"Over the years, some people have not understood, saying that I want my son to do translation to earn money, and I can only smile bitterly." They don't know that translation doesn't make money at all, and that new books are just a tonic when my son's life hangs in the balance. ”
——In the past two days, the Article "Our Genius Son" in the "Listening life" column of Hangzhou Daily has quickly swept the screen, and countless netizens have been touched by the family story of "genius translator" Jin Xiaoyu and his father Jin Zhiyong. When this sentence jumped out of the writer Ye Xinxin's keyboard, she recalled the first time she talked about this topic face-to-face in the 86-year-old man's home, and felt the same feeling, "Yes, my son Kong Yalei is also a translator, translating a lot of foreign novels, and does not expect to rely on translation to make money." You can't do it without love. ”
This common point made the column editor David at the time firmly believe that "Teacher Ye is none other than you", and also made Ye Xinxin draw a clear emotional resonance line from the old man's intermittent fragments.
A dark winter day, from more than 9 o'clock in the morning to the sun set, except for lunch break, Ye Xinxin listened for 9 hours, the old man sat on a sofa opposite the wall that could not be colored, she was not used to using a voice recorder, writing word by word on the notepad.
The family suffered from "bipolar disorder" and "Alzheimer's disease," two mental illnesses that still tie human hands. "I have written a lot of sad stories, but the life experience of this father and son makes me feel irrepressible, a deep sense of powerlessness, and doubt whether the words can convey their life and reach the reader's heart." Writer and finisher of "Our Genius Son", Ye Xinxin, revealed in an exclusive interview with Wen Wei Po that the writing process was as uncomfortable as the day of the interview, just like the old man said that there was no way, but she was thinking that experiencing such a helpless life is the great power of life...
After the article was published in the newspaper, the whole network like a whirlwind brushed the screen, which made Ye Xinxin surprised and relieved, "Unexpectedly, I think this is the power of literature, translation itself is literary work, this power is actually hidden in the daily life of ordinary people, the genius son just touched the bottom of the most life in the eternal potential love, so it triggered a huge resonance." It is gratifying that after the article was published, Elder Jin sent me a text message, he was worried that his son would mind, but Xiaoyu read the report very rationally, he understood his father's sincere feelings, and the father and son had an indescribable sense of relief, as if a stone had been put down. ”
Subsequently, the tide of goodwill poured in, warming the winter of Depression, and many netizens left a message: "Like the protagonist of "Beautiful Heart", we see the meaning of the existence of an ordinary Chinese family, and inspire many young people" "Parents may leave, and bitterness will also disperse with the wind." But words will remember you, and there will always be your footnotes in books. Come on this translator" He has read both "Ship Fever" and "The Seducer." Banville's text is beautiful and complex and difficult to translate. The translator is really good and what a pity! ”......
There are also enthusiastic people who are willing to help free of charge, some want to do the renovation of the old house for this family, "floor heating, anti-slip are arranged", there is a desire to send Xiaoyu a new computer; there is also the introduction of psychiatric doctors to provide medical help...
"The old, broken, and chaotic atmosphere of this home is far from what you can imagine. When I stood in the room where I couldn't find a table or chair to sit in, I was crying, I was crying when I bent down, I was crying when I stood up and went to the bathroom, and when I recorded, the pen was also crying..." Ye Xinxin did not list the outline of one, two, three or four, but slowly "spelled out" the bits and pieces of the old man's long years with his son in the rambling dialogue.
Dealing with this kind of subject, Ye Xinxin is an empathizer, and she will cry with her in the interview. She is also a magician, and her words can transcend suffering to reflect the splendor of life. Writer and former editor of the listening edition of Hangzhou Daily, Mo Xiaomi sighed in the circle of friends.
Empathy is the code for the writer to knock on the door of a stranger's heart, and behind the magic is more of the effort spent on the stage.
Jin Zhiyong does not have a smart phone, only texting and phone calls, in the more than ten days of compiling the manuscript, he and Ye Xinxin text message communication, "I will confirm with him some time nodes, family details, disease names, etc., these facts can not be wrong." Ye Xinxin inadvertently found that Lao Jin himself had translated a book, a professional translation in the field of pharmaceutical and chemical research, and read his manuscript, "The few traces are a little sloppy, but on the whole it is very beautiful, permeated with the pen power of old-school intellectuals." Perhaps the son embarked on the path of translation, more or less influenced by his father. ”
According to Ye Xinxin, after the first draft was written, she printed it out and sent it to the old man's home for him to check, and instructed him on the phone that "I came to the door to pick it up after you finished reading." Unexpectedly, the next day, Jin Zhiyong sent a text message, "I was on the bus that came, and we met at the bus platform of your house." ”
After the two exchanged manuscripts on the platform, the old man was not in a hurry to go, at that time, his wife was gone, his son was still in the mental hospital, "the old man is very lonely...", Ye Xinxin carried Jin Lao to the opposite station to send him back by car, "just like supporting his old father".
A narrator, a listener, standing in the wind in the middle of the 21 road. "The old man's steps are very slow, moving step by step, dragging his arms and not wanting to separate", the car arrived at the station, he nagged "no hurry, wait for the next shift". At that moment, "I was in tears in my heart," Ye Xinxin said.
The next train came, found a seat, the old man touched the armrest and sat down, there were very few passengers, "he kept waving at me, watching me"...
The world is uncertain, the genius counterattacks, the scars on the body but never give up... In this heart-wrenching story, there are many tears and pain points that hit people, but Ye Xinxin will sometimes think of the freiman who lived under the alien desert in the movie "Dune", and once in a sentence - the mystery of human life is not to solve the problem, but to face your experience.
Father, experiencing the reality of illness; Xiaoyu, is also facing the mutilation of life. But what is valuable is that the defects can still blossom - in ten years, Xiaoyu has translated 22 books at the rate of two books per year, spanning novels, movies, music, philosophy and other fields.
On Douban, the number of people who marked "want to read" increased significantly. In the bookstore, Xiaoyu's translation was re-turned out to set up a stage, and the translation debut "Ship Fever" was even suddenly fried to 308 yuan on the Internet.
What is even more rare is that in addition to the hustle and bustle, more people just want to silently send a hug and give the temperature they can.
"The son will be back in the spring, and he will let his mother read his new book."
The Benjamin Epistles was finally delivered. ”
At the end of the article "Our Genius Son", the long-awaited "Benjamin Epistles" is expected to be 400,000 words in total length and is expected to be available as soon as possible within this year.
The book contains more than 300 letters from the German thinker Benjamin, showing Benjamin's profound knowledge and unique writing, which is of special reference value for understanding The European culture and intellectual figures of the first half of the 20th century.
At present, Jin Xiaoyu is fully engaged in the translation of the second book of Benjamin, "The Arcade Project".
Author: Xu Yang
Image source: Hangzhou Daily, courtesy of the writer
Editor: Tong Weijing
Editor-in-Charge: Wang Yan
*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source when reprinting.