Ernest Hemingway’s Powerful Letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald歐內(nèi)斯特·海明威致F. 斯科特·菲茨杰拉德的一封有力信件

【導讀】本文選自《歐內(nèi)斯特·海明威精選書信1917—1961》。在1934年出版新書《夜色溫柔》（Tender is the Night）后，F(xiàn). 斯科特·菲茨杰拉德向他的朋友歐內(nèi)斯特·海明威征求其對這本書的真實看法，海明威給予了回應。在這封回信中，海明威表達了其對友誼的珍視，對菲茨杰拉德才華的認可，以及對他未來的期許。這封回信也再現(xiàn)了海明威對作家們頗具價值的寫作建議，例如注重人物塑造的真實性，重視傾聽與觀察等等。這封信件不僅體現(xiàn)了海明威對菲茨杰拉德作品的深刻批評與建設性建議，還展現(xiàn)了他對文學創(chuàng)作原則的堅持、對個人生活的關切以及對友誼與未來的美好期待。這封信件不僅是兩位文學巨匠之間友誼的見證，也是文學創(chuàng)作理論與實踐相結合的寶貴財富。

Key West

基韋斯特

28 May 1934

1934年5月28日

Dear Scott：

親愛的斯科特：

I liked it and I didn’t like it. It started off with that marvelous description of Sara and Gerald1 （goddamn it Dos2 took it with him so I can’t refer to it. So if I make any mistakes—）. Then you started fooling with them， making them come from things they didn’t come from， changing them into other people and you can’t do that， Scott. If you take real people and write about them you cannot give them other parents than they have （they are made by their parents and what happens to them） you cannot make them do anything they would not do. You can take you or me or Zelda3 or Pauline4 or Hadley5 or Sara or Gerald but you have to keep them the same and you can only make them do what they would do. You can’t make one be another. Invention is the finest thing but you cannot invent anything that would not actually happen.

這本小說讓我又愛又恨。你在開頭對薩拉和杰拉爾德的描寫真是精彩絕倫（該死的，多斯把書拿走了，讓我無法查閱。所以要是我哪里搞錯了——）。然后你就開始戲弄他們了，亂改他們的出身，將他們寫成其他人，這可不行啊，斯科特。如果你以真實人物為原型進行創(chuàng)作，你就不能為他們設定不同于現(xiàn)實的父母（人物可是由他們的父母及自身經(jīng)歷塑造的），也不能編排他們做出他們根本不會做的事。你可以以你、我、澤爾達、保利娜、哈德利、薩拉或杰拉爾德為原型，但必須保持人物的本色，只能讓他們做符合他們性格的事。你不能將一個人寫成另一個人。創(chuàng)作是極好的，但你不能創(chuàng)作出完全脫離實際的東西。

That is what we are supposed to do when we are at our best—make it all up—but make it up so truly that later it will happen that way.

我們狀態(tài)好的時候就該如此——編寫故事——但要編得真實，接下來故事才能發(fā)展得順理成章。

Goddamn it you took liberties with peoples’ pasts and futures that produced not people but damned marvellously faked case histories. You， who can write better than anybody can， who are so lousy with talent that you have to—the hell with it. Scott for gods sake write and write truly no matter who or what it hurts but do not make these silly compromises. You could write a fine book about Gerald and Sara for instance if you knew enough about them and they would not have any feeling， except passing， if it were true.

該死，你竟然隨意地篡改人物的過去和未來，這樣創(chuàng)作出的可不是活生生的人物，而是一些可惡的、精彩絕倫的偽造病歷。你呀，你比任何人寫得都好，濫用才華到不得不——算了，不說了。斯科特，看在上帝的份上，你就寫吧，實實在在地寫，無論會傷害到什么人或是物，都不要這樣稀里糊涂地勉強湊合。如果你足夠了解杰拉爾德和薩拉，就可以寫一本關于他們的好書，而且，如果寫得真實，他們除了一時的不快，不會有其他想法。

There were wonderful places and nobody else nor none of the boys can write a good one half as good reading as one that doesn’t come out by you， but you cheated too damned much in this one. And you don’t need to.

