

I often call on narrative artists --

我经常邀请叙事画家——

cartoonists, children's book authors --

比如卡通画家，儿童书籍作家——

and I give them themes such as,

我给他们选定主题，

you know, what it's like to be in the subway,

比如，在地铁里是什么感觉，

or Valentine's Day,

或者过情人节是什么感觉，

and they send me sketches.

他们就会发给我草图。

And once the sketches are approved by the editor,

一旦这些草图被主编——

David Remnick,

大卫·雷姆尼克——审核通过，

it's a go.

就会被采用。

And I love the way

我喜欢这种方式，

those images are actually not telling you what to think.

这些画并没有告诉你应该如何思考。

But they do make you think,

但他们会引发你的思索，

because the artist is actually --

因为画家实际上只是——

it's almost a puzzle;

就像一幅拼图，

the artist is drawing the dots,

画家只是画出一些点，

and you, the reader, have to complete the picture.

而你，每一位读者，要补全这幅画。

So to get this image on the left by Anita Kunz,

因此，想读懂左边这幅， 阿尼塔·昆茨的作品，

or the one on right by Tomer Hanuka,

或者右边这幅， 托摩尔·阿努卡的作品，

you have to play spot the differences.

你需要分析他们之间的不同。

And it is something that ...

而这中间……

It's really exciting to see

与读者的互动

how the engagement with the reader ...

是非常让人兴奋的事情。

how those images really capture --

这些画是怎么抓住……

play with the stereotypes.

怎么打破陈规的。

But when you get it,

一旦你看懂它的深意，

it rearranges the stereotypes that are in your head.

它会令你耳目一新。

But the images don't just have to show people,

但是图片不仅仅可以展示

sometimes it can be a feeling.

有时候它也代表一种情感。

Right after September 11,

“9·11”发生之后，

I was at a point,

我陷入了一种状态，

like everybody else,

跟所有人一样，

where I really didn't know how to deal with what we were going through,

我不知道该怎么接受所发生的一切，

and I felt that no image could capture this moment,

我感觉没有任何一幅画 能抓住那个瞬间，

and I wanted to just do a black cover,

我只想做一个全黑的封面，

like no cover.

就像没有封面一样。

And I talked to my husband, cartoonist Art Spiegelman,

我跟我丈夫亚特·斯皮格尔曼聊了一下， 他是一名漫画家，

and mentioned to him that I was going to propose that,

我告诉他我准备用黑色的封面，

and he said, "Oh, if you're going to do a black cover,

他说，“既然你打算用黑色的封面，

then why don't you do the silhouette of the Twin Towers,

为什么不加上双子塔的轮廓呢，

black on black?"

黑底黑图。”

And I sat down to draw this,

于是我坐下来开始画，

and as soon as I saw it,

我第一眼看到它，

a shiver ran down my spine

就感觉浑身一阵颤栗，

and I realized

我意识到

that in this refusal to make an image,

我们在这种拒绝描绘图画的过程中

we had found a way to capture loss

找到了一种捕捉失去

and mourning

和表达哀痛

and absence.

以及缺失的方式

And it's been a profound thing that I learned in the process --

在设计过程中，我学到的最深刻的道理是-

that sometimes some of the images that say the most

最丰富的画面

do it with the most spare means.

反而是留白最多的。

And a simple image can speak volumes.

看似简单，实则含义很深。

So this is the image that we published by Bob Staake

而这是副画就是鲍勃·斯塔克

right after the election of Barack Obama,

在奥巴马竞选总统之后创作的，

and captured a historic moment.

它捕捉到了一个历史时刻。

But we can't really plan for this,

但我们并不能计划好封面图。

because in order to do this,

因为为了创作这些画，

we have to let the artist experience the emotions that we all feel

我们需要让艺术家体会到

所有人在事件发生时的感受。

when that is happening.

So back in November 2016,

再聊回2016年，

during the election last year,

去年选举期间，

the only image that we could publish was this,

我们唯一可以选择出版的画是这张，

which was on the stand on the week that everybody voted.

这是在大家大选投票那一周的态度

(Laughter)

（观众笑）

Because we knew somebody would feel this --

因为我们当竞选结果公布的时候——

(Laughter)

（笑声）

when the result of the election was announced.

——有人是这样想的。

And when we found out the result,

而当我们看到竞选结果的时候，

we really were at a loss,

感觉不知所措，

and this is the image that was sent by Bob Staake again,

而这幅同样是鲍勃·斯塔克创作的画

and that really hit a chord.

触动了我们的心弦。

And again,

重申一下

we can't really figure out what's going to come next,

我们并不能真的弄清未来会发生的事情，

but here it felt like we didn't know how to move forward,

虽然大选给我们的感觉是不知道未来如何前进，

but we did move forward,

但我们确实在进步，

and this is the image that we published after Donald Trump's election

在唐纳德·特朗普大选之后，

and at the time of the Women's March

全美进行女性大游行时，

all over the US.

我们选了这幅画。

So over those 24 years,

在过去的24年，

I have seen over 1,000 images come to life week after week,

我一周又周地见证了一千多张封面画的诞生，

and I'm often asked which one is my favorite,

我经常被要求选一张最喜欢的画，

but I can't pick one

但是我选不出来。

because what I'm most proud of is how different every image is,

因为其中任何一幅画都是极具特色，

one from the other.

这是让我最骄傲的。

And that's due to the talent and the diversity

所有艺术家贡献的天赋与差异

of all of the artists that contribute.

是画作独特的原因。

And now, well,

而现在

now, we're owned by Russia,

我们国家已经属于俄罗斯了，

so --

所以呢——

(Laughter)

(笑声）

In a rendering by Barry Blitt here,

在巴里·布利特的提醒下，

Eustace has become Eustace Vladimirovich Tilley.

尤斯塔斯改为尤斯塔斯·弗拉基米罗维奇·提利。（普京名）

And the butterfly is none other than a flabbergasted Donald Trump

蝴蝶不是别人，正是被吓破胆的唐纳·德特朗普，

flapping his wings,

煽动着翅膀，

trying to figure out how to control the butterfly effect,

想弄清如何控制蝴蝶效应，

and the famed logo that was drawn by Rae Irvin in 1925

而1925年雷亚·欧文画的著名杂志标题

is now in Cyrillic.

现在也用西里尔字母替代，（俄语使用的字母）

So, what makes me really excited about this moment

如今让我最激动就是、

is the way that ...

就是那种方式——

You know, free press is essential to our democracy.

总所周知，言论自由是我们民主不可或缺的一块。

And we can see from the sublime to the ridiculous

我们可以看到不论内容是崇高还是荒谬，

that artists can capture what is going on

艺术家们都能捕捉当下发生的事情。

in a way that an artist

他们会拿着水彩和印度制造的墨水，

armed with just India ink and watercolor

以某种方式

can capture and enter into the cultural dialogue.

捕捉并加入文化交流。

It puts those artists at the center of that culture,

这意味着艺术家应该位于文化的中心，

and that's exactly where I think they should be.

我也认为那就是艺术家的地位。

Because the main thing we need right now is a good cartoon.

因为现在我们需要的是好的卡通画作。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）