VOA慢速英语2016--柬埔寨裔美国作家揭示父亲死亡之谜

AS IT IS 2016-08-22 Cambodian-American Writer Reveals Mystery of Father's Death 柬埔寨裔美国作家揭示父亲死亡之谜

Sometimes writing a fictional¹ work can help the writer deal with painful trauma². That was Variny Yim's experience when she wrote her first novel, The Immigrant Princess.

Yim is Cambodian-American. Her book tells about three generations of women from Cambodia’s ruling family who try to rebuild their lives in the United States.

However, it was Yim's father who became central to her while writing the novel.

"I only have a few memories of my father and one of the most heartbreaking memories for me is the day that we left Cambodia. He had taken us to the airport," she said. "I was too young to understand what was happening, and I remember walking up the stairs to the airplane and looking back on the tarmac and my father waived³ at us. What I didn't realize was that would be the last time that I would ever see my father's face."

Moving to the United States

Variny Yim, her sister and her grandparents escaped before the Cambodian genocide. Her father, who stayed in Cambodia to care for aging parents, was a victim of it.

Over four years, supporters of the Khmer Rouge⁴ killed about two million people.

Yim and her family joined her mother, who was studying in the United States. Yim said they owe their lives to her grandfather, who made sure they left Cambodia.

They were all members of Cambodia’s royal family. Yim's mother was a princess in Cambodia, but in the United States she was just another refugee⁵.

Her family had to change their expectations about life. They had no money, and their position meant almost nothing in the United States, Yim explained.

She added that her family tried to keep their royal identity close to themselves. They did not tell many people about who they were.

Yim discovers what happened to her father

As a young girl in the U.S., Yim said, the Cambodian genocide seemed very far away. She did not think about what it meant that her father might have been killed with many other Cambodians.

This changed when she started researching Cambodian history while writing her book. The details of her father's death had always been a mystery -- a mystery she solved while doing research for the book.

Her research led her to Cornell University in New York. The university has records of the statements given by the Khmer Rouge's victims at Tuol Sleng prison. Those held there were questioned, tortured, and killed.

According to some estimates, 14,000 people entered the prison. Only a small number of these people survived.

In Cornell's archive of confessions⁶ was proof of what happened to Yim's father during the genocide.

"One of the hardest days of my life was when I got an email from Cornell confirming that they had found my father's name and confession," said Yim. "It was finally wonderful to know the truth. The truth really sets you free, even if it was painful.”

The book's themes

Guided by the memory of the family she had lost, Yim said she needed to write The Immigrant Princess to face the past. She also wanted to remember the beauty in Cambodian culture.

Yim explained that her novel shows universal themes about identity and reinvention. She said the book is about how a person survives a traumatic loss.

"You can be brutal⁷ and you can bring terror and you can become a dictator⁸ but that's not going to kill the human spirit and that's what I want my book to show," Yim said.

Yim added that she wrote the book for her children so they will know what happened. She also wrote the book for Cambodians, so that they will know that the genocide may have left a scar⁹ but does define¹⁰ them as a people.

Words in This Story

trauma – n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time

inspire – v. to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create

tarmac – n. the area covered by pavement at an airport

archive – n. a place in which public records or historical materials (such as documents) are kept

focus – v. to cause (something, such as attention) to be directed at something specific — + on

theme – n. a particular subject or issue that is discussed often or repeatedly

reinvention – n. becoming a different kind of person, performer, etc.

scar – n. a feeling of great emotional pain or sadness that is caused by a bad experience and that lasts for a long time

1 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

2 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

3 waived   

v.宣布放弃( waive的过去式和过去分词 )；搁置；推迟；放弃（权利、要求等）

参考例句：

• He has waived all claim to the money. 他放弃了索取这笔钱的权利。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I waived the discourse, and began to talk of my business. 我撇开了这个话题，开始讲我的事情。 来自辞典例句

4 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

5 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

6 confessions   

n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔

参考例句：

• It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

8 dictator   

n.独裁者，爱发号施令的人

参考例句：

• We felt quite impotent to resist the will of the dictator.我们感到无力抗拒独裁者的意志。
• A dictator must have a firm hand.独裁者的手段是很厉害的。

9 scar   

n.伤疤，伤痕，创伤

参考例句：

• This scar is from the bite of a dog.这是狗咬后留下的伤疤。
• The tragedy left a scar on her mind.这个悲剧给她造成精神上的创伤。

10 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。