這部作品中有許多精彩之處，其他人，包括那些同行，都寫不出哪怕一半這樣引人入勝的段落。不過在這本書里，你虛構得過頭了，其實你沒必要這么寫。

In the first place I’ve always claimed that you can’t think. All right， we’ll admit you can think. But say you couldn’t think; then you ought to write， invent， out of what you know and keep the people’s antecedants straight. Second place， a long time ago you stopped listening except to the answers to your own questions. You had good stuff in too that it didn’t need. That’s what dries a writer up （we all dry up. That’s no insult to you in person） not listening. That is where it all comes from. Seeing， listening. You see well enough. But you stop listening.

首先，我一直都說你不會思考。好吧，我們就姑且承認你能思考。那就說你像是不會思考吧。會思考的話，你就應該按照你知道的去寫、去創(chuàng)作，并把人物的身世和過往梳理清楚。其次，很久以前你就不再傾聽了，就光聽你自己問題的答案。書里有些素材很好，但同樣是不必要的。這就是讓作家靈感枯竭的原因（我們都會這樣，我可不是針對你）——傾聽的缺失。這正是一切問題的根源所在。觀察與傾聽，二者缺一不可。你觀察得不錯，可就是不再傾聽了。

It’s a lot better than I say. But it’s not as good as you can do.

這本書比我說的要好得多，但你還可以寫得更好。

You can study Clausewitz6 in the field and economics and psychology and nothing else will do you any bloody good once you are writing. We are like lousy damned acrobats but we make some mighty fine jumps， bo， and they have all these other acrobats that won’t jump.

在創(chuàng)作時，你可以研究克勞塞維茨的軍事理論，學習經(jīng)濟學和心理學，其他的知識對你而言并無半點助益。伙計，我們就像蹩腳的雜耍演員，卻也能做出驚人的跳躍動作，而其他的雜耍演員卻做不到。

For Christ sake write and don’t worry about what the boys will say nor whether it will be a masterpiece nor what. I write one page of masterpiece to ninety one pages of shit. I try to put the shit in the wastebasket. You feel you have to publish crap to make money to live and let live. All write but if you write enough and as well as you can there will be the same amount of masterpiece material （as we say at Yale）. You can’t think well enough to sit down and write a deliberate masterpiece and if you could get rid of Seldes and those guys that nearly ruined you and turn them out as well as you can and let the spectators yell when it is good and hoot when it is not you would be all right.

看在上帝的份上，只管寫吧，別管同行們會如何評價，也別擔心它能否成為杰作之類的。我要寫九十一頁垃圾，才能寫出一頁好文章呢。我總想著把那些垃圾丟進廢紙簍，但又覺得必須發(fā)表些垃圾作品來賺錢，大家相互寬容，都有活路。大家都在寫，但你寫得足夠多、寫得盡量好了，就會有同樣多的杰作原材料（正如我們在耶魯所說的那樣）。你不可能等到思考得足夠透徹了，才坐下來寫出一部天選杰作。如果你能離塞爾迪斯和那些差點毀了你的人遠點，盡你所能施展你的才華，讓讀者在你寫得精彩的時候歡呼，在你寫得糟糕的時候大罵，那你就做得很不錯了。

Forget your personal tragedy. We are all bitched from the start and you especially have to hurt like hell before you can write seriously. But when you get the damned hurt use it—don’t cheat with it. Be as faithful to it as a scientist—but don’t think anything is of any importance because it happens to you or anyone belonging to you.

忘卻你個人的不幸吧。我們都生來便命運多舛，而你，若想認真寫作，更是要歷經(jīng)萬般磨難。但當你感受到這刻骨的傷痛時，要將其利用起來——別躲避了事，而要以科學家的態(tài)度坦誠面對——但別因為事情發(fā)生在你或者你身邊的人身上，就認為它有多重要。

About this time I wouldn’t blame you if you gave me a burst. Jesus it’s marvellous to tell other people how to write， live， die etc.

