The politics of fiction | Elif Shafak

譯者: Adrienne Lin 審譯者: Geoff Chen

I'm a storyteller.

我是作家

That's what I do in life -- telling stories,

我的工作就是說故事

writing novels --

寫小說

and today I would like to tell you a few stories

今天我要告訴你們

about the art of storytelling

說故事的藝術

and also some supernatural creatures

以及一種超自然生物

called the djinni.

精靈

But before I go there, please allow me to share with you

在那之前，我想與各位分享

glimpses of my personal story.

我自己的一些故事

I will do so with the help of words, of course,

除了用話語分享

but also a geometrical shape, the circle,

我也用圓形來比喻

so throughout my talk,

我的演說中

我們會提到幾個圓形

you will come across several circles.

I was born in Strasbourg, France

我在法國史特拉斯堡出生

to Turkish parents.

父母是土耳其人

Shortly after, my parents got separated,

不久之後，我父母分居

and I came to Turkey with my mom.

我跟著媽媽到了土耳其

From then on, I was raised

所以我是個

as a single child by a single mother.

單親家庭的孩子

Now in the early 1970s, in Ankara,

在1970年早期的安卡拉

that was a bit unusual.

是很不尋常的

Our neighborhood was full of large families,

鄰居都是大家庭

where fathers were the heads of households,

一家之主是父親

so I grew up seeing my mother as a divorcee

在這種父權社會

in a patriarchal environment.

我和離婚的媽媽一起生活

In fact, I grew up observing

我的童年

two different kinds of womanhood.

有兩個女人做榜樣

On the one hand was my mother,

一個是我媽媽

受良好教育、西方思想、現代的土耳其女性

a well-educated, secular, modern, westernized, Turkish woman.

On the other hand was my grandmother,

一個是照顧我

who also took care of me

的外婆

and was more spiritual, less educated

虔誠的、教育程度較低、

and definitely less rational.

較迷信的傳統女性

This was a woman who read coffee grounds to see the future

她會咖啡渣算命

and melted lead into mysterious shapes

將溶化的鉛弄成神秘的圖案

to fend off the evil eye.

來防禦邪惡之眼

很多人會來找我祖母

Many people visited my grandmother,

people with severe acne on their faces

臉上有嚴重痘痘的人

or warts on their hands.

手上有疣的人

每次，我祖母都會念一串阿拉伯文

Each time, my grandmother would utter some words in Arabic,

take a red apple and stab it

然後拿與痘痘同數量的

with as many rose thorns

玫瑰刺，

as the number of warts she wanted to remove.

來刺一顆紅蘋果

Then one by one, she would

一個接一個

她會用黑墨水，在花刺周圍畫圈

encircle these thorns with dark ink.

A week later, the patient would come back

一週後，病人會回來

for a follow-up examination.

複檢

Now, I'm aware that I should not be saying such things

我知道我在一群學者、科學家面前

in front of an audience of scholars and scientists,

講這種事很傻

but the truth is, of all the people

但事實上，

上門的病人

who visited my grandmother for their skin conditions,

I did not see anyone go back

沒有一個回家的時候

unhappy or unhealed.

是不開心、沒有痊癒的

I asked her how she did this. Was it the power of praying?

我問祖母她怎麼做的，是因為禱告嗎？

In response she said, "Yes, praying is effective,

她回答我，禱告是很有效的一種方法

but also beware of the power of circles."

但也別低估圓形的力量

From her, I learned, amongst many other things,

從她身上，我學到很多東西

one very precious lesson --

特別珍貴的一課是

that if you want to destroy something in this life,

如果你想消滅某個東西

be it an acne, a blemish

痘痘也好、髒污也好

or the human soul,

甚至是靈魂

all you need to do is to surround it with thick walls.

你只要將其以厚牆圍繞

It will dry up inside.

它就會消逝在裡面

Now we all live in some kind of a social and cultural circle.

我們都生活在某種社交、文化圈中

We all do.

每個人都是

出生於某個家庭、國家、階級

We're born into a certain family, nation, class.

But if we have no connection whatsoever

如果我們視為理所當然的世界之間

with the worlds beyond the one we take for granted,

都沒有交集

then we too run the risk

我們也面對

of drying up inside.

