美国国家公共电台 NPR Author Alison MacLeod Tries To Find Humor In Terrorism

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

OK, file this one under impossible assignments - write a really funny, like laugh-out-loud funny, short story about jihad. Yeah, terrorism and humor are uneasy bedfellows, to put it mildly. But the author Alison MacLeod takes on the challenge. One story in her new collection of short stories imagines three young men who head to Brighton Beach in England for - wait for it - a pre-jihad team building weekend.

ALISON MACLEOD: (Reading) Brothers, I tell you solemnly, it is not easy to become radicalized in a seaside resort. There are distractions¹. There are deck chairs. There is all that soft watery² light. What can a brother do, but hope that the flame of his anger survives the refreshing³ sea breeze?

KELLY: Alison MacLeod reading from her new collection. It's titled "All The Beloved Ghosts." She says she got the idea for this short story reading about real life brothers who grew up in Brighton and went to fight in Syria.

MACLEOD: A place like Brighton is a seaside resort. It's a place of pleasure. It's a place of, you know, fun. It's where people come for their beach holidays and so on. And to try to imagine that strange combination of seaside pleasure and the idea of a kind of jihad, that became a puzzle and a mystery and something that was a little bit surreal that I really wanted to explore.

KELLY: And it struck me that one of the aspects of that puzzle you were trying to explore is your three boys - your three characters in this story are not entirely⁴ decided⁵ that jihad is going to be the way to go for them, and you have a little bit of fun playing with the temptations that any teenage boy might feel on the beach in Brighton.

MACLEOD: Yeah, exactly, because there is the absolute absurdity⁶ of being next to, you know, a pleasure pier⁷ or next to a carousel⁸ and talking about holy war. So humor is as good a way as any, I think, at getting the truth of who we are.

KELLY: Have you gotten pushback on this story from people who say, look, terrorism isn't funny? We shouldn't ever make it funny.

MACLEOD: Yeah. You know, and on that score, I'm entirely agreed. And I think these three lads are not so much contemplating⁹ terrorism. They're contemplating, you know, going in and, you know, digging bodies out of rubble¹⁰ and helping¹¹ civilians¹².

However, that said, you know, I'm not Muslim. I grew up Catholic. There is always the question of what allows one to write a certain story when one is stepping outside of one's own biography.

KELLY: Well, exactly, exactly. Did you do special research in this case?

MACLEOD: I did. I gathered in all sorts of newspaper pieces, first-person accounts, interviews off the BBC and beyond and listened and listened and read and distilled¹³ down until I felt I was getting at something that wasn't to do with me, really, because it isn't do with me. And I think as when you're writing well, you become quite invisible in many cases, and that's certainly the priority in this kind of a story.

KELLY: I want to ask you about one of the other stories because so many of the stories in this collection seem to blur¹⁴ the line between fact and fiction. There's one about a professor, a cardiac specialist. And the story is told that he's lying on the operating table awaiting a heart transplant. The professor's name is Denis Noble. And then I noticed in your acknowledgments, you thanked your friend, Professor Denis Noble.

MACLEOD: Yes, yes. Most of the story stems from actual events. I was commissioned to write a story about his great breakthrough about the electrical dynamics¹⁵ within the heart. When I met Dennis, he had just had minor¹⁶ surgery, and he was getting his blood count up again. And we went for lunch, and he was having a big roast beef dinner and explained to me he didn't usually do that.

And because I knew I was interested already in, I suppose, the mysteries of the heart - and that's what that story is about - the mysteries of the heart. And so I took great liberties. The love relationship, for example, which he...

KELLY: Just to share with people, though, as he's lying - the fictional¹⁷ character is lying on the operating table waiting for his heart operation. He's remembering beautiful love scenes with a lover from 50 years ago.

MACLEOD: That's right. And funnily enough that felt like a greater gamble or greater possible imposition or intrusion than the heart operation did. And yet, I needed intimacy¹⁸. I suppose I always look for that in every one of my stories. You know, the short story more than, perhaps, any other form is about what lies buried in the heart.

KELLY: I wonder if your friends are a bit wary¹⁹ now of sharing their stories with you (laughter).

MACLEOD: I know. Well, there is that. There is that. Although, in some ways, I wish I was the kind of writer who just didn't care and could be quite brazen²⁰ about it. And I don't always say this in interviews, but every one of the stories in this collection is based on very much a real life story or a real life person. The collection deliberately²¹ works with other forms - memoir²², autobiography²³, biography, historical records - because I do find true life stories - often, they're the best.

KELLY: I suppose the other lesson there is just that maybe in all of our lives there's enough mystery and grace and drama and humor to turn it into a short story. Maybe if we just all had lunch with you.

(LAUGHTER)

MACLEOD: Then I'm happy to oblige, but that is it. I just think that the ordinary life is extraordinary. That's the truth of it. That is the fundamental truth of literature. And as a writer, I think that's my job above all is to convey that.

KELLY: That's Alison MacLeod talking about her new book "All The Beloved Ghosts." So lovely to speak to you. Thank you.

MACLEOD: Thank you, Mary Louise. My pleasure.

1 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

3 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

4 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

5 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。

6 absurdity   

n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论

参考例句：

• The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
• The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。

7 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

8 carousel   

n.旋转式行李输送带

参考例句：

• Riding on a carousel makes you feel dizzy.乘旋转木马使你头晕。
• We looked like a bunch of awkward kids riding a slow-moving carousel.我们看起来就像一群骑在旋转木马上的笨拙的孩子。

9 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

10 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

13 distilled   

adj.由蒸馏得来的v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )；从…提取精华

参考例句：

• The televised interview was distilled from 16 hours of film. 那次电视采访是从16个小时的影片中选出的精华。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gasoline is distilled from crude oil. 汽油是从原油中提炼出来的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 blur   

n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚

参考例句：

• The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。
• If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。

15 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

16 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

17 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。

18 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

19 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

20 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

21 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

22 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

23 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。