此刻，你若對我大發(fā)雷霆，我也不會怪你。天哪，告訴別人怎么寫作、生活、死亡之類的，這是多么奇妙的一件事啊。

I’d like to see you and talk about things with you sober. You were so damned stinking in N.Y. we didn’t get anywhere. You see， Bo， you’re not a tragic character. Neither am I. All we are is writers and what we should do is write. Of all people on earth you needed discipline in your work and instead you marry someone who is jealous of your work， wants to compete with you and ruins you. It’s not as simple as that and I thought Zelda was crazy the first time I met her and you complicated it even more by being in love with her and， of course you’re a rummy. But you’re no more of a rummy than Joyce is and most good writers are. But Scott， good writers always come back. Always. You are twice as good now as you were at the time you think you were so marvellous. You know I never thought so much of Gatsby7 at the time. You can write twice as well now as you ever could. All you need to do is write truly and not care about what the fate of it is.

我想在你清醒的時候與你會面，促膝長談。在紐約那次，你簡直酒氣熏天，我們什么也沒聊透。你看，伙計，你并非悲劇人物。我也不是。我們不過就是作家，寫作才是我們的本分。在這世上所有的人當中，你最需要有條不紊地進行創(chuàng)作，卻偏偏娶了個嫉妒你的才華、想與你一較高下并最終毀了你的人。事情遠非如此簡單，我第一次見澤爾達就覺得她難以理喻，后來你還愛上了她，事情就變得更復雜了。當然，你就是個酒鬼，但你的酒癮不比喬伊斯或其他大多數(shù)優(yōu)秀作家更大。但是斯科特，優(yōu)秀的作家都會重新振作起來，無一例外。你現(xiàn)在寫得很好，比以前你自認了不起的時候還要優(yōu)秀許多。要知道，我以前對《了不起的蓋茨比》可沒有這么高的評價。你現(xiàn)在的寫作水平比以前任何時候都加倍的高明。你只需實實在在地寫，不必在意它最后會如何。

Go on and write.

繼續(xù)寫吧。

Anyway I’m damned fond of you and I’d like to have a chance to talk sometimes. We had good times talking. Remember that guy we went out to see dying in Neuilly8？ He was down here this winter. Damned nice guy Canby Chambers. Saw a lot of Dos. He’s in good shape now and he was plenty sick this time last year. How is Scotty9 and Zelda？ Pauline sends her love. We’re all fine. She’s going up to Piggott for a couple of weeks with Patrick. Then bring Bumby back. We have a fine boat. Am going good on a very long story. Hard one to write.

無論如何，我都特別喜歡你，希望有機會能和你聊聊。我們曾有過愉快的交談時光。還記得我們在訥伊看望的那位重病垂危之人嗎？他叫坎比·錢伯斯，實在是個不錯的家伙。他今年冬天來到了這里，還和多斯見了很多次面呢。他現(xiàn)在狀態(tài)不錯，去年這個時候他還病得很重。斯科蒂和澤爾達怎么樣？保利娜向你致以問候。我們都很好。她打算和帕特里克一起去皮戈特待上幾周，再把邦比接回來。我們有一艘不錯的船。我正在寫一個長篇故事，進展順利，但寫起來頗具挑戰(zhàn)。

Always your friend

你永遠的朋友

Ernest

歐內(nèi)斯特

（譯者單位：廣東工業(yè)大學外國語學院）

1薩拉·墨菲與杰拉爾德·墨菲夫婦，為20世紀20年代和菲茨杰拉德進入同一社交圈的著名富豪夫婦。小說《夜色溫柔》講述迪克·戴弗和尼科爾·戴弗夫婦多舛的一生，人物原型很大程度上取自墨菲夫婦。" 2指約翰·多斯·帕索斯（1896—1970），美國小說家，代表作為《美國》三部曲。為海明威好友，且與海明威同屬于“迷惘的一代”作家。

3澤爾達·塞爾（1900—1948），美國作家，菲茨杰拉德的妻子。" 4海明威的第二任妻子保利娜·菲佛，于1940年與海明威離婚，后于1951年去世。" 5海明威的第一任妻子哈德莉·理察遜，二人于1921年結婚，1926年離婚。

6（1780—1831），普魯士軍事理論家，代表作為《戰(zhàn)爭論》。

7《了不起的蓋茨比》為菲茨杰拉德于1925年出版的一部中篇小說，以20世紀20年代“爵士時代”的紐約市及長島為背景。" 8巴黎郊區(qū)市鎮(zhèn)。" 9菲茨杰拉德與妻子澤爾達的女兒。