消逝的危險

Our imagination might shrink;

我們會失去想像力

our hearts might dwindle,

心胸變得狹隘

and our humanness might wither

人性將枯萎

if we stay for too long

如果在自己的

inside our cultural cocoons.

文化圈內待太久

Our friends, neighbors, colleagues, family --

我們的朋友、鄰居、同事、家人

if all the people in our inner circle resemble us,

如果圈圈中的人都跟自己一樣

it means we are surrounded

這表示我們被自己的表象

with our mirror image.

圍繞著

Now one other thing women like my grandma do in Turkey

另一件像我祖母一樣的土耳其女人會做的事

is to cover mirrors with velvet

就是用絨布蓋鏡子

or to hang them on the walls with their backs facing out.

或是將反面掛在牆上

It's an old Eastern tradition

這是古老的東方傳統

based on the knowledge that it's not healthy

他們相信

人常常盯著自己看

for a human being to spend too much time

是不健康的

staring at his own reflection.

Ironically, [living in] communities of the like-minded

諷刺的是，現在的全球化社會

is one of the greatest dangers

面對最大的危險就是

of today's globalized world.

太相似的社群

And it's happening everywhere,

到處都看得到

among liberals and conservatives,

不論自由派或保守派

agnostics and believers, the rich and the poor,

不論是無神論者或信徒、窮人或有錢人

East and West alike.

東西方皆同

We tend to form clusters

我們和與自己相像的人

based on similarity,

形成小圈圈

and then we produce stereotypes

再來開始對其他小圈圈的人

about other clusters of people.

產生刻板印象

In my opinion, one way of transcending

我認為，超越這些文化圈

these cultural ghettos

唯一的方式

is through the art of storytelling.

就是透過故事的述說

Stories cannot demolish frontiers,

故事無法破壞邊境

but they can punch holes in our mental walls.

但可以在心牆上打洞

透過這些洞，我們得以一瞥他人

And through those holes, we can get a glimpse of the other,

and sometimes even like what we see.

甚至欣賞我們所看見的東西

I started writing fiction at the age of eight.

我八歲就開始寫小說

My mother came home one day with a turquoise notebook

我媽有天回家 帶了本土耳其藍的筆記本給我

and asked me if I'd be interested in keeping a personal journal.

讓我寫日記

In retrospect, I think she was slightly worried

後來回想，她應該是擔心

about my sanity.

我精神不正常

I was constantly telling stories at home, which was good,

因為我常常會說故事，這是好事

except I told this to imaginary friends around me,

但我都說給「想像的朋友」聽

which was not so good.

這就不太妙了

I was an introverted child,

我小時候很內向

to the point of communicating with colored crayons

會跟蠟筆講話

and apologizing to objects

撞到東西的時候

when I bumped into them,

還會跟它們道歉

so my mother thought it might do me good

所以我媽覺得讓我寫日記

to write down my day-to-day experiences

寫下發生的事、每天的心情

and emotions.

是不錯的

What she didn't know was that I thought my life was terribly boring,

她所不知道的是 我覺得我的生活很無趣

and the last thing I wanted to do

我最不想做的事情

was to write about myself.

就是寫下關於我自己的事

Instead, I began to write about people other than me

所以我開始寫我身邊的人

and things that never really happened.

和一些虛構的故事

And thus began my life-long passion

後來寫小說

for writing fiction.

成為我一生的熱愛

So from the very beginning, fiction for me

一開始，小說對我而言

was less of an autobiographical manifestation

只是一種，自己以外的東西

than a transcendental journey

而不是冒險的旅程、

into other lives, other possibilities.

其他的生活、其他的可能

And please bear with me:

各位請包容我

I'll draw a circle and come back to this point.

我畫了個圈圈，等一下再回到這個點上

Now one other thing happened around this same time.

這段期間，發生了另一件事

My mother became a diplomat.

就是我母親當上外交官

So from this small, superstitious,

我從這個迷信、

middle-class neighborhood of my grandmother,

祖母家附近這中產階級的小街坊

I was zoomed into this

到了馬德里

posh, international school [in Madrid],

一所光鮮亮麗的國際學校

我是唯一的土耳其人

where I was the only Turk.

It was here that I had my first encounter

那裡，我首次了解

with what I call the "representative foreigner."

