Yu Hua became the first Chinese writer to appear in the Paris Review's "Writer's Interview"

余华成为首登《巴黎评论》“作家访谈”的中国作家，网友：有新素材了！

Recently, The Paris Review's "Interview" section unveiled an exclusive dialogue featuring the acclaimed writer Yu Hua, marking the inaugural appearance of a Chinese writer in this distinguished segment of the publication.

近日，著名文学刊物《巴黎评论》的“作家访谈”栏目发表了对作家余华的专访。这是中国籍作家首次登上《巴黎评论》“作家访谈”。

The Paris Review, initially founded in Paris in 1953 by George Plimpton, Peter Matthiessen, and others, is a quarterly English-language literary magazine. Later, its editorial office relocated to New York City, USA, and has maintained uninterrupted publication since.

英文文学季刊《巴黎评论》由美国作家乔治?普林顿、彼得?马修森等人于1953年创刊于法国巴黎，后编辑部迁至美国纽约，并持续出版至今。

Yu Hua's interview was featured in the 261st issue titled The Art of Fiction. It was conducted and written by the well-known translator Michael Berry, covering aspects of Yu's early writing experiences, literary inheritance, artistic perspectives, and delving into some specific works.

余华的这篇访谈发在“小说的艺术”第261期，由著名译者白睿文（Michael Berry）采写，内容既涉及余华的早年写作经历、文学师承以及文学观，也有对于其具体作品的追问，访谈内容相当丰富。

Michael Berry's association with Yu Hua spans over two decades.

白睿文与余华相识多年。

Around 25 years ago, while still a senior college student, Michael contacted Yu seeking permission to translate To Live into English.

大约25年前，还是一名大四学生的他联系余华，请求允许将《活着》翻译成英文。

Their initial communication was via fax, and Michael still vividly remembers the excitement upon receiving approval for the translation.

两人最初的交流是通过传真机进行的，白睿文仍然记得自己收到同意消息时的兴奋之情。

"Our first face-to-face meeting was in New York, around 1998.

“我们的第一次面对面会面是在纽约，大约在1998年。

It was Yu Hua’s first trip to the city, and he responded to the neon lights in Times Square, attending his first Broadway show, and visiting a jazz club in the West Village with almost childlike excitement.

那是余华第一次来到这座城市，他对时代广场的霓虹灯、首次观看的百老汇演出以及西村爵士乐俱乐部的反应几乎就像个孩子一样兴奋。

He exuded a playfulness, a sharp wit, and an irreverent attitude that I found startling. Could this exuberant tourist really be the same person who wrote the harrowing To Live? Apparently so."

他表现出一种顽皮、机智和不羁，让我感到惊讶：这个兴高采烈的游客真的能写出令人痛心的《活着》吗？显然可以。”

Michael disclosed that this interview took place earlier this year via Zoom, stating, "I saw glimpses of the same quick humor, biting sarcasm, and disarming honesty I remembered from our time together twenty-five years before."

白睿文还透露，此次采访是今年早些时候通过Zoom进行的，“我看到了25年前在一起时熟悉的幽默、尖刻讽刺和从容自若。”

At the end of the interview, Yu responded that, in recent years, he often traveled abroad, despite many friends advising him to concentrate on writing while young and energetic. However, he enjoys leisurely pursuits. He mentioned, "When I'm old and my health deteriorates, how could I travel everywhere? Literature is not the only thing in my life."

访谈的结尾特别有意思。白睿文问余华，为什么花了那么长时间才完成了《文城》，余华回应自己这些年经常去国外，尽管不少朋友说应该趁着年轻力壮好好写作，但他喜欢玩乐。“等年老的时候，身体不好了，我哪能到处旅游？文学不是我的生命中唯一的东西。”

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