In 1980s, the best-selling books in West Germany were at a low ebb, but in 1985, a world famous book "Perfume" was unexpectedly published in German literature. It is reported these days that the author of this book has lived past Skinder's seventieth birthday. As a result, the German media could not help but set off another heat wave about his recalled articles.
This world-class best-selling author, who became famous in one fell swoop, was fired more fiercely than his bizarre plot. His super introverted attitude towards people can be said to be unprecedented among many famous European writers. He is afraid of meeting people, and he is extremely reluctant to meet people, let alone allow people to take pictures. Several photos circulated in the media were all taken secretly.
I was fortunate to visit such an unpredictable and elusive person at home. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was a rare opportunity for me at that time.
Since 1985, with the acceleration of China's reform and opening up and the deepening of foreign affairs exchanges, I have frequently shuttled between China and western European countries every year, especially the repeated visits to the four German-speaking countries, and have the opportunity to make many German literary friends and writers, including many great writers. As long as we have a plan, we can satisfy them as we wish. People who have won the Nobel Prize, such as Burr and Glass, and first-class German writers, such as Lenz, Rodman and kempf, have no difficulty in meeting them.
According to Nature, no matter whether a writer is famous or not, he will be willing to be interviewed to promote himself, expand his influence and raise his popularity. However, Skinder, who lives in Munich, is an exception.
1989 10, I ended the visit of China writers group to Hamburg "China Culture Week" and attended the Frankfurt Book Fair. I sent the writing team to West Berlin, arranged the return trip and put it on the plane. I took the old writer Deng Youmei to go through the boarding formalities for going to the United States alone, and brought back the financial list with the extra foreign exchange entrusted by Jason, but I left Germany alone for the first time and started my journey as a scholar.
Scholarships were popular in West Germany at that time. Not only many government agencies provide scholarships, such as German Academic Exchange Center (DAAD), Humboldt Foundation and Saidel Foundation. However, there are numerous scholarships for various political parties, such as Adenauer Foundation, Albert Foundation and Norman Foundation, which are all famous, and the common and obscure generalizations add up to a dime a dozen.
At that time, no matter which cultural person or scholar in China contributed to the cultural exchange between the two countries, he was eligible to apply for scholarships, such as translating German books and coming to West Germany for a short-term cultural visit, and he could apply to relevant foundations; Those who have translated Fu Zi will generally agree. Germany is a nation with high cultural quality, full of pride, strong sense of charity and special concern for each other's face. I'm sorry to refuse. Generally, I won't say no without sufficient reasons.
At that time, our national conditions made it impossible to study abroad at our own expense. The monthly salary earned by a college graduate was exchanged by Mark for an ordinary meal in Germany. To study abroad is not to use the official quota of the State Education Commission, but to dredge the relationship and get the opportunity to study abroad at one's own expense, that is, to find ways to contact scholarships without occupying national quotas. Different public students, these people are called studying at their own expense.
If anyone goes to Germany, it is easy to get a scholarship as long as they are qualified to go to college. You will be regarded as a talented person, especially in China in the 1980s. They think you will contribute to the cultural exchange between the two countries in the future.
The recommendation letters of doctoral supervisors are extremely important, and they are more convinced because of the professor's guarantee. Germans believe their words very much, especially the authoritative words. With the recommendation of doctoral supervisor, when applying for a party, as long as you understand the purpose of the party and write your own opinions, then the scholarship for several years will be foolproof.
I have visited Germany many times, especially for the first time. At that time, Germans were rarely seen in Germany, and anyone who could speak German was impressed. Handzel Publishing House in Munich has published books by many writers, such as Jason, Wang Meng and Zhang Kangkang, so we often have new book conferences and works reading meetings at this station in Munich, and I also have the opportunity to meet many friends in the cultural circles.
The cultural director of Munich was surprised for the first time that we learned German in China. After being appreciated, they offered scholarships and stressed that their scholarships had many advantages, such as being afraid that we would not be interested.
It was autumn, and I was invited, but I loved my job very much and enjoyed it. Looking back now, it was right not to be invited, otherwise I and many writers would have no good memories in the next few years.
Due to the busy foreign affairs, I have close contact with German embassies and cultural institutions. The Albert Foundation of Germany has an office in Beijing, and it is in urgent need of a person to teach Chinese. In the international club, I met the person in charge of the foundation through Haydn's introduction.
In the diplomatic apartment in Xiushui Street, there lived Mr. Dahl, a Beijing reporter often sent by the German newspaper Sü ddeutsche Zeitung. This person is studying Chinese in Taiwan Province Province, and his wife is from Taiwan Province Province. /kloc-came to China with his family in 0/985, stayed in Xiushui Street, and was responsible for writing articles for the literary column of Nanbao. We met at a foreign affairs event.