「外國代表」這個觀念

In our classroom, there were children from all nationalities,

教室中，每個孩子都來自不同國家

yet this diversity did not necessarily lead

這種多樣性，

並沒有消除偏見、平等

to a cosmopolitan, egalitarian

classroom democracy.

教室並不民主

Instead, it generated an atmosphere

孩子們變成

in which each child was seen --

不只是獨立的個體

not as an individual on his own,

而是代表

but as the representative of something larger.

更大的東西、概念

We were like a miniature United Nations, which was fun,

有點像是迷你聯合國，其實很好玩

except whenever something negative,

除了有時候提到負面的形象

with regards to a nation

像是講到國家

or a religion, took place.

或是宗教的時候

The child who represented it was mocked,

來自那個國家的孩子

就會被取笑、欺負

ridiculed and bullied endlessly.

我特別了解是因為

And I should know, because during the time I attended that school,

a military takeover happened in my country,

當時土耳其正經歷軍事接收

a gunman of my nationality nearly killed the Pope,

一名土耳其槍手差點殺死教宗

and Turkey got zero points in [the] Eurovision Song Contest.

所以土耳其在《歐洲歌唱大賽》掛鴨蛋

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

I skipped school often and dreamed of becoming a sailor

我常翹課，然後就會幻想

during those days.

水手的生活

I also had my first taste

這也是我第一次

of cultural stereotypes there.

了解什麼是刻板印象

The other children asked me about the movie

其他小孩會問我有沒有看過

"Midnight Express," which I had not seen;

土耳其電影《午夜快車》

they inquired how many cigarettes a day I smoked,

他們會問我一天抽多少菸

because they thought all Turks were heavy smokers,

因為他們覺得土耳其人都是大菸槍

and they wondered at what age

他們也很好奇

我幾歲要開始戴頭巾

I would start covering my hair.

所以我學到

I came to learn that these were

關於土耳其的三種刻板印象

the three main stereotypes about my country:

politics, cigarettes

政治、香菸

and the veil.

和面紗

After Spain, we went to Jordan, Germany

離開西班牙後我們還去過約旦、德國

and Ankara again.

然後回到安卡拉

Everywhere I went, I felt like

遊歷各國後，我覺得

my imagination was the only suitcase

我的想像力就像只皮箱

I could take with me.

隨時可以帶著走

Stories gave me a sense of center,

故事給我一種中心(center)、

continuity and coherence,

連續性(continuity )、凝聚力(coherence)

the three big Cs that I otherwise lacked.

我無法缺少的3C

In my mid-twenties, I moved to Istanbul,

我25、26歲時，搬到伊斯坦堡

the city I adore.

我很喜歡的地方

I lived in a very vibrant, diverse neighborhood

我住在個很有活力、多元文化的街坊

where I wrote several of my novels.

我在那寫了許多本小說

I was in Istanbul when the earthquake hit

1999年伊斯坦堡大地震時

in 1999.

我就在那

When I ran out of the building at three in the morning,

凌晨三點我急忙跑出公寓

I saw something that stopped me in my tracks.

但我看著眼前的景象，我便停下腳步

There was the local grocer there --

我看見一個雜貨店老闆

這脾氣暴躁的老人不賣酒

a grumpy, old man who didn't sell alcohol

and didn't speak to marginals.

也不跟邊緣人說話

He was sitting next to a transvestite

但他當時，坐在一個

with a long black wig

戴著長黑髮

and mascara running down her cheeks.

睫毛膏哭花在臉上的變裝癖旁邊

I watched the man open a pack of cigarettes

我看著這男人用顫抖的手

with trembling hands

拆了包菸

and offer one to her,

並遞一支給她

and that is the image of the night of the earthquake

那晚地震的那一幕

in my mind today --

我始終忘不了

a conservative grocer and a crying transvestite

一個保守的雜貨店老闆與哭泣的變裝癖

smoking together on the sidewalk.

一同坐在人行道旁抽菸

In the face of death and destruction,

面對死亡及毀壞

our mundane differences evaporated,

我們最基本的差異消失無蹤

and we all became one

我們成為相同的

even if for a few hours.

即使幾小時也好

But I've always believed that stories, too, have a similar effect on us.

