本文作者是巴金，原名李尧棠，现代文学家、出版家、翻译家，同时也被誉为是“五四”新文化运动以来最有影响的作家之一，是20世纪中国杰出的文学大师、中国当代文坛的巨匠。本文是1980年巴金先生访问日本时的一段演讲，选自于《巴金文集》第十卷，由Don J. Cohn 翻译。本文属于典型的文学作品，用词较难。

前两天有一位日本作家问我:“你怎么同时喜欢各种流派的作家和作品呢?”

A few days ago, a Japanese author asked me how I was able to appreciate authors and books of so many different schools.

我说:“我不是文学家，不属于任何派别，所以我不受限制。”

I replied, "I am not‘a man of letters’, nor do I belong to any particular school. Thus I was not restricted in any way."

那位朋友又问:“你明明写了那么多作品，怎么说不是文学家呢?

Then he asked me, "You've written many, many books. How can you say you're not a man of letters?"

我说:“唯其不是文学家，我就不受文学规律的限制，我也不怕别人把我赶出文学界。”

I replied, "As long as I'm not a man of letters, I'm not subject to any of the rules of literature. Nor do I have to be afraid of being thrown out of any literary circles."

我的敌人是什么呢?我说过:“一切旧的传统观念，一切阻止社会进步和人性发展的不合理的制度，一切摧残爱的努力，它们都是我最大的敌人。

What are my enemies? "All outmoded traditional thinking; any irrational system which obstructs social progress or human development; any force which tramples on love--all these things are my enemies."

我所有的作品都是写来控诉、揭露、攻击这些敌人的。

All my books were written with the express purpose of denouncing, exposing and striking out at these enemies of mine.

从1929年到1948年这二十年中间，我写得快，也写得多。

In the twenty years between 1929 and 1948, I wrote very quickly and wrote a great deal.

我觉得有一根鞭子在抽打我的心，又觉得仿佛有什么鬼魂借我的笔为自己申冤一样。

I felt as if my mind was being whipped, as if a ghost had commandeered my pen and was writing to redress the injustices it had suffered.

我常常同主人公一起哭笑，又常常绝望地乱搔头发。

I both cried and laughed along with my principal characters, and often despondently scratched my head.

我说我写作如同在生活，又说作品的最高境界是写作同生活的一致，是作家同人的一致，主要的意思是不说谎。

When I say that I write like I live, and that the highest ideal a work of literature can attain is to be at one with life, and that an author should be able to identify with his readers, I basically mean that books and their authors should never tell lies.

我最近还在另一个地方说过:艺术的最高境界是无技巧。

I've also said recently on another occasion that the highest state to which art can attain is artlessness.

我几十年前同一位朋友辩论时就说过:“长得好看的人用不着浓妆艳抹，而我的文章就像一个丑八怪，不打扮，看起来倒还顺眼些。”

When I was arguing this point with a friend several decades ago, I said, “Physically attractive people don't need heavy make-up. Though my writing resembles an ugly monster, it actually looks a little better without any embellishment."

他说:“流传久远的作品是靠文学技巧流传，谁会关心百十年前的生活?”

His reply was, “Literary works have stood the test of time because of the skill with which they were written. Who today really cares about the details of what life was like a hundred years ago?"

我不同意，我认为打动人心的还是作品中所反映的生活和主人公的命运。

I disagree. Readers are moved by the life reflected in a story and the fate of the chief characters.

这仍然是在反对那些无中生有、混淆黑白的花言巧语。

This means I oppose fabrication, deception and flowery language.

我最恨那些盗名欺世、欺骗读者的谎言。

What I hate most are those glory-seeking writers who deceive the public with their lies.

责任编辑：admin