刘宇昆首部科幻长篇---《蒲公英王朝》
科幻界素有“大刘小刘”的说法,“大刘”指一个人单枪匹马将中国科幻抬高到世界高度的科幻国民作家刘慈欣;而小刘,正是接连将《三体》、《北京折叠》翻译介绍到西方的华裔作家刘宇昆。除众所周知的译者身份,刘宇昆也是个举足轻重的科幻作家。近日,其首部长篇小说《蒲公英王朝》上市,这是一部华语世界翘首以待的科幻史诗。
刘宇昆因为将刘慈欣的《三体》和郝景芳的《北京折叠》翻译并推荐到西方世界,并且都先后拿下科幻小说界最高奖项——雨果奖而名声大噪。然而,他不仅将中国科幻带到了全世界,同时他自己创作的科幻小说也多次获得世界科幻文坛多项大奖。1976年出生于兰州的刘宇昆,11岁随父母移民美国。他曾在哈佛大学主修英美文学,辅修计算机编程,毕业后又考取哈佛法学院,取得法学硕士学位,就职于波士顿一家大型法律事务所,业余从事科幻小说与诗歌的写作。
《蒲公英王朝》是刘宇昆的首部长篇小说。小说出版后,就被翻译成多种语言,并获得当年轨迹奖最佳科幻小说处女作奖,以及星云奖最佳科幻小说提名。刘宇昆在《蒲公英王朝》里构造了一个十分庞大的奇幻世界,背景设置在一个由众多岛屿构成的神秘国度——达拉群岛。在这里,神祇与人类共存,海底修建着连通各岛屿的隧道,用来运输作战的热气球、飞船、潜艇等。在这里,战士乘着风筝战斗,无数英雄正在上演传奇。作为西方传统的奇幻史诗,《蒲公英王朝》却从东方文化中汲取养分。书里巧妙地融合神话、历史、军事计谋和技术创新。刘宇昆将东方古典美学与西方科学精神相结合,独创自己的科幻流派——“丝绸朋克”。
所谓丝绸朋克,就是将中国古代有趣的工程技术魔幻化、夸张化。谈及“丝绸朋克”的创意来源,刘宇昆表示:“为了讲述一个英雄和背叛的故事,我想创造一种新的审美,一些很酷的机械。它们像是古代的活字印刷术、鲁班发明的军事侦察风筝、诸葛亮的木牛流马。”
最后我们来欣赏一下刘宇昆新书中的一个片段,看他是如何评论百姓们认为的暴君。
“I’ve changed my mind many times on this question,” Kuni admitted. “It’s easy to say that he was a tyrant who did nothing good. But it would also be untrue. "
“对于这个问题,我的想法改变过多次。”库尼承认道,“说他是一无是处的暴君倒是很容易。但这也并非事实。”
"We talk often of the hundreds of thousands who died in Mapidéré’s wars, but we rarely speak of the many lives that might have been lost had he not stopped the incessant petty wars between the Tiro states. We talk often of the many who were forced to labor in his Mausoleum, but we rarely speak of the many who would have died from diseases or starvation without the reservoirs and roads he built. "
“我们常提在玛碧德雷的战争中死了数以十万计的百姓,却不说他若没有制止诸国间的连年冲突,又会失去多少性命。大家总说许多人都在他的皇陵中被迫做苦役,却不提倘若没有他下令修建的诸多水库和道路,又会有多少人死于疾病与饥荒。”
Only the gods know if the emphases and omissions in our histories will sway the opinions of men down the ages. A man’s legacy is a hard thing to foresee, especially when passions still run hot, and it is so much easier to speak ill than well.
只有诸神知道我们史书中的取舍是否会影响世代后人的想法。若在逝者身后论其功过,实在难下定论,特别是此时百姓情绪尚未平息,批评又比赞扬容易许多。
“I cannot say that I’m a good man, only that I’m a man who tried to do good. I like to believe that the people will remember me fondly, but I also know that the legacies of men cannot be foreseen during their lifetimes. I do not know if I’m the man who will complete the task you dream of, for that is a question that must be asked of our descendants in a thousand years.”