我一直相信故事也有相同作用

I'm not saying that fiction has the magnitude of an earthquake,

我並不是說小說像地震一樣強大

but when we are reading a good novel,

但當我們讀本好書時

we leave our small, cozy apartments behind,

我們忘記狹小卻舒適的公寓

go out into the night alone

像是在夜晚單獨走在街上

and start getting to know people we had never met before

認識從未見過的人

and perhaps had even been biased against.

甚至是我們先前有所偏見的人

Shortly after, I went

不久後，

我到波士頓及密西根的女子大學就讀

to a women's college in Boston, then Michigan.

I experienced this, not so much as a geographical shift,

這經驗不是地理上的轉變

as a linguistic one.

而是語言上的

I started writing fiction in English.

我開始用英文寫小說

I'm not an immigrant, refugee or exile --

我並非移民、難民、或在逃亡

they ask me why I do this --

他們問我為什麼

but the commute between languages

但兩種語言的轉換間

gives me the chance to recreate myself.

給了我另一個機會，重新創造自己

I love writing in Turkish,

我愛用土耳其文寫作

which to me is very poetic and very emotional,

對我而言，富有詩意又感性

我也愛用英文寫作

and I love writing in English, which to me

因為它精確又理智

is very mathematical and cerebral.

So I feel connected to each language in a different way.

我對這兩種語言的感受是很不同的

For me, like millions of other people

對我而言，以及全世界

around the world today,

幾百萬人一樣

English is an acquired language.

英文是第二語言

When you're a latecomer to a language,

當你學習新語言的時候

what happens is you live there

常常會遇到的情況

with a continuous

就是那種

and perpetual frustration.

永不停止的挫折感

As latecomers, we always want to say more, you know,

學習語言，我們總想多說點、

crack better jokes, say better things,

想講好笑的笑話、有趣的事

but we end up saying less

但說出來的通常不是如此

because there's a gap between the mind and the tongue.

因為腦子與嘴巴有距離

And that gap is very intimidating.

這種距離是很可怕的

But if we manage not to be frightened by it,

但是如果我們努力不被它嚇到

it's also stimulating.

它可以是種刺激

And this is what I discovered in Boston --

這是我在波士頓所發現的

that frustration was very stimulating.

挫折就是刺激

At this stage, my grandmother,

這時候，我祖母

who had been watching the course of my life

替我這樣的生活

with increasing anxiety,

感到很憂心

started to include in her daily prayers

她開始每天禱告

that I urgently get married

希望我快點嫁出去

so that I could settle down once and for all.

這樣我才能安定下來

And because God loves her, I did get married.

因為上帝愛她，我後來真的結婚了

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

But instead of settling down,

不過我沒有定下來

I went to Arizona.

我到了亞利桑那州

And since my husband is in Istanbul,

因為我丈夫人在伊斯坦堡

I started commuting between Arizona and Istanbul --

我開始兩地往返

the two places on the surface of earth

同在地球上，這兩個地方

that couldn't be more different.

差別太大了

I guess one part of me has always been a nomad,

我想我有游牧民族因子吧

physically and spiritually.

身體上或精神上都是

Stories accompany me,

故事陪伴著我

keeping my pieces and memories together,

像個膠水一樣

like an existential glue.

將我的記憶黏起來

Yet as much as I love stories,

雖然我愛故事

recently, I've also begun to think

最近我卻開始覺得

that they lose their magic

當故事變得不只是個故事

if and when a story is seen as more than a story.

他們就失去了魔力

And this is a subject that I would love

我希望跟各位

to think about together.

分享這個想法

When my first novel written in English came out in America,

當我第一本英文小說在美國出版

I heard an interesting remark from a literary critic.

我聽到了一個有趣的評論

"I liked your book," he said, "but I wish you had written it differently."

他說：「我喜歡你的書 但我不喜歡妳呈現的方法。」

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

I asked him what he meant by that.

我請他解釋清楚一點

He said, "Well, look at it. There's so many

他說：「你書中有一堆」

Spanish, American, Hispanic characters in it,

「西班牙人、美國人、拉丁美洲裔的角色」

but there's only one Turkish character and it's a man."

「卻只有一個土耳其人，還是個男的。」

Now the novel took place on a university campus in Boston,

因為小說背景是波士頓的一所大學校園

so to me, it was normal

國際學生數量

that there be more international characters in it

比土耳其學生多

than Turkish characters,

是很正常的

but I understood what my critic was looking for.

但我了解評論家要的是什麼

And I also understood that I

我也了解到

would keep disappointing him.

