欧美人文风情第92篇:《族谱》

 New York Time's best selling author Barbara Delinsky joins us to discuss her explosive novel Family Tree, 纽约时报的畅销作家Barbara Delinsky加入我们讨论她那充满爆点的小说《族谱》，

which delves¹ into the hot-button issues of race and family. 探究种族和家庭等敏感议题。

Barbara, welcome! Barbara，欢迎!

Thank you, Michele. It's a pleasure. 谢谢，Michele。这是我的荣幸。

The couple in the novel, Dana and Hugh are white, but they give birth to a child who has African-American features. 小说中的夫妻，Dana和Hugh是白人，但他们生出了一个拥有非裔美国人特征的孩子。

Is this even possible? 这实际上是有可能的吗？

This is very definitely possible. Genetics is a very interesting field, and for the sake of this book, I did a lot of research. 这是非常肯定有可能的。遗传学是个非常有趣的领域，为了这本书，我做了很多研究。

Certain traits can lie dormant² for generations. 某些特征能够潜伏数个世代。

Suddenly we can have a child who's got red hair, and we don't quite know where it came from. 突然之间我们会有个长着红头发的孩子，而我们不大清楚它是从哪儿冒出来的。

It can be a mix of different genes³, or it can come from a family member from way back. 它可以是不同基因的混合，或者它可以从久远之前一位家族成员而来。

The latest DNA⁴ tests are able to determine where we came from, literally⁵, on four different levels: 最新的DNA检测能够判定我们打哪儿来，丝毫不夸张地，以四个不同的标准：

Asian, European, Native American and African. 亚洲人、欧洲人、美洲印地安人和非洲人。

Now we can have a test and find out what percentage of each of these races we are. 现在我们可以做个检测然后找出我们身上这些每个种族所佔的百分比。

Racial purity is very very rare. 纯种是非常非常稀有的。

Authors often get the germ of a story from real life. 作家时常从真实生活中得到故事的楔子。

Maybe I read an article about Thomas Jefferson, 也许我读了一篇关于Thomas Jefferson(美国第三任总统)的文章，

because there was a lot of attention about the children and grandchildren and great grandchildren who he perhaps sired, 因为有许多目光集中在可能是他生出的孩子、孙子以及曾孙身上，

and the racial element involved in that. 以及牵扯在那其中的种族要素之上。

Dana and Hugh are so different, and yet so similar. Dana和Hugh如此不同，然而又如此地相似。

Dana comes from a family that doesn't really know its history, much as mine does not. Dana来自一个不全然了解其历史的家族，就很像是我的家族一样不了解。

She doesn't even know who her father is, or was. 她甚至不知道父亲是谁，是否健在。

She doesn't know anything about him. 她不了解任何关于他的事情。

Dana becomes who so many of us are, who would, in some very human ways, like to know where she came from. Dana变成我们之中的很多人，愿意以一些非常人性的方式，想要知道她打哪儿来。

But then again, it's a little bit frightened of knowing, 但再者，知情是有点令人害怕地，

because she's not sure if she's going to be pleased. 因为她不确定是否会开心。

Hugh knows everything about his family and takes pride in his family tree. Hugh知道他家族的所有事情，并以他的族谱而自豪。

I found that interesting that you use knitting and stitch work as a metaphor⁶ in your book. Why? 我发现那很有趣，在书里你用编织以及缝纫作为一种象征。为什么？

There's been a resurgence⁷ of interest in knitting in this country, 在这个国家，一直有个对编织的爱好的复生，

and that is something that has been around for generations and generations, 而那是某个已经存在了一代又一代的事情，

so knitting becomes a parallel legacy⁸ to all those that are discussed in Family Tree. 所以编织成为在《族谱》书里谈论到的所有那些人共同的遗产。

What is the most significant message that you want to relay to your readers? 你想传达给读者最有意义的讯息是什么？

I want them to think about the fact that things are not always as they seem, 我想要他们思考几件事实，眼见不一定为凭，

that people may look to be one thing, and not be that thing, 人们也许期盼成为某个东西而无法达成，

and that there's often personal anguish⁹ involved in this. 而且这其中通常有个人痛苦牵扯在内。

Barbara Delinsky's Family Tree is an utterly¹⁰ unforgettable novel that ask penetrating¹¹ questions about race, Barbara Delinsky的《族谱》是本彻头彻尾令人无法忘怀的小说，针对种族、

family and the choices that people make in times of crisis. 家庭以及紧要关头人们所做出的决定，提出犀利的问题。

 

1 delves   

v.深入探究，钻研( delve的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• That delves the grave duly. 误不了你的洞房。 来自互联网
• The exhibition delves deep into the physics, aromatics and even the timbre of flatulence. 此次展览向人们介绍了人体物理、气味甚至肠胃胀气的声音等各方面知识。 来自互联网

2 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。

3 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

4 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

5 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

6 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

7 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

9 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

10 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

11 penetrating   

adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的

参考例句：

• He had an extraordinarily penetrating gaze. 他的目光有股异乎寻常的洞察力。
• He examined the man with a penetrating gaze. 他以锐利的目光仔细观察了那个人。