美国国家公共电台 NPR--David Sedaris reads from 'Santaland Diaries,' a Christmastime classic

David Sedaris reads from 'Santaland Diaries,' a Christmastime classic

Transcript¹

Years before humorist David Sedaris became a celebrated² writer, he did a short stint³ as a Christmas elf at a Macy's department store in New York.

His time as Santa's helper was less than merry and bright -- but it would go on to change his life.

Sedaris wrote about the dark side of holiday spirit in the Santaland Diaries, a sardonic⁴ collection of somewhat-exaggerated stories based on his travails⁵ as Crumpet the elf.

"I don't know that I can look anyone in the eye and exclaim, 'Oh my goodness, I think I see Santa!' Or 'Can you close your eyes and make a very special Christmas wish?'" he decided⁶. "It makes one's mouth hurt to speak with such forced merriment. I think I'll be a low-key sort of elf."

Sedaris read from Santaland for the first time on Morning Edition in 1992, when he was still a struggling writer who occasionally read his work in nightclubs.

That seven-minute reading made him an in-demand talent overnight. And it created an NPR holiday tradition that's now in its 30th year.

Sedaris reflected on Santaland's staying power in a conversation with This American Life host Ira Glass — who actually facilitated that fateful first reading — on its 25th anniversary in 2017.

"If you sat down and you thought about it and you thought, 'Huh, what could I write about that people would respond to?' Well, everybody has to deal with Christmas," he said. "And it's either going to torment⁷ you or delight you. And maybe that's why it resonated with people, because it affected⁸ everyone."

Though, he added, if someone were to sit him down and task him specifically with writing something that would touch everybody, "I wouldn't be able to come up with anything."

And Sedaris also wants the record to show that despite the story's air of Christmas cynicism, he's no Grinch.

"It's a bit interesting to me that people over the years have come up to me and said, 'Oh, Santaland, you know, I hate Christmas too,'" he said. "I love Christmas. I thought it came across in the story. Love it!"

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。

4 sardonic   

adj.嘲笑的，冷笑的，讥讽的

参考例句：

• She gave him a sardonic smile.她朝他讥讽地笑了一笑。
• There was a sardonic expression on her face.她脸上有一种嘲讽的表情。

5 travails   

n.艰苦劳动( travail的名词复数 )；辛勤努力；痛苦；分娩的阵痛

参考例句：

• In the and travails of businesses you'll always need hometown help. 就算你的业务扩大到其他城市，也不要忘了你的发源地。 来自互联网
• Tata Motor's travails with Land Rover and Jaguar spring to mind as recent less-than-favorable examples. 印度塔塔汽车公司对陆虎和捷豹品牌的辛苦收购就是最近一个不如人意的例子。 来自互联网

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 torment   

n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠

参考例句：

• He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
• Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。