BBC推荐10本9月必读英文好书

 　　九月份，秋高气爽，正是读书的好时节，那么，该读些什么书呢？BBC推荐的书单已经出炉啦！《鸽子通道》、《时光旅行》、《恋爱中的吸血鬼》，就看名字也够吸引人了有么有？

　　1. John le Carré, The Pigeon Tunnel

　　约翰·勒·卡雷《鸽子通道》

　　The master of espionage¹ fiction offers a memoir² of sorts, a series of meticulously³ crafted, witty⁴ and enthralling⁵ "stories from my life". He describes the childhood deceptions⁶ and losses that launched him, his schooling⁷ in Switzerland, where he made his first "infant steps for British Intelligence, delivering I knew not what to I knew not whom."

　　间谍小说大师推出自传体作品，细腻打造“我的生活中”引人入胜的趣事。他描述了童年遭遇的欺骗和随之而来的失落感，讲述了在瑞士的学生时光，正是在那里，他“迈出了成为英国情报人员的第一小步，把我不了解的信息传递给我不认识的人”。

　　2. Ann Patchett, Commonwealth⁸

　　安·帕奇特《联结》

　　In her brilliant new novel, Patchett, winner of the 2001 Orange Prize for Bel Canto⁹, traces the consequences of one impulsive¹⁰ act on an American family over 50 years. She begins with a christening party for Fix and Beverly Keating's second daughter, Franny. Bert Cousins, a Los Angeles deputy district attorney, shows up uninvited with a bottle of gin. By the end of the party, he has kissed Beverly. Patchett creates memorable¹¹, complex characters in this exploration of the reverberations of betrayal.

　　在这本绝妙的新小说中，因《美声唱法》获得2001年柑橘文学奖的作者帕奇特追溯了一个美国家庭长达50年的历史变迁，而这一切仅仅源于一次冲动行为。故事开头是费克斯和贝弗利·基廷的二女儿弗兰妮的受礼仪式，一位洛杉矶小律师伯特·考辛斯带着一瓶杜松子酒不请自来。宴会结束时，他已经亲吻了女主人贝弗利。帕奇特探究了背叛带来的巨大影响，并在其中塑造了让人印象深刻的复杂人物。

　　3. Franz Kafka, Konundrum

　　弗兰兹·卡夫卡作品集

　　"Kafkaesque" is "synonymous with the nightmarish, the ominous¹², and the bureaucratically¹³ bizarre," notes Peter Wortsman in the afterword to his lucid¹⁴ and rhythmic¹⁵ translation of a selection of the Prague icon's short stories, parables¹⁶, letters and diaries.

　　“卡夫卡式”就是“噩梦般的、不祥的、充满官僚主义的怪异”，彼得·沃茨曼在后记中如此写道。这本书收集了捷克代表作家卡夫卡的短篇故事、寓言、信件和日记，而沃茨曼的译文清晰明了，韵律感十足。

　　4. Peter Ho Davies, The Fortunes

　　彼得·何·戴维斯《命运》

　　Davies distills 150 years of Chinese-American history in his timely and eloquent¹⁷ new novel. In Gold, the first of its four sections, Ah Ling, 14, the son of a Hong Kong prostitute, seeks his fortune in California. Silver portrays¹⁸ the 30-year career of the LA-born actress Anna May Wong, who co-stars with Douglas Fairbanks at 19.

　　戴维斯在这本如约而至的新小说中用丰富生动的语言提炼了美籍华人150年的历史。在四章节中的第一章“黄金篇”里，14岁的阿凌（音译），一个香港妓女的儿子，在加利福尼亚开始了追寻财富的生活。“白银篇”讲述了洛杉矶出生的女演员黄柳霜30年的职业生涯，她从19岁就开始和道格拉斯·费尔班克斯同台演出了。

　　5. James Gleick, Time Travel

　　詹姆斯·格莱克《时光旅行》

　　Science writer Gleick takes a panoramic¹⁹ approach to the fourth dimension, a subject that fascinated the fin²⁰ de siècle scientific world. He begins with HG Wells drafting his landmark²¹ 1895 book The Time Machine. He includes Edith Nesbit, a Wells contemporary, who invented a time-travel subgenre in her 1906 novel The Story of the Amulet²².

