My year reading a book from every country in the world | Ann Morgan

譯者: Harry Chen 審譯者: Hayley Kang

It's often said that you can tell a lot about a person

常言道「你可以看出一個人很多東西，

by looking at what's on their bookshelves.

就看看在他們的書架上有著什麼」，

What do my bookshelves say about me?

我的書架又透露出我什麼事呢？

Well, when I asked myself this question a few years ago,

當我幾年前問自己這個問題的時候，

I made an alarming discovery.

有了一個令人憂心的發現；

I'd always thought of myself as a fairly cultured,

我一直自認算是個相當有文化修養、

cosmopolitan sort of person.

見多識廣的那種人，

But my bookshelves told a rather different story.

但是我的書架上卻訴說著 甚是不同的故事。

Pretty much all the titles on them

它們書身全部的名銜極大多數 是英國與北美的作家，

were by British or North American authors,

and there was almost nothing in translation.

而幾乎沒有翻譯品，

Discovering this massive, cultural blind spot in my reading

發現我在閱讀上這個不得了的 文化盲點相當晴天霹靂。

came as quite a shock.

And when I thought about it, it seemed like a real shame.

當我一想到這兒， 真是有點不好意思，

I knew there had to be lots of amazing stories out there

我知道此外有著許多作者

by writers working in languages other than English.

是用非英語的語言寫出 令人嘖嘖稱奇的故事，

And it seemed really sad to think that my reading habits meant

想到我的閱讀習慣意味著

I would probably never encounter them.

我極可能永遠無法與他們交會， 真的很令人傷心。

So, I decided to prescribe myself

所以我打定主意要給自己排定

an intensive course of global reading.

一個閱讀全球的扎實歷程。

2012 was set to be a very international year for the UK;

2012 年被英國訂定成 大國際化年－

it was the year of the London Olympics.

「倫敦奧運年」。

And so I decided to use it as my time frame

所以我決定把那年當作是我的期限表，

to try to read a novel, short story collection

嘗試閱讀來自世界各國的小說、

短篇故事集或是傳記，

or memoir from every country in the world.

And so I did.

而且我就照這樣去做了。

And it was very exciting

這非常刺激！

and I learned some remarkable things

而且我學到了一些非同小可的事情，

and made some wonderful connections

以及產生一些我今天想要 與你分享的美好牽連。

that I want to share with you today.

But it started with some practical problems.

不過一起步就有著一些現實的問題，

After I'd worked out which of the many different lists of countries in the world

在我已經計算好世界各國 眾多的不同清單裡哪一張

to use for my project,

要用在我的計畫裡之後，

I ended up going with the list of UN-recognized nations,

我最終照著聯合國所認定的國家清單，

to which I added Taiwan,

其中我加進了「台灣」，

which gave me a total of 196 countries.

給了我總共196 個國家。

And after I'd worked out how to fit reading and blogging

而在我計算出如何恰足以 閱讀和寫部落格後－

about, roughly, four books a week

大概一個禮拜四本書、五個工作天；

around working five days a week,

I then had to face up to the fact that I might even not be able

我接著得要面對－ 也許我沒辦法從每個國家去取得

to get books in English from every country.

用英文翻譯好了的書－這個事實，

Only around 4.5 percent of the literary works published

在英國每年所出版的著作

each year in the UK are translations,

只有 4.5 ％ 左右是翻譯品，

and the figures are similar for much of the English-speaking world.

該數字相當於世界上 說英語之地方的多寡，

Although, the proportion of translated books published

即便在許多其他國家

in many other countries is a lot higher.

翻譯書籍被出版的比例是高出許多，

4.5 percent is tiny enough to start with,

4.5 ％雖少但在起頭時是夠了的；

but what that figure doesn't tell you

但是那個數字所沒告訴你的是－

is that many of those books will come from countries

許多那些書會是來自有著 茁壯之出版通路的國家，

with strong publishing networks

and lots of industry professionals primed to go out and sell those titles

而且眾多該業界之專業人才 準備好要向外走出

以及販賣那些書目給英語出版商。

to English-language publishers.

So, for example, although well over 100 books are translated from French

舉例來說雖然每一年有超過 100 本書是從法文翻譯過來

and published in the UK each year,

以及在英國出版，

most of them will come from countries like France or Switzerland.

其中大部份將會是來自法國和瑞士；

French-speaking Africa, on the other hand,

另一方面來說使用法文的非洲國家 將會很少有機會來出線。

will rarely ever get a look-in.