“我不敢说自己是个好人,但我尽力行善。我希望众人喜爱我,但我也清楚,人生在世时,功过难以定夺。我不知道自己能否实现你所期望的大业,因为这个答案只有千年后的子孙后代才能给出。”
来源:扬子晚报 ,中国翻译研究院,
刘宇昆因为将刘慈欣的《三体》和郝景芳的《北京折叠》翻译并推荐到西方世界,并且都先后拿下科幻小说界最高奖项——雨果奖而名声大噪。然而,他不仅将中国科幻带到了全世界,同时他自己创作的科幻小说也多次获得世界科幻文坛多项大奖。1976年出生于兰州的刘宇昆,11岁随父母移民美国。他曾在哈佛大学主修英美文学,辅修计算机编程,毕业后又考取哈佛法学院,取得法学硕士学位,就职于波士顿一家大型法律事务所,业余从事科幻小说与诗歌的写作。
《蒲公英王朝》是刘宇昆的首部长篇小说。小说出版后,就被翻译成多种语言,并获得当年轨迹奖最佳科幻小说处女作奖,以及星云奖最佳科幻小说提名。刘宇昆在《蒲公英王朝》里构造了一个十分庞大的奇幻世界,背景设置在一个由众多岛屿构成的神秘国度——达拉群岛。在这里,神祇与人类共存,海底修建着连通各岛屿的隧道,用来运输作战的热气球、飞船、潜艇等。在这里,战士乘着风筝战斗,无数英雄正在上演传奇。作为西方传统的奇幻史诗,《蒲公英王朝》却从东方文化中汲取养分。书里巧妙地融合神话、历史、军事计谋和技术创新。刘宇昆将东方古典美学与西方科学精神相结合,独创自己的科幻流派——“丝绸朋克”。
所谓丝绸朋克,就是将中国古代有趣的工程技术魔幻化、夸张化。谈及“丝绸朋克”的创意来源,刘宇昆表示:“为了讲述一个英雄和背叛的故事,我想创造一种新的审美,一些很酷的机械。它们像是古代的活字印刷术、鲁班发明的军事侦察风筝、诸葛亮的木牛流马。”
最后我们来欣赏一下刘宇昆新书中的一个片段,看他是如何评论百姓们认为的暴君。
“I’ve changed my mind many times on this question,” Kuni admitted. “It’s easy to say that he was a tyrant who did nothing good. But it would also be untrue. "
“对于这个问题,我的想法改变过多次。”库尼承认道,“说他是一无是处的暴君倒是很容易。但这也并非事实。”
"We talk often of the hundreds of thousands who died in Mapidéré’s wars, but we rarely speak of the many lives that might have been lost had he not stopped the incessant petty wars between the Tiro states. We talk often of the many who were forced to labor in his Mausoleum, but we rarely speak of the many who would have died from diseases or starvation without the reservoirs and roads he built. "
“我们常提在玛碧德雷的战争中死了数以十万计的百姓,却不说他若没有制止诸国间的连年冲突,又会失去多少性命。大家总说许多人都在他的皇陵中被迫做苦役,却不提倘若没有他下令修建的诸多水库和道路,又会有多少人死于疾病与饥荒。”
Only the gods know if the emphases and omissions in our histories will sway the opinions of men down the ages. A man’s legacy is a hard thing to foresee, especially when passions still run hot, and it is so much easier to speak ill than well.
只有诸神知道我们史书中的取舍是否会影响世代后人的想法。若在逝者身后论其功过,实在难下定论,特别是此时百姓情绪尚未平息,批评又比赞扬容易许多。
“I cannot say that I’m a good man, only that I’m a man who tried to do good. I like to believe that the people will remember me fondly, but I also know that the legacies of men cannot be foreseen during their lifetimes. I do not know if I’m the man who will complete the task you dream of, for that is a question that must be asked of our descendants in a thousand years.”
“我不敢说自己是个好人,但我尽力行善。我希望众人喜爱我,但我也清楚,人生在世时,功过难以定夺。我不知道自己能否实现你所期望的大业,因为这个答案只有千年后的子孙后代才能给出。”
来源:扬子晚报 ,中国翻译研究院,
(编辑:织言)