　　科学作家格莱克对第四维空间进行了全景式的描绘。在19世纪末的科学世界，四维空间是一个热门话题。故事始于1895年HG·威尔斯起草里程碑式巨著《时间机器》，结束于1906年威尔士当代作家伊迪斯·内斯比特在小说《护身符的故事》中创造出时光旅行的亚主题。

　　6. Enrique Vila-Matas, Vampire²³ in Love

　　安立奎·维拉－马塔斯《恋爱中的吸血鬼》

　　Barcelona-born Vila-Matas has published more than 20 novels, and won the 2014 Prix Formentor. This selection of 19 stories showcases his dark yet whimsical wit and genre-blending tendencies. In the title story, a desperate man with two sharp vampire's teeth has a sinful eye for an altar boy. The narrator calls him "Saint Nosferatu". "Like all those in love", Vila-Matas writes, "he is both vampire and martyr²⁴".

　　出生于巴塞罗那的维拉－马塔斯已经出版了20多本小说，并于2014年获得了福明托文学奖。本书精选的19个故事展现了他黑暗而古怪的智慧和喜欢把多种体裁混杂到一起的写作倾向。在该书同名故事中，一个绝望的男人长着两颗吸血鬼尖牙，他总是用邪恶的眼光看着助祭男孩，叙述者称其为“圣·诺斯菲拉图”。维拉－马塔斯写道：“就像所有恋爱中的人一样，他既是一个吸血鬼，又是一位牺牲者。”

　　7. Ursula Le Guin, The Complete Orsinia: Malafrena, Stories and Songs

　　厄休拉·勒·奎恩《奥西尼亚：马拉芙里那，故事和歌曲》

　　Le Guin is the second living novelist (after Philip Roth) to be included in the Library of America. This first volume, with a new introduction and chronology from the author, gathers her early work, before she turned to science fiction. The Complete Orsinia offers invaluable²⁵ insights into Le Guin's genius. "My games are transformation²⁶ and invention," she writes.

　　勒·奎恩是继菲利普·罗斯之后第二位在有生之年就被收入美国文库的小说家。这本最早的书中加入了作者的新简介和大事记，收录了她在转型为科幻小说家之前的早期作品。《奥西尼亚》一书能让读者以全新的视角欣赏勒·奎恩的天才，有极高的价值。她写道：“变形和创造是我的游戏。”

　　8.Ruth Franklin, Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life

　　露丝·弗兰克林《雪莉·杰克逊：困扰的人生》

　　Known best for her 1948 story The Lottery²⁷, and her novels The Haunting of Hill House (1959) and We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962), Shirley Jackson wrote literary suspense²⁸ in the tradition of Hawthorne, Poe and Henry James. Franklin tracks Jackson's mythmaking life from her girlhood in a northern Californian suburb through her marriage to literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman with whom she had four children.

　　雪莉·杰克逊的悬疑作品沿袭了霍桑、坡和享利·詹姆斯的风格，她最著名的作品是1948年的故事《彩票》及小说《山宅鬼惊魂》（1959）。弗兰克林追溯了杰克逊神奇的人生经历，从她在加州北部的少女时光，写到她的婚姻，又写到和她一起生育了四个孩子的文学批评家斯坦利·爱德加·海曼。

　　9. Eimear McBride, The Lesser²⁹ Bohemians

　　伊弥尔·麦克布莱德《小波西米亚人》

　　McBride wowed the literary world with her first novel, A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing, which won the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and the first Goldsmiths Prize, among others. McBride writes of her narrator's tentative first roles in student plays, and a year of increasing intimacy³⁰ with an older actor. As he describes his own childhood, and twisted relationship with his mother, she struggles to tame her own most powerful instincts.

　　麦克布莱德的第一部小说《女孩是半成品》震惊了整个文学界，她获得了百利女性奖（虚构类）和金匠奖等诸多奖项。麦克布莱描写了主人公在学生戏剧中尝试表演的最早的角色，还写到她有一年与一位年长的演员越来越亲密。当他描述自己的童年以及与母亲的病态关系时，她尽力压抑着自己最强烈的本能情感。

　　10. Jonathan Safran Foer, Here I Am

　　乔纳森·萨弗兰·福尔《我来了》

　　Foer's energetic third novel is chock-a-block with modern conundrums³¹. Jacob and Julia's marriage, frayed³² by raising three young sons, threatens to tear apart over his sexting. Serious sadness, cheeky dialogue and cutting-edge relevance³³ keep this novel crackling.