The upshot is that there are actually quite a lot of nations

結果就是實際上相當多國家

that may have little or even no commercially available literature

也許只有少許甚或沒有商務上 買得到的英文著作，

in English.

Their books remain invisible to readers

它們的書對世界上出版 最大宗之語種的讀者而言

of the world's most published language.

還是連個影子都沒有。

But when it came to reading the world,

但是當講到了「閱讀世界」，

the biggest challenge of all for me

對我來說最大的難關

was that fact that I didn't know where to start.

就是我不知道從哪裡做開端的事實；

Having spent my life reading almost exclusively British

已經花了我一輩子的時間在閱讀幾乎 不外於英國和北美的書籍，

and North American books,

I had no idea how to go about sourcing and finding stories

我根本不清楚要如何去獲取、找到故事

and choosing them from much of the rest of the world.

和從世界更多其他各處去挑選，

I couldn't tell you how to source a story from Swaziland.

我沒辦法跟你說要如何 從斯威士蘭取得一本小說、

I wouldn't know a good novel from Namibia.

我不會知道納米比亞的一本好小說，

There was no hiding it --

不諱言讓你知道

I was a clueless literary xenophobe.

我是個漫無頭緒的文學輕外者，

So how on earth was I going to read the world?

我究竟憑什麼打定主意「閱讀世界」呢？

I was going to have to ask for help.

我打定主意得去請人幫忙，

So in October 2011, I registered my blog,

所以在 2011 年的十月 我註冊了自己的部落格－

ayearofreadingtheworld.com,

ayearofreadingtheworld.com，

and I posted a short appeal online.

我在網路上張貼了簡短的訴請，

I explained who I was,

我說明了我是什麼人、

how narrow my reading had been,

過去以來我的閱讀是如何的狹隘、

and I asked anyone who cared to

以及我懇請任何有心人

to leave a message suggesting what I might read

留下訊息來建議我可以讀些 來自世界各角落的什麼書。

from other parts of the planet.

Now, I had no idea whether anyone would be interested,

我不清楚到底有沒有人會有興趣嗎？

but within a few hours of me posting that appeal online,

不過在張貼訴請的幾個小時內 大家開始來聯絡了；

people started to get in touch.

At first, it was friends and colleagues.

起先是朋友和同事們，

Then it was friends of friends.

接著是朋友的友人，

And pretty soon, it was strangers.

很快地便是陌生人了。

Four days after I put that appeal online,

在我把訴請放到網路上四天後，

I got a message from a woman called Rafidah in Kuala Lumpur.

我從名喚「拉菲妲」的吉隆坡女性 那裡收到一則訊息，

She said she loved the sound of my project,

她說她喜愛我的計畫給人的感覺，

could she go to her local English-language bookshop

她能否去當地的英語書店

and choose my Malaysian book and post it to me?

挑選我的馬來西亞書並且寄給我嗎？

I accepted enthusiastically,

我熱切地接受了，

and a few weeks later,

幾個禮拜後包裹抵達了，

a package arrived containing not one, but two books --

內附不是一本而是兩本書－

Rafidah's choice from Malaysia,

拉菲妲來自馬來西亞的選擇、

and a book from Singapore that she had also picked out for me.

還有一本她也挑給我的新加坡書。

Now, at the time, I was amazed

當適時我很詫異一個遠在 6,000 哩外的陌生人

that a stranger more than 6,000 miles away

would go to such lengths to help someone

會竭盡心力地來幫忙她也許 永遠碰不上的某人！

she would probably never meet.

But Rafidah's kindness proved to be the pattern for that year.

但是拉菲妲的好心腸 印證了那年的模式－

Time and again, people went out of their way to help me.

一遍又一遍地大家費盡心思來幫我；

Some took on research on my behalf,

有些人代替我接手研考、

and others made detours on holidays and business trips

其他人在渡假或是商務旅行時 繞道去為我購書。

to go to bookshops for me.

It turns out, if you want to read the world,

結果發現假使你想要讀遍世界、

if you want to encounter it with an open mind,

你想要帶著敞開的心房去會見它－

the world will help you.

這世界將會幫助你。

When it came to countries

當來到只有一些或是商務上無法取得 用英文翻好文學著作的國家時，

with little or no commercially available literature in English,

people went further still.

人家依然更賣力來幫忙。

Books often came from surprising sources.

書籍常常出於意外的取得，

My Panamanian read, for example, came through a conversation

舉例而言我的閱讀巴拿馬

來自我和推特上「巴拿馬運河」的對話。

I had with the Panama Canal on Twitter.

