評論
打印
But others thought this frivolous, and they wore "art fabrics" and barbaric jewelry. The men were seldom eccentric in appearance. They tried to look as little like authors as possible. They wished to be taken for men of the world, and could have passed anywhere for the managing clerks of a city firm. They always seemed a little tired. I had never known writers before, and I found them very strange, but I do not think they ever seemed to me quite real.
但是也有一些人認為這樣不夠莊重，這些人穿的是藝術性的紡織品，戴著具有蠻荒色調的珠寶裝飾。男士們的衣著一般卻很少有怪里怪氣的。他們盡量不讓人看出自己是作家，總希望別人把他們當作是老于世故的人。不論到什么地方，人們都會以為他們是一家大公司的高級辦事員。這些人總顯出有些勞累的樣子。我過去同作家從來沒有接觸，我發現他們挺奇怪，但是我總覺得這些人不象真實的人物。
I remember that I thought their conversation brilliant, and I used to listen with astonishment to the stinging humour with which they would tear a brother-author to pieces the moment that his back was turned. The artist has this advantage over the rest of the world, that his friends offer not only their appearance and their character to his satire, but also their work. I despaired of ever expressing myself with such aptness or with such fluency. In those days conversation was still cultivated as an art; a neat repartee was more highly valued than the crackling of thorns under a pot; and the epigram, not yet a mechanical appliance by which the dull may achieve a semblance of wit, gave sprightliness to the small talk of the urbane. It is sad that I can remember nothing of all this scintillation. But I think the conversation never settled down so comfortably as when it turned to the details of the trade which was the other side of the art we practised. When we had done discussing the merits of the latest book, it was natural to wonder how many copies had been sold, what advance the author had received, and how much he was likely to make out of it. Then we would speak of this publisher and of that, comparing the generosity of one with the meanness of another; we would argue whether it was better to go to one who gave handsome royalties or to another who "pushed" a book for all it was worth. Some advertised badly and some well. Some were modern and some were old-fashioned. Then we would talk of agents and the offers they had obtained for us; of editors and the sort of contributions they welcomed, how much they paid a thousand, and whether they paid promptly or otherwise. To me it was all very romantic. It gave me an intimate sense of being a member of some mystic brotherhood.
我還記得，我總覺得他們的談話富于機智。他們中的一個同行剛一轉身，他們就會把他批評得體無完膚；我總是驚訝不置地聽著他們那辛辣刻毒的幽默話。藝術家較之其他行業的人有一個有利的地方，他們不僅可以譏笑朋友們的性格和儀表，而且可以嘲弄他們的著作。他們的評論恰到好處，話語滔滔不絕，我實在望塵莫及。在那個時代談話仍然被看作是一種需要下功夫陶冶的藝術，一句巧妙的對答比鍋子底下噼啪爆響的荊棘【見《圣經》舊約傳道書第七章：“愚昧人的笑聲，好象鍋下燒荊棘的爆聲?！薄扛苋速p識，格言警句當時還不是癡笨的人利用來冒充聰敏的工具，風雅人物的閑談中隨便使用幾句會使得談話妙趣橫生。遺憾的是，這些妙言雋語我現在都回憶不起來了。我只記得最舒適順暢的談話莫過于這些人談論起他們從事的行業的另一方面——談起進行交易的一些細節來。在我們品評完畢一本新書的優劣后，自然要猜測一下這本書銷售掉多少本，作者得到多少預支稿費，他一共能得到多少錢。以后我們就要談到這個、那個出版商，比較一下這個人的慷慨和那個人的吝嗇。我們還要爭辯一下是把槁件交給這一個稿酬優厚的人還是哪一個會做宣傳、善于推銷的人。有的出版商不善于作廣告，有的在這方面非常內行。有些出版商古板，有些能夠適應潮流。再以后我們還要談論一些出版代理人和他們為我們作家搞到的門路。我們還要談論編輯和他們歡迎哪類作品，一千字付多少稿費，是很快付清呢，還是拖泥帶水。這些對我說來都非常富于浪漫氣味。它給我一種身為這一神秘的兄弟會的成員的親密感。