In and out of the diplomatic apartment on weekdays, Dahl reporters can meet them. I haven't had a chance to chat because I'm busy. After the reception, he took the initiative. He is a reporter, so he came prepared. He needs cultural information, preferably news that has not been reported internally.
It is common for a reporter to get news, but when it comes to diplomacy, the situation will get worse. "There is a difference between inside and outside" and "there is no small matter in foreign affairs". If something goes wrong, it is a big deal, and making waves is a big mistake!
The principle of foreign affairs is to ask for instructions before reporting. This rule seems troublesome, but it has great benefits. Although there are several more procedures, it is also conducive to avoiding responsibility. Since it is decided by the leadership, the responsibility is naturally led. At that time, foreign affairs decided that no matter who came to interview, they all disagreed or refused positively, and then made a decision after reporting.
Mr. Dahl invited me to Beijing Hotel for coffee, and I arrived as promised. Surprisingly, he brought this novel "Perfume" that I have been longing for for for a long time as a meeting gift. Although I have subscribed to Star Weekly, Nanfang Daily and Der Spiegel in Germany at work, I can't get this book, even though it has been in the bestseller column and at the forefront of the rankings. This time, as soon as I got the book, I read it all night. The next day, I spoke on the phone with the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and translated non-stop.
At that time, the leaders of the private affairs department of our class did not object. 1985 The central policy was relaxed, and the leaders were middle-aged cadres who had just come from the Cultural Revolution, majoring in foreign languages. They are very tolerant of young cadres and advocate literary translation to improve their professional level. At that time, it was popular for "literati to go to the sea", and the second occupation was very popular. People who didn't work took the time to earn extra money. The writer abandoned the article and went to sea, and the abject poverty of the proletarians began to be laughed at. It was the most prosperous golden year for literary and art circles after the reform and opening up and the Cultural Revolution.
1At the end of 988, I started a scholar visit to Munich, lived in the foundation of the Ministry of Culture, listened to lectures in universities during the day and had many cultural activities at night. At a new book conference, I met the director of Bavarian TV station, a very kind elder, through the introduction of the director of the Ministry of Culture.
The old man is quite friendly to China intellectuals. When he heard that I translated the novel Perfume and was a guest of the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, he immediately decided to meet me at the TV station tomorrow morning and said that he would help me twice.
I will go as promised. At lunch, the old man said, first of all, I should be arranged to record a literary program for the TV station to explain the German-Chinese literary exchange and talk about my experience in translating perfume. This is the first time in my life that I have the opportunity to enter the anchor room, and it is also a foreign TV station. In fact, it's only half an hour of recording, and after editing, it's a ten-minute program at best. However, when he wrote the bill and asked me to transfer money from the bank, I had to ask about income tax.
At that time, West Germany was rich and full of marks. Officials will give alms as long as they are pleasing to the eye and have the right. I have more contact with people from the Ministry of Culture. The reason is that there are uninterrupted cultural activities and we are familiar with each other. They don't treat me like an outsider. They revealed to me that one of the important tasks of their foundation every year is to use up all the scholarships this year. It is best to use enough and need to add some. If this year's scholarships are not used up, the superiors will only think that the first is that the work has not been done well and the task has not been successfully completed, which is a negative reference for the annual summary report; Second, because this year's funds can't be spent, next year's budget will only be reduced. Therefore, if the scholarship is approved, it will be generous as long as the reasons basically meet the requirements.
Second, the TV station elders will introduce me to the author of "Perfume" who lives in Skinder, because I am his translator. Speaking of being able to translate the novel into Chinese, it should be published in China first, thanks to that Mr. Dahl.
The author of "Perfume" lives in the center of Munich, just opposite the "Fulou" that all foreign students are familiar with. He is still an only child in his forties. I can have the opportunity to visit his home, which is the face given by the TV elders, otherwise the author will undoubtedly shut me out. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity, but I knew nothing about this once-in-a-lifetime good thing at that time. Later, after reading a lot of media reports, I realized that he had been pushing Duke, living in seclusion, being extremely unsociable and not seeing anyone. At that time, he had just emerged, and some of them were fledgling. Later, as a result, this book topped the bestseller list every year, and its market rose sharply. I interviewed him, and it was a great honor.
At that time, because I had just gone abroad, I was quite enthusiastic about the Wen Yi Newspaper, the official publication of this unit, and fantasized about writing an interview record. During my home visit, I gave the translation to the author, who returned his works and left his signature. Considering that the interview manuscript may need the author's photo, I also carried a tripod. However, he refused to shoot.