Yes, the Panama Canal has a Twitter account.

沒錯！推特帳號有「巴拿馬運河」，

And when I tweeted at it about my project,

在我推文了我的計畫

it suggested that I might like to try and get hold of the work

它建議說我或許會想要試試和持有 巴拿馬作家「寰大衛．摩根」的作品。

of the Panamanian author Juan David Morgan.

I found Morgan's website and I sent him a message,

我找到了摩根的網站寄給他一則訊息，

asking if any of his Spanish-language novels

問道是否有任何一本他的西班牙文小說 已經被翻譯成英語的；

had been translated into English.

And he said that nothing had been published,

而他說沒有英文版作品曾被出版過，

but he did have an unpublished translation

不過他確實有他的小說「黃金馬」 未出版的翻譯本，

of his novel "The Golden Horse."

He emailed this to me,

他電郵給了這個給我，

allowing me to become one of the first people ever

同意我成為至今為止 最先用英文讀過這本書的人。

to read that book in English.

Morgan was by no means the only wordsmith

摩根絕非是唯一的文學巨擘 用這種方式跟我分享他的作品，

to share his work with me in this way.

From Sweden to Palau,

從瑞典以至於帛琉

writers and translators sent me self-published books

作家和譯者們送給我自印的書 以及未出版的手稿－

and unpublished manuscripts of books

that hadn't been picked up by Anglophone publishers

那些沒被輕外的出版商所挑中， 或是再也買不到的書，

or that were no longer available,

giving me privileged glimpses of some remarkable imaginary worlds.

給了我令人眼紅的暫瞥 引人入勝的意想世界。

I read, for example,

我讀了好比南非國王「袞袞哈納」

about the Southern African king Ngungunhane, who led the resistance

在十九世紀帶頭反抗葡萄牙人、

against the Portuguese in the 19th century;

and about marriage rituals in a remote village

在土庫曼遙遠裏海邊岸 村莊的結婚禮俗、

on the shores of the Caspian sea in Turkmenistan.

I met Kuwait's answer to Bridget Jones.

我遇見了給布莉姬．瓊斯的科威特答案、

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And I read about an orgy in a tree in Angola.

還有我讀到了在安哥拉 一棵樹上縱情狂歡。

But perhaps the most amazing example

不過也許大家打定主意竭盡心力 來幫助我閱讀世界

of the lengths that people were prepared to go to

to help me read the world,

最不可思議的例子出現在我探索的結尾，

came towards the end of my quest,

when I tried to get hold of a book from the tiny, Portuguese-speaking

當我試著從講葡萄牙語的非洲小島國

African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.

「聖多美普林西比」 得到一本書的時候；

Now, having spent several months trying everything I could think of to find

在持續花了幾個月 試過所有我能夠想到東西

來找到一本該國已經被翻成英語的書，

a book that had been translated into English from the nation,

it seemed as though the only option left to me

看起來好像剩下的唯一選項

was to see if I could get something translated for me from scratch.

就是看看我是否能夠無中生有 取得翻譯好要給我的東西。

Now, I was really dubious

我真的很沒把握

whether anyone was going to want to help with this,

到底有誰想要幫忙我這事，

and give up their time for something like that.

為了像這款事捨棄自己的時間。

But, within a week of me putting a call out on Twitter and Facebook

但是當我對通曉葡萄牙語的人

在推特和臉書上徵求不到一個禮拜內，

for Portuguese speakers,

I had more people than I could involve in the project,

我有了更多我能在計畫裡納進來的人；

including Margaret Jull Costa, a leader in her field,

包括了瑪格莉特．茱寇斯塔 － 在其行業裡的一位領袖人物，

who has translated the work of Nobel Prize winner José Saramago.

她翻譯過諾貝爾得主 「若澤．薩拉馬戈」的作品。

With my nine volunteers in place,

有了我的九位志工蓄勢以待，

I managed to find a book by a São Toméan author

我順利找到我可以在網路上買到 足夠多份聖多美作家的一本書；

that I could buy enough copies of online.

Here's one of them.

這裡是其中一本，

And I sent a copy out to each of my volunteers.

而我送給了我每一位義工一本。

They all took on a couple of short stories from this collection,

他們都從本合集裡承攬了幾個短故事，

stuck to their word, sent their translations back to me,

說到做到的把譯本送回來給我，

and within six weeks, I had the entire book to read.

