The Great American Author  偉大的美國作家 —— 馬克‧吐溫

 

精英翻譯社轉自http://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0062/288989/web/

 

  Twain first began his writing career in his mid-teens by writing articles for a local paper. Later, after his days of piloting along the Mississippi, he became known for his humorous and clever travel tales. Readers came to know him as a man with his finger on the pulse of American culture and life.

  吐溫在青少年期間(約十六歲時)首次以替一家地方報社寫文章來開始他的寫作生涯。後來,在他沿著密西西比河航行之後,他開始以幽默巧妙的旅遊故事而聞名。讀者開始認識到他這個能掌握美國文化與生活脈動的人。

  In 1876, Twain published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Set in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, modeled after Hannibal, Missouri, the story follows Sawyer's adventures along the Mississippi River. The book paints a picture of the American South, at once realistic and fantastic. Sawyer's boyhood observations are matched with thoughtful descriptions of American society that fascinated the country at large.

  1876 年時,吐溫出版了《湯姆歷險記》。這個故事發生在以密蘇里州的漢尼拔鎮為樣本的虛構小鎮聖彼得斯堡,敘述湯姆‧索耶沿著密西西比河發生的冒險故事。這本書描繪出一幅美國南方的圖畫,既寫實又有趣。索耶的孩童觀察搭配對美國社會仔細的描述而使全美國人為之著迷。

Later, in 1884, Twain produced the sequel to Sawyer's story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Unlike other novels of the time, this was considered the first in which characters made use of the local slang. Along with the book's exploration and objection of racism, the story is about the coming of age of Finn. Within the pages, Finn must learn how to live a good life and stay true to his own values.

  後來在 1884 年時,吐溫創作了索耶故事的續集《頑童歷險記》。不像當時其他的小說一樣,這被認為是第一部書中人物使用了地方俚語的小說。這本書除了探究與對種族歧視的異議之外,故事本身是關於主角哈克貝里‧芬恩長大成年的經過。故事中,芬恩必須學會如何過好生活並對他自己的價值觀保持始終如一。

  Sadly, Twain's later years were troubled by a deep depression. He died of a heart attack in 1910, leaving behind a literary legacy that, in America, sits second to none.

  令人傷心的是,吐溫晚年時深感憂鬱。他在 1910 年時心臟病發過世,留下美國首屈一指的文學遺產。

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