他會一直對我的小說失望

He wanted to see the manifestation of my identity.

他想看的是我身份的呈現

He was looking for a Turkish woman in the book

他想在書中讀到土耳其女人角色

because I happened to be one.

因為我是土耳其女人

We often talk about how stories change the world,

我們常講到故事如何改變世界

but we should also see how the world of identity politics

但我們也應該知道世界上的身分政治

affects the way stories

是如何影響故事

are being circulated,

如何解讀故事

read and reviewed.

如何看待故事

Many authors feel this pressure,

很多作者皆承受如此壓力

but non-Western authors feel it more heavily.

特別是那些非西方作者

If you're a woman writer from the Muslim world, like me,

如果你像我一樣是伊斯蘭社會的女作家

then you are expected to write

那大家就期望你寫出

the stories of Muslim women

伊斯蘭女人的故事

and, preferably, the unhappy stories

寫不開心的伊斯蘭女人

of unhappy Muslim women.

背後不開心的故事更好

You're expected to write

大家期望你寫

含帶訊息、激烈、人物性格鮮明的故事

informative, poignant and characteristic stories

and leave the experimental and avant-garde

其他試驗性的、前衛的故事

to your Western colleagues.

就讓其他西方作家來寫就好

What I experienced as a child in that school in Madrid

我小時候在馬德里的經驗

is happening in the literary world today.

現在的文學社會也發生著

Writers are not seen

作者不再被視為

as creative individuals on their own,

單獨富創意的個體

but as the representatives

而是他們文化

of their respective cultures:

的代表

a few authors from China, a few from Turkey,

一些中國作家、土耳其作家

a few from Nigeria.

奈及利亞作家

We're all thought to have something very distinctive,

大家想從我們的作品裡看到的，是奇特

if not peculiar.

是與眾不同

The writer and commuter James Baldwin

詹姆斯．鮑德溫

gave an interview in 1984

1984年的一場訪問

in which he was repeatedly asked about his homosexuality.

訪問中，他被重複問到他的同性戀傾向

When the interviewer tried to pigeonhole him

訪問者硬要他

as a gay writer,

作出回應

Baldwin stopped and said,

鮑德溫便回答他

"But don't you see? There's nothing in me

「你不明白嗎？我身上所擁有的」

that is not in everybody else,

「其他人也有；」

and nothing in everybody else

「其他人所擁有的」

that is not in me."

「我身上也有」

When identity politics tries to put labels on us,

當身份政治將我們貼上標籤

it is our freedom of imagination that is in danger.

我們想像力的自由便有了危險

There's a fuzzy category called

有個模糊的分類叫做

multicultural literature

多元文化文學

基本上就是，西方以外國家的作者

in which all authors from outside the Western world

are lumped together.

被歸類在一起

我從未忘記我十年前在波士頓哈佛廣場

I never forget my first multicultural reading,

in Harvard Square about 10 years ago.

所參加的多元文化文學讀書會

We were three writers, one from the Philippines,

我們共有三位作家，一個是菲律賓籍

one Turkish and one Indonesian --

一個土耳其籍，一個印尼籍

like a joke, you know.

像個笑話一樣

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And the reason why we were brought together

但我們相聚的原因

並不是我們作品類似

was not because we shared an artistic style

or a literary taste.

文學喜好類似

而是因為我們的護照

It was only because of our passports.

Multicultural writers are expected to tell real stories,

大家期望多元文化作家寫出真實故事

not so much the imaginary.

想像力就不必了

A function is attributed to fiction.

小說被賦予了一個功能

In this way, not only the writers themselves,

因此，不只是作者本身

but also their fictional characters

連小說中虛構人物

become the representatives of something larger.

也都代表了更大的東西

But I must quickly add

我必須補充

that this tendency to see a story

這種「故事不只是故事」的想法

as more than a story

不只有在西方世界看得到

does not solely come from the West.

而是世界各地都如此

It comes from everywhere.

我在2005的一次親身經歷

And I experienced this firsthand

when I was put on trial in 2005

當時我在法庭上受審

原因是我小說中角色所說的一些話

for the words my fictional characters uttered in a novel.

I had intended to write

我本來想寫

a constructive, multi-layered novel

結構上多層次

關於亞美尼亞與土耳其家庭的小說

about an Armenian and a Turkish family

through the eyes of women.

