希拉里專訪：學生必讀的三本英文小說

What books are you reading right now?
您最近在讀哪些書？

I’ve got a pile of books stacked on my night stand that I’m reading — or hoping to get to soon. I’m usually working on more than one at a time. So right now it’s “The Goldfinch,” by Donna Tartt; “Mom & Me & Mom,” by Maya Angelou; and “Missing You,” by Harlan Coben.
在我牀頭的桌子上放了一摞我正在讀和想要讀的書。我總是會同時看好幾本書。現在正在看的是唐娜·塔特的《金翅雀》、瑪雅·安吉羅的《媽媽，我和媽媽》以及哈蘭·科本的《想念你》。

What was the last truly great book you read?
上一本覺得非常好的書是什麼？

I can’t stop thinking about “The Hare With Amber Eyes,” by Edmund de Waal; “The Signature of All Things,” by Elizabeth Gilbert; “Citizens of London,” by Lynne Olson; and “A Suitable Boy,” by Vikram Seth.
讓我難以忘掉的有埃德蒙·德瓦爾的《琥珀眼睛的兔子》、伊麗莎白·吉爾伯特的《萬物的簽名》、萊恩·奧爾森的《倫敦市民》和維克拉姆·塞斯《合適郎君》。

Who are your favorite contemporary writers? Are there any writers whose books you automatically read when they come out?
您最喜歡的當代作家是哪位？有沒有那樣一位作家，他只要出書您就會讀呢？

I will read anything by Laura Hillenbrand, Walter Isaacson, Barbara Kingsolver, John le Carré, John Grisham, Hilary Mantel, Toni Morrison, Anna Quindlen and Alice Walker. And I love series that follow particular characters over time and through their experiences, so I automatically read the latest installments from Alex Berenson, Linda Fairstein, Sue Grafton, Donna Leon, Katherine Hall Page, Louise Penny, Daniel Silva, Alexander McCall Smith, Charles Todd and Jacqueline Winspear.
勞拉·希倫布蘭德、沃爾特·艾薩克森、芭芭拉.金索沃爾、約翰·勒·卡雷、約翰·格里森姆、希拉里·曼特爾、託尼•莫里森、安娜·昆德蘭和艾麗斯·沃克等這些作家的所有書我都會讀。我比較喜歡那種講述某些人物長期經歷的系列小說，所以亞歷克斯·貝倫森、琳達·費爾史坦、蘇·格拉夫頓、唐娜·列昂、凱瑟琳•霍爾•佩奇、露意絲·佩妮、丹尼爾·西爾瓦、亞歷山大˙梅可˙史密斯、查爾斯·託德和傑奎琳·溫斯皮爾的書只要出新我就會買來看。

What are your favorite novels? Your favorite short stories? Poems you hold especially dear?
您最喜歡的長篇小說、短篇小說、詩歌有哪些？

“The Brothers Karamazov” made a lasting impression on me when I read it as a young woman; I intend to reread it this summer to see what I now think about it. My favorite short stories are by Alice Munro, especially her collections “Carried Away” and “Runaway.” That’s an easy choice for me compared with the many poets I’ve appreciated over time. Included in that list are E. E. Cummings, T. S. Eliot, Seamus Heaney, Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver and W. B. Yeats.
《卡拉馬佐夫兄弟》給我的印象很深刻，我看這部小說的時候還很年輕，我計劃今年夏天再讀一篇，看看現在的我會有什麼新的體會。我最喜歡的短篇小說家是艾麗絲·門羅，尤其是她的《忘乎所以》《逃離》等作品。詩人卡明斯、艾略特、謝默斯·希尼、巴勃羅·聶魯達、瑪麗·奧利弗和葉芝的詩歌我都很喜歡。

And the best books about Washington, D.C.? Is there one book you’d recommend to someone planning to move to or work in the capital?
有關華盛頓最好的書是哪本？有沒有哪本書您想推薦給計劃來華盛頓工作的人？

“Our Divided Political Heart,” by E. J. Dionne, shows how most everybody has some conservative and liberal impulses, but just as individuals have to reconcile them within ourselves, so does our political system if we expect to function productively. “After the Music Stopped,” Alan Blinder’s account of the financial crisis, is clear in its analysis and recommendations.
迪翁的《我們分裂的政治心》顯示了大多數普通人都有保守和自由的衝動，但是就像我們每個人都得在內心深處調和二者一樣，如果我們想讓政治體系有效運轉，也要調和這二者。艾倫·布林德爾的《音樂停止之後》是對金融危機的描述，他的分析和建議非常清晰。