In the interview with the author of Perfume, there are several unforgettable tidbits:
First of all, Germany is new here. Once I went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner with my doctoral supervisor. When I heard my translation of perfume, a German writer at the next table began to speak. He was a close friend of the then Czech writer President Vaclav Havel and the author of "Perfume Living in Skinder". When he heard that I had translated perfume, he immediately got up and bowed to me to show his respect.
Coincidentally, there are no books. Later, I had my own restaurant. Once he brought his literary friends to my restaurant for dinner, and I recognized them at a glance. He said that he had been close to Skinder and mentioned to him that he had met a perfume translator. This time I showed him the Chinese translation of my perfume and asked him to convey my invitation to the author at once. Although ten years have passed, I am convinced that the author must remember my interview vividly. However, the moon has been turning around the stars for twenty years, but he is as clumsy as a yellow crane;
Second, in the spring of 1989, UNESCO held an international translation seminar in the German "European Translation Center", and I participated as the representative of China. 18 participants from 26 countries all over the world translated perfume, and our 18 perfume translators also held a symposium to translate perfume.
Thirdly, one night in the summer of 2005, the weather was extremely hot, and all the guests went to the beer park. I was bored reading the newspaper when a beautiful blonde girl came in and wanted to buy two bottles of beer to take away. We chatted naturally.
I asked her, why haven't I seen you? I know all the guests in this area. She said that she temporarily borrowed a house in our building, which is upstairs beside the garden of our restaurant. She is not from Munich. She came from other places this time and played a supporting role in the movie perfume.
I said I heard it right. It's Skinder's novel Perfume. She said yes. I said, "You were right to buy beer today. I translated this novel into Chinese and interviewed the author himself. " She saw the Chinese version of Perfume translated by me and found it incredible. She decided to stay in the shop, drink her beer and talk to me.
She is a country girl who lives in a small village near Cologne. This is her first time in a big city like Munich. She didn't graduate from liberal arts high school and still lives in her parents' home. Her name is Diana. She left me her mobile phone number and her parents' home phone number. I have kept this note ever since.
A few years later, I learned from newspapers and movies and magazines that she became a big star in Germany and also the protagonist of the TV series The Doctor's Diary. She was a smash hit, known as the sexiest actress in German history, and has been killed in Hollywood. I called to congratulate her on her extraordinary success in her career. She said that the scene of drinking beer together that night is still vivid, and she still remembers the meeting in Munich happily.
Diana came again the night after drinking beer, but today she didn't come to buy beer. She wants to spend 20 euros on my Chinese translation of Perfume. Eisinger, the director of the film Perfume, invited her.
The world is so small, and life is so wonderful: 1986 I met Dahl, a journalist in Beijing, and accidentally got the book Perfume. Then I came to Munich with a German scholarship and lived there for 33 years. I translated perfume, was introduced to the author and interviewed him. Having dinner with a professor in a Chinese restaurant, I happened to meet the author's best friend; Miss Diana happened to live in our building once in a hundred years; I came to buy beer and learned that I was a translator of perfume; My translation was bought by Eisinger, the director of Perfume, who is the most famous director in Germany. With the exception of the late fassbinder, Germany is unprecedented so far. So many countless coincidences and coincidences, are they just coincidences, not "fate"? It's puzzling!
Living in Skinder, I don't talk much and cherish words like gold, but I will never forget his two words. Since he won't say an unnecessary word, or even an unnecessary word, there must be an unusual reason for him to say these two words.
The first sentence: when I gave him my translation, he said "thank you" and said "you can contact Swiss publishing house." This interruption made me think hard for thirteen years. It was not until 200 1 China joined the WTO that I suddenly realized his intention to contact Swiss diogenes Publishing House because of copyright;
Of course, just as we knew nothing about western copyright issues in the 1980s, living in Skinder was also "ignorant" about the national conditions of China at that time. He didn't know that China, as a country outside the WTO, has no restrictions on reciprocity with copyright countries, just like the China books published by Munich Handzel Press 1985 are no longer available, and there is no need to pay a penny of copyright fees;
The second sentence is that in the process of my translation, I am always amazed by the bizarre plot and the plot beyond ordinary people's imagination. It is also the confusion that many readers put forward to me after translation and publication: "How can the author have such creative ideas?" I put this question directly to him, and I expect it will be a long talk like asking other writers. Unexpectedly, his answer was: "Maybe I was still young."
Such a sentence: "Maybe I was still young at that time", and then ask him how he got the originality of the novel. I think people can't agree with the logical and organic connection between this question and answer. This kind of strangeness is the value of "scarcity is precious". His novels became famous. How many directors want to make it into a movie, and how many agents want to trade copyright transfer with him? He kept his mouth shut for 20 years. It was not until 2OO5 that he agreed to transfer the copyright of perfume, and he got the copyright fee of 20 million euros!
2022 1 06 Yi Manuscript Munich