2017年10月我在聊聊今年的諾貝爾文學(xué)獎中說要在一個月內(nèi)讀完The Remains of the Day，3個月已經(jīng)過去,，我終于把它讀完了,。和你分享我的一點零碎想法。

小說由管家Stevens的第一人稱視角講述,，邊敘述,，邊回憶,。他是名門望族人家的管家,，優(yōu)雅沉穩(wěn)，冷峻自制,。即使是工作結(jié)束后,，行言起坐也都得“板著”。例如這段父子之間的對話：

Stevens: I have come here to relate something to you, Father.

Father: Then relate it briefly and concisely. I haven't all morning to listen to you chatter.

Stevens: In that case, Father, I will come straight to the point.

Father: Come to the point then and be done with it. Some of us have work to be getting on with.

Stevens: Very well. Since you wish me to be brief, I will do my best to comply. The fact is, Father has become increasingly infirm. So much so that even the duties of an under-butler are now beyond his capabilities. His lordship is of the view, as indeed I am myself, that while Father is allowed to continue with his present round of duties, he represents and ever-present threat to the smooth running of this household, and in particular to next week's important international gathering.

這段話想說的意思無非是：

“爹,，跟你說點事,。”

“長話短說,，我忙著呢,。”

“你身體不好,，別干活了,，要不然不僅可能會幫倒忙，還容易誤了大事,?！?/span>

很顯然，原文的風(fēng)格像《唐頓莊園》,，有英式的典雅和日式的淡雅,。我腦補的中文像是《鄉(xiāng)村愛情》。

再來看這樣一段,。女孩嫁了別人,，幾十年之后你去見她，她對你說她也曾想過要和你在一起,。你是什么樣的感覺,？

I do not think I responded immediately, for it took me a moment or two to fully digest these words of Miss Kenton. Moreover, as you might appreciate, their implications were such as to provoke a certain degree of sorrow within me. Indeed – why should I not admit it? – at that moment, my heart was breaking.

太理性，于是連悲傷都是慢動作,。即使是heart was breaking,，你也看不到他的難過，他還會安慰你要珍惜現(xiàn)在，要感恩惜福,。然后和你微笑告別,，即使這意味著永不再見。

Stevens的一生都有一個信念,，做有dignity的管家,。即使兵荒馬亂也要從容以對，照顧好主人和主人的朋友們,。為了dignity,，他注意自己的一言一行，閑時讀小說學(xué)習(xí)用詞,，練習(xí)段子和開玩笑以便能接上主人的話茬,。

他最喜歡父親講的一個故事。一位管家發(fā)現(xiàn)飯桌下有只老虎,，他淡定地向主人請示用槍擊斃,。在主人同意后他打死了老虎，幾分鐘后,，向主人報道：Dinner will be served at the usual time and I am pleased to say there will be no discernible traces left of the recent occurrence by that time.

因為這個故事,，他懂得dignity in keeping with his position. 因為dignity，在父親去世的那一晚,，他沒能見他最后一面,，沒有時間為父親合上雙眼。他選擇一心一意地服務(wù)客人,，就像什么都沒有發(fā)生一樣,。他想父親是會支持他這樣做的，他為此驕傲,。

Stevens是傳奇的,、值得尊敬的。我想如果讓他可以再選擇一次,，他還是會選擇做Darlington的管家,，為他死心塌地。因為這是他的信仰,。是自己的選擇,。

如亞馬遜老大Jeff Bezos在普林斯頓演講時所說：

When you are eighty years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made. In the end, we are our choices. 

如果原則、方向,、方法都是在自己的掌控下進行的,，那就沒有什么可后悔的。

不過我想,，除了原則,、方向,、方法外，我們還要提防“慣性”,，即習(xí)慣的看法,，習(xí)慣的結(jié)論。如果Stevens可以早些出去看看這個真實的世界,，可能他會有更informed行動,。

從Stiff這個詞聊聊英國文化

聊聊今年的諾貝爾文學(xué)獎