六個禮拜內我有了整本書好讀。

In that case, as I found so often during my year of reading the world,

因為這樣在我一年裡讀遍世界的期間，

my not knowing and being open about my limitations

經常發現到我的無知以及 做到不遮掩我的侷限

had become a big opportunity.

已經變成一個大大的良機，

When it came to São Tomé and Príncipe,

當著手閱讀聖多美普林西比時，

it was a chance not only to learn something new

那是一個機會－不但學到新東西、

and discover a new collection of stories,

發現新的故事集，

but also to bring together a group of people

而且把一群人湊在一塊

and facilitate a joint creative endeavor.

促成一個集結催生的奮鬥，

My weakness had become the project's strength.

我的不足變成了該計畫的強項。

The books I read that year opened my eyes to many things.

我在那一年所讀的書大開我的眼界，

As those who enjoy reading will know,

如同喜愛閱讀的人所知道－

books have an extraordinary power to take you out of yourself

書本有股超凡的力量帶你脫離自己 進到某人的思維裡，

and into someone else's mindset,

so that, for a while at least,

所以起碼有一陣子的時間

you look at the world through different eyes.

你透過了不同的眼光看待這世界。

That can be an uncomfortable experience,

那可以是一個不好受的體驗

particularly if you're reading a book

特別是假使你閱讀一本書－

from a culture that may have quite different values to your own.

可能來自價值觀與你自己 有相當大差異的文化；

But it can also be really enlightening.

但是它也可以是確實啟發人的，

Wrestling with unfamiliar ideas can help clarify your own thinking.

與陌生的想法角力可以幫助 釐清自己的思考，

And it can also show up blind spots

而且它也可以彰顯出盲點－

in the way you might have been looking at the world.

你一直用來看世界的方法可能會有的。

When I looked back at much of the English-language literature

當我回顧好比說眾多 伴隨我成長的英文著作時，

I'd grown up with, for example,

I began to see how narrow a lot of it was,

我開始看見那有多麼地窄淺，

compared to the richness that the world has to offer.

相較於這世界所提供之豐盈。

And as the pages turned,

而且當頁數跳轉也開始發生一些事情了，

something else started to happen, too.

Little by little,

一點一滴的

that long list of countries that I'd started the year with, changed

那一長串我起步那一年持有的國家列表，

從一個比較枯燥、學理上登錄的地名

from a rather dry, academic register of place names

into living, breathing entities.

轉變成有生命般的實體。

Now, I don't want to suggest that it's at all possible

此時我不是要建議單單透過讀本書

to get a rounded picture of a country simply by reading one book.

就有絲毫可能獲取一國周密的圖像；

But cumulatively, the stories I read that year

但是累積下來我在那年讀過的故事

made me more alive than ever before

使得我比以前對我們 引人入勝之地球的豐盈、

to the richness, diversity and complexity of our remarkable planet.

多元性、複雜度要更清醒，

It was as though the world's stories

這就好像世界的故事

and the people who'd gone to such lengths to help me read them

和已經竭盡心力幫助我閱讀它們的大夥

had made it real to me.

把它變得實在。

These days, when I look at my bookshelves

這些日子以來當我看著我自己的書架，

or consider the works on my e-reader,

或是深思我電子閱讀器上的作品時，

they tell a rather different story.

它們訴說出了更不一樣的故事；

It's the story of the power books have to connect us

是書本擁有力量的故事－

連結我們橫跨政治、地理、文化、 社會、信仰的劃分，

across political, geographical, cultural, social, religious divides.

It's the tale of the potential human beings have to work together.

那是人類有著共事潛力的故事。

And, it's testament

這對我們所依存別開生面的 時代是個考驗，

to the extraordinary times we live in, where, thanks to the Internet,

感謝網際網路－

it's easier than ever before

讓陌生人來分享故事、世界觀、一本書

for a stranger to share a story, a worldview, a book

with someone she may never meet, on the other side of the planet.

給她也許從未見過地球上 在其他地方的某人

比以前還要更容易。

I hope it's a story I'm reading for many years to come.

我希望這是個我將長年閱讀的故事，

And I hope many more people will join me.

而且我希望更多人會來加入我，

If we all read more widely, there'd be more incentive

要是我們所有人閱讀得更廣博，

對出版商就會有更多誘因 來翻譯更多的書，

for publishers to translate more books,

and we would all be richer for that.

而我們全都會為此更為淵博。

Thank you.

謝謝大家！

(Applause)

(掌聲)