用女性觀點來寫

My micro story became a macro issue

我的小故事成了大話題

when I was prosecuted.

後來我被起訴了

Some people criticized, others praised me

有人批評、有人讚美

for writing about the Turkish-Armenian conflict.

我書中土耳其與亞美尼亞衝突的內容

But there were times when I wanted to remind both sides

但好幾次，我都想告訴這些人

that this was fiction.

這是虛構的

It was just a story.

只是故事而已

And when I say, "just a story,"

當我說：「只是故事而已」

I'm not trying to belittle my work.

我並不是貶低自己的作品

I want to love and celebrate fiction

我熱愛、頌揚文學

for what it is,

是因它的本質

而不是為特定目的

not as a means to an end.

作家當然有自己的政治傾向

Writers are entitled to their political opinions,

and there are good political novels out there,

現在也有很多不錯的政治小說

但小說的語言

but the language of fiction

is not the language of daily politics.

並非政治的語言

Chekhov said,

契訶夫說過

"The solution to a problem

「問題的解決方法」

and the correct way of posing the question

「與問題的呈現方法」

are two completely separate things.

「是全然不同的兩件事」

And only the latter is an artist's responsibility."

「但只有後者，是藝術家的責任」

Identity politics divides us. Fiction connects.

身分政治分裂我們，小說連結我們

One is interested in sweeping generalizations.

一個是一概而論

The other, in nuances.

一個是些微差別

One draws boundaries.

一個劃分隔閡

The other recognizes no frontiers.

一個消除分界

Identity politics is made of solid bricks.

身分政治就像厚牆

Fiction is flowing water.

小說就像流水

奧圖曼時期，有種遊歷各國的人 叫做說書人(邁達赫)

In the Ottoman times, there were itinerant storytellers called "meddah."

They would go to coffee houses,

他們會去茶館

where they would tell a story in front of an audience,

對著一群觀眾說故事

often improvising.

即興說書

With each new person in the story,

為表現書中不同人物

說書人會利用不同的聲音

the meddah would change his voice,

來表現人物的變化

impersonating that character.

大家都會去看說書人表演

Everybody could go and listen, you know --

不論是普羅大眾、蘇丹王 回教徒、或非回教徒

ordinary people, even the sultan, Muslims and non-Muslims.

Stories cut across all boundaries,

故事消弭隔閡

like "The Tales of Nasreddin Hodja,"

就像《土耳其智者荷加的故事》

which were very popular throughout the Middle East,

這本在中東、北非、巴爾幹、亞洲

North Africa, the Balkans and Asia.

大家都熟知的故事一樣

Today, stories continue

今日，故事依然

to transcend borders.

超越邊界

When Palestinian and Israeli politicians talk,

當巴勒斯坦與以色列政治家發表言論

他們通常都不聽彼此的內容

they usually don't listen to each other,

但當一個巴勒斯坦讀者

but a Palestinian reader

讀著猶太作家的小說時

still reads a novel by a Jewish author,

他們對於敘述者，產生連結

and vice versa, connecting and empathizing

with the narrator.

產生同理心

Literature has to take us beyond.

文學必須帶領我們超越自我

If it cannot take us there,

如果沒辦法如此

it is not good literature.

那就不是好的文學

Books have saved the introverted,

書拯救了小時候那個

timid child that I was -- that I once was.

內向、膽小的我

But I'm also aware of the danger

但我也明白

盲目閱讀的危險

of fetishizing them.

When the poet and mystic, Rumi,

當神秘的詩人魯米

met his spiritual companion, Shams of Tabriz,

遇到他的精神伴侶沙姆士時

one of the first things the latter did

沙姆士做的第一件事就是

was to toss Rumi's books into water

就是將魯米的書丟到河裡

and watch the letters dissolve.

看著墨水在水中化開

The Sufis say, "Knowledge that takes you not beyond yourself

魯米說：「擁有無法超越自我的知識」

is far worse than ignorance."

「還不如無知」

The problem with today's cultural ghettos

今日文化圈的問題

is not lack of knowledge --

並不是缺乏知識

我們了解彼此 或只是我們自以為了解彼此

we know a lot about each other, or so we think --

but knowledge that takes us not beyond ourselves:

但那無法超越自我的知識

it makes us elitist,

變成精英文化

distant and disconnected.