What do you like to read when you travel?
您旅行的時候喜歡讀什麼書？

When I traveled as secretary of state, I was deluged with thick briefing books full of information about the politics, economy and culture of each destination, so those took up most of my reading time. But when I could, I’d read a novel or travelogue about the places I was visiting, such as “The House at Sugar Beach,” by Helene Cooper, about her childhood in Liberia, and “Finding George Orwell in Burma,” by Emma Larkin.
任國務卿時，我在旅行期間要讀大量關於目的地的政治、經濟和文化信息的簡報，它們佔據了我大部分的閱讀時間。但是隻要有機會，我會讀我要去的地方的小說或旅行見聞，比如海倫妮·庫珀講述她在西非利比里亞童年時代的《糖果海灘的家》以及艾瑪·拉金的《在緬甸尋找喬治·奧威爾》。

Is there one book you wish all students would read?
哪些書所有的學生都該讀一讀？

“Pride and Prejudice,” by Jane Austen; “Out of Africa,” by Isak Dinesen; “Schindler’s List,” by Thomas Keneally.
奧斯汀的《傲慢與偏見》（、迪內森的《走出非洲》、托馬斯·肯尼利的《辛德勒的名單》。

What kind of reader were you as a child? What were your favorite childhood books? And the books you were most eager to pass along to your daughter?
您小時候是個怎樣的讀者？您童年時代最喜歡的書是什麼？您最想傳給女兒的書是什麼？

Oh, I was always reading something, from “Winnie-the-Pooh” to Nancy Drew to “Little Women” to James Michener. And I started reading to Chelsea with “Goodnight Moon” and “The Runaway Bunny” and “Curious George” and all the favorites which led her to make her own reading choices.
我小時候總是在讀書，從《小熊維尼》、神探南茜、《小婦人》，到詹姆斯·米切納。我最早給女兒讀的是《晚安，月亮》、《離家的小兔》、《好奇的喬治》以及其他一些我喜歡的書，這些書引導她做出了自己的閱讀選擇。

If you had to name one book that made you who you are today, what would it be?
如果您必須選一本對造就現在的您影響最大的書，您會選哪本？

At the risk of appearing predictable, the Bible was and remains the biggest influence on my thinking. I was raised reading it, memorizing passages from it and being guided by it. I still find it a source of wisdom, comfort and encouragement.
雖然這麼說可能顯得很老套，但《聖經》一直都是對我的思想影響最大的書。我從小就讀它，背它，按它的指導做事；現在仍然覺得它是我智慧、安慰和鼓勵的源泉。

Which books might we be surprised to find on your shelves?
您書架上的哪些書可能會讓我們覺得意外？

You might be surprised to see memoirs by Republicans such as “Decision Points,” by President George W. Bush, and “Faith of My Fathers,” by Senator John McCain.
你們可能不會想到我的書架上有共和黨人的回憶錄，比如布什的《抉擇時刻》和參議員約翰·麥凱恩的《父輩的信仰》。

What was the last book to make you laugh?
上一本讓您開懷大笑的書是什麼？

Janet Evanovich’s series about Stephanie Plum’s adventures in Trenton always makes me laugh.
珍妮特·伊萬諾維奇關於斯芬蒂尼·普拉姆在特倫頓歷險的系列故事總能讓我大笑。

You’re hosting a literary dinner party. Which three writers are invited?
如果舉辦一個文學晚宴，您會邀請哪三位作家？

I’d choose to have one guest for a long dinner: William Shakespeare. I’m curious to see who would show up and what he really wrote.
我只會邀請一位客人共進一頓漫長的晚餐：莎士比亞。我很好奇會有誰出現以及他到底寫了什麼。

What books are you embarrassed not to have read yet?
有哪些書因爲還沒讀過所以讓您覺得難爲情？

I’m embarrassed to admit how many — so I won’t! But one example is Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time.” I’ve never made the time.
要承認究竟有多少書還沒讀過讓我很難爲情，我不會！但是其中一本是普魯斯特的《追憶似水年華》，我一直沒騰出時間來讀它。