　　福尔的第三部小说热情洋溢，书中充满了现代人的困境。因为要养育三个年幼的儿子，雅各布和朱丽娅的婚姻变得千疮百孔，雅各布的色情短信更让他们的感情汲汲可危。严肃的感伤情绪、大胆的人物对话和时髦的话题让这部小说立刻爆火。

1 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

2 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。

3 meticulously   

adv.过细地，异常细致地；无微不至；精心

参考例句：

• The hammer's silvery head was etched with holy runs and its haft was meticulously wrapped in blue leather. 锤子头是纯银制成的，雕刻着神圣符文，而握柄则被精心地包裹在蓝色的皮革中。 来自辞典例句
• She is always meticulously accurate in punctuation and spelling. 她的标点和拼写总是非常精确。 来自辞典例句

4 witty   

adj.机智的，风趣的

参考例句：

• Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。
• He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

5 enthralling   

迷人的

参考例句：

• There will be an enthralling race tomorrow. 明天会有场吸引人的比赛。
• There was something terribly enthralling in the exercise of influence. 在这样地施加影响时，令人感到销魂夺魄。

6 deceptions   

欺骗( deception的名词复数 )； 骗术，诡计

参考例句：

• Nobody saw through Mary's deceptions. 无人看透玛丽的诡计。
• There was for him only one trustworthy road through deceptions and mirages. 对他来说只有一条可靠的路能避开幻想和错觉。

7 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

8 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

9 canto   

n.长篇诗的章

参考例句：

• It's the fourth canto of Byron's "Childe Harold".这是拜伦长诗《恰尔德·哈罗尔德游记》的第四章。
• The Fifth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam tells of innumerable universes.《圣典博伽瓦谭》第五篇讲述了有无数宇宙存在。

10 impulsive   

adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的

参考例句：

• She is impulsive in her actions.她的行为常出于冲动。
• He was neither an impulsive nor an emotional man,but a very honest and sincere one.他不是个一冲动就鲁莽行事的人，也不多愁善感.他为人十分正直、诚恳。

11 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

12 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

13 bureaucratically   

参考例句：

• Bureaucratically unpopular orders can be evaded in a variety of ways. 官僚主义式的，不孚众望的命令，可以被人们用各种各样的办法来回避。 来自辞典例句
• His bureaucratically petty behavior annoyed her. 他无聊的官僚作风惹恼了她。 来自互联网

14 lucid   

adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的

参考例句：

• His explanation was lucid and to the point.他的解释扼要易懂。
• He wasn't very lucid,he didn't quite know where he was.他神志不是很清醒，不太知道自己在哪里。

15 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。

16 parables   

n.（圣经中的）寓言故事( parable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jesus taught in parables. 耶酥以比喻讲道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In the New Testament are the parables and miracles. 《新约》则由寓言利奇闻趣事构成。 来自辞典例句

17 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

18 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 panoramic   

adj. 全景的

参考例句：

• Most rooms enjoy panoramic views of the sea. 大多数房间都能看到海的全景。
• In a panoramic survey of nature, speed is interesting because it has a ceiling. 概观自然全景，速率是有趣的，因为它有一个上限。

20 fin   

n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼

参考例句：

• They swim using a small fin on their back.它们用背上的小鳍游动。
• The aircraft has a long tail fin.那架飞机有一个长长的尾翼。

21 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

22 amulet   

n.护身符

参考例句：

• We're down here investigating a stolen amulet.我们来到这里调查一个失窃的护身符。
• This amulet is exclusively made by Father Sum Lee.这个护身符是沙姆.李长老特制的。

23 vampire   

n.吸血鬼

参考例句：

• It wasn't a wife waiting there for him but a blood sucking vampire!家里的不是个老婆，而是个吸人血的妖精！
• Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampire.由于听过许多有关吸血鬼的传说，孩子们晚上不敢去睡觉。

24 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

25 invaluable   

adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的

参考例句：

• A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
• This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

26 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

27 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

28 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

29 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

30 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。

31 conundrums   

n.谜，猜不透的难题，难答的问题( conundrum的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• After all the conundrums of Hungary, the second Turkish Grand Prix promises much. 继匈牙利站所有猜不透的事之后，第二届土耳其大奖赛许诺了太多。 来自互联网
• I see conundrums, dilemmas, quandaries, impasses, gnarly thickets of fateful possibility with no obvious way out. 眼看问题经纬万端，进退两难、入困境，死路一条，盘根错节的命定可能性，但找不到明显的出路。 来自互联网

32 frayed   

adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

33 relevance   

n.中肯，适当，关联，相关性

参考例句：

• Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
• Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。