現今最重要的文學家之一 Toni Morrison 近日病逝,享年88歲,美國的文學界從此失去了的一塊瑰寶。
曾獲普利茲獎和諾貝爾文學獎,也是歷史上首位非裔女性諾貝爾文學得主,其重要作品包括《The Bluest Eye》,而《Beloved》、《Jazz》和《Paradise》被視為三部曲。她的文字敘述了美國黑人社會的歷史與矛盾。
無比溫柔與充滿力量的文字
以《Beloved》為例,故事改編自19世紀的一件真人真事,一名女黑奴成功逃脫她的奴隸主和莊園,但不幸被奴隸主追蹤,為了令女兒解脫奴隸的命運,決定親手結束女兒的生命。以文學藝術的形式,訴說美國黑奴被殘忍榨壓的歷史。
一生都在面對美國社會種族歧視,以及對女性的壓逼,但她的文字卻無比溫柔與充滿力量,她溫暖的語句或會撫慰你疲累的心。
關於死亡
" We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives. "
我們會死,這或許就是生命的意義。但我們同時會運用語言,這或許就是量度生命的尺。
關於半五十危機
“ It was a silly age, twenty-five; too old for teenaged dreaming, too young for settling down. Every corner was a possibility and a dead end. ”
25 歲真是個愚蠢的年紀,太老去追逐少年夢,太年輕去安定下來。每次轉角都是機會或是死胡同。
關於寫作
" If you find a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. "
如果你有一本很想讀的書,但它目前仍未被寫出來,那你便是那個應該寫它出來的人。
關於想像力
" If you can’t imagine it, you can’t have it. ”
如果你無法想像它,你便無法擁有它。
關於她的事業
" My world did not shrink because I was a Black female writer. It just got bigger. "
我的世界不會因為我是一位黑人女性作家而變得狹窄,它反而變得寬大了。
關於束縛
" If you wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down. "
如果你要飛翔,你就要放棄那些拖累你的鳥事。
關於自由
“ The function of freedom is to free someone else. ”
自由的功用在於解放別人。
關於美
" At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint or even remember it. It is enough. "
到了生命某個時刻,世間的美會變得足夠,你不需要去拍攝、描畫或甚至去記住它,它就是足夠了。
" I’m a believer in the power of knowledge and the ferocity of beauty, so from my point of view, your life is already artful — waiting, just waiting, for you to make it art. ”
我絕對相信知識的力量,那種肆虐的美,於我而言,你的人生本身便是藝術品,它正默默地,耐心地等待你去展露它。
關於愛情
“ Don't ever think I fell for you, or fell over you. I didn't fall in love, I rose in it. ”
不要以為我會為你墜入愛河,我沒有墜入愛河,我從愛中綻放。
“ Love is or it ain't. Thin love ain't love at all. ”
愛只有存在與不存在,淡淡的愛根本不是愛。
“ Don’t beg anybody for anything, especially love. ”
不要乞求任何人任何事情,尤其是愛。
關於女權
" The enemy is not men. The enemy is the concept of patriarchy, the concept of patriarchy as the way to run the world or do things. ”
真正的敵人並不是男人,而是父權主義,並以父權的規則運作的世界與行事方式。
關於觀點
“ We mistook violence for passion, indolence for leisure, and thought recklessness was freedom. ”
我們誤將暴力當作熱情,怠惰當作休閒,魯莽是自由。
關於社會
" All paradises, all utopias are designed by who is not there, by the people who are not allowed in. "
所有的天堂,所有的烏托邦,都是由不在裡面的人,那些不被接納的人所設計的。
“In this country American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.”
在這個國家,「美國」是指白人,其他人都帶有連接詞。(編註: 例如 Korean American,形容韓裔的美國人,還有African American(美國黑人),Cuban American(美國古巴人)等等。)
" What I think the political correctness debate is really about is the power to be able to define. The definers want the power to name. And the defined are now taking that power away from them. ”
我覺得關於「政治正確」的辯論核心是「定義」的權力,「定義者」有權力去為事物標籤,而那些被定義的人正在將他們這種權力拿走。
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Cover Art Design : Vickey