彼此隔絕，產生距離

There's a metaphor which I love:

有個我很喜歡的比喻

生活就像是圓規

living like a drawing compass.

一隻腳站穩在定點

As you know, one leg of the compass is static, rooted in a place.

Meanwhile, the other leg

同時，另一隻腳

向外畫出一個能任意擴大的圓

draws a wide circle, constantly moving.

Like that, my fiction as well.

我的小說也像那樣

One part of it is rooted in Istanbul,

一隻腳在伊斯坦堡

with strong Turkish roots,

有著土耳其深根

但另一隻旅遊世界

but the other part travels the world,

connecting to different cultures.

與各文化連結著

In that sense, I like to think of my fiction

這樣來解釋，我想我的小說

as both local and universal,

既本土又多元

both from here and everywhere.

並無限延伸

Now those of you who have been to Istanbul

有去過土耳其的人

have probably seen Topkapi Palace,

一定參觀過托普卡比宮殿

which was the residence of Ottoman sultans

鄂圖曼帝國的王室

for more than 400 years.

在那住過超過400年

宮殿裡，寵妃的房間外

In the palace, just outside the quarters

of the favorite concubines,

一個角落

被稱為精靈的集聚地

there's an area called The Gathering Place of the Djinn.

It's between buildings.

就在每棟建築物間

我迷上這個概念

I'm intrigued by this concept.

我們通常都不信任

We usually distrust those areas

這種中間地帶

that fall in between things.

我們將那種地方

We see them as the domain

視為超自然生物，像是精靈

of supernatural creatures like the djinn,

who are made of smokeless fire

會突然冒出一陣白煙似的

and are the symbol of elusiveness.

是難以捉摸的象徵

But my point is perhaps

但我認為

這種難以捉摸之地

that elusive space

is what writers and artists need most.

正是小說家、藝術家所需要的

When I write fiction

當我寫小說

我喜歡那種難以捉摸、多變性

I cherish elusiveness and changeability.

I like not knowing what will happen 10 pages later.

我喜歡那種不曉得十頁之後 故事會如何發展的感覺

I like it when my characters surprise me.

我喜歡我的角色帶給我的驚喜

I might write about

我可能一本小說

a Muslim woman in one novel,

寫穆斯林女人

很開心的故事

and perhaps it will be a very happy story,

and in my next book, I might write

下一本小說，我可能會寫

about a handsome, gay professor in Norway.

一個挪威的帥哥同性戀教授

只要這些故事是發自內心

As long as it comes from our hearts,

沒有什麼是不能寫的

we can write about anything and everything.

Audre Lorde once said,

奧黛蘿德曾說：

"The white fathers taught us to say,

「白衣神父教導我們

我思故我在。」

'I think, therefore I am.'"

但她認為應該是：「我感受所以我自由」

She suggested, "I feel, therefore I am free."

I think it was a wonderful paradigm shift.

這是很美妙的轉變

And yet, why is it that,

那為什麼

現在的創意寫作課裡

in creative writing courses today,

the very first thing we teach students is

我們教學生的第一件事

"write what you know"?

會是寫「自己所知」呢？

Perhaps that's not the right way to start at all.

也許一開始根本不該這樣教

Imaginative literature is not necessarily about

想像文學並非是

writing who we are or what we know

寫自己、或自己所知

or what our identity is about.

或自己的身分

We should teach young people and ourselves

我們應該教育自己以及下一代

to expand our hearts

開放心胸

寫出自己的感受

and write what we can feel.

We should get out of our cultural ghetto

我們應該走出自己的文化圈

and go visit the next one and the next.

探訪他人的世界

In the end, stories move like whirling dervishes,

最終，故事也能像遊歷的僧侶

drawing circles beyond circles.

不斷地向外畫圈

他們結合人性

They connect all humanity,

而非身分政治

regardless of identity politics,

這是件好事

and that is the good news.

最後我想以一首古詩作結

And I would like to finish with an old Sufi poem:

"Come, let us be friends for once;

「來，讓我們做朋友，」

「讓我們生活快樂點，」

let us make life easy on us;

let us be lovers and loved ones;

「讓我們彼此相愛，」

the earth shall be left to no one."

「如此世界將不會孤單。」

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

(掌聲)