夕陽影裏一歸舟
行而知天下，攝而錄我知，文而記我得，閱書閱人，皆為快事
前言
韓國女作家韓江的新作《白書》別出心裁，讀罷心有所感，塗鴉幾句。近來有書友提議用詩歌寫讀書筆記，歸舟不才，隻好用感性散文，換個花樣。讀書筆記往往理性主導，這次碰上個女作家，發散的原著，猶如自言自語，正好試試感性讀書筆記。希望聽到各位的意見和回饋，以便改進。
順便介紹作家韓江，現48歲，韓國文學新銳，父、兄皆作家，父女都得過韓國中短篇小說最高獎“李箱文學獎”。韓江更是勝於藍，在國際上頻頻得獎。這本書於2018年被英國文學大獎曼布克獎國際類提名，原書草稿寫於2015年。作者在2014年她的Human Acts快寫完之際，感覺身心疲憊。曆史小說Human Acts是寫韓國1980年發生的5.18光州民主運動，聲討全鬥煥獨裁統治。書不長，但作者力求曆史事實全部真實，自然累倒。於是欣然接受波蘭一大學邀請，在華沙休息半年。這半年，陸續寫出《白書》前兩章。陌生的國度，冷冷的華沙，有了白白的文字。
下麵，是我的白白的文字。。。
My hands wanted to reach next books in line, waiting keenly by my side.
My heart wanted to linger, one more moment in the pages my eyes just departed.
Between the covers was flora and fauna of white, revealed to me stroke by stroke, with the hands of a Korean author. The book was light, yet weighted down by scattered melancholy. The melancholy carried a scent, like my laundry linen. The smell of the spring, the smell of papers, sinking deeper in my body, as the day grew thicker, heavy with the dense air.
Unaware of the topic, only knew it got shortlisted by the renowned Man Booker, I made my city library to purchase a copy, 2 months before the book was in the market. As its first reader caressing the jacket, so neat and bright, waiting to take root, I arrived. How delight, before I set eyes on the black print against the stark white. Compelled to wash clean, my fingers slowed down to leaf through with care. The rustling unlocked my heart, with the touch of the unusual thickness and whiteness of the paper. What’s more, there was so much blank space, on every other page between both margins, soaking me with dampness found in snow white. Oh mama mia, I just stepped out of the frigid weather, why did Han Kang drag me all the way back, with both gentleness and vigor? How unfortunate! And how fortunate, to meet face to face a surprise, a much welcomed one.
It’s about the author living through the memory of her dead baby sister, in winter Warsaw, with fictious bite size narration. How to make out the genre of the book is of little concern. Less than half way through, I was awakened by recognition of what this book was about. The whispers, the murmurs, the hums heaved louder. I no longer desired to finish the book in one shot, as intended before turning the cover. I let my eyes wander, around the blank pages, to pick up what the author dropped. How empty did she endure, in a foreign city barely known, walking long hours each day? How sad could it be, to pass through buildings once 95% smashed in ruins, to see with the eyes and flesh of her unmet sister? How cold was it for her, to shoulder the open questions about fragile life, in a bone chill winter, without an answer? Nothing could describe these all weaved together, except the color of white.
At the mentioning of the color of white, tell me your first thought.
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Peaceful?
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Sad?
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Lightheaded?
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Cold?
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Pure?
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Open?
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Blank?
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Clean?
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Soft?
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Spiritual?
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Simple?
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Drifting?
All of the above!
It is true, 157 pages, on all of the above.
Years ago, I started my list of 50 white objects to photograph. A stalled project, Han Kang finished it for me, with words more elegant photos would depict, sharper than eyes can see ——
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To her, flash is a thousand points of silver.
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Milky way like grains of salt, streaming down, scouring her mind of all memories.
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The sight of a dish of wrapped sugar cubes evokes the sense of witnessing something precious, as if saving from the ravages of time and suffering.
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White nights are days in which darkness and light are both imperfect swell with memories of the past.
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A stage is an island of light, beyond which is a sea of black. Do you go down into that ocean floor, or stand your ground here in this island of light?
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She remembers one of her bosses, a middle-aged man who used to say how he longed to see a former lover again in old age, when her hair would be feather-white. When we’re really old... when every single strand of our hair has gone white, I want to see her then, absolutely.
If there was a time when he would want to see her again, it would certainly be then.
When both young and flesh would have fallen away.
When there would be no time left for desire.
When only one thing would remain to be done once that meeting was over: to separate. To part from their own bodies, and thus to part forever.
If you ever imagine the book is a collection of smart talks, the blame is on me. It's unreasonable of you if you ever expect drama, for it is far from a novel. I surely saw a butterfly flapping between her lines, beautiful yet slippery to catch. Alright, forget what it is, come with a pair of wings, dissolving into her words, in peace will your admiration emerge.
作家韓江 攝影 Lee Chunhee
THE END
At the late-night desk, my comfort lies in the possibility of introducing an otherwise impossible book, done beautifully by the British translator Debra Smith. My first read of Han Kang Human Acts was just another book on my list, The White Book, however, turned it around -- Han Kang earned a special spot on my catalog. Hours later, when the day breaks, The Vegetarian will be my third read, her 2016 Man Booker International Prize winner. Translator Debra can be a writer herself, she chose instead to be a writers’ cloak. This is a gift, from her through me to you.
以下是我的幾張白色題材攝影作品，誰有稀有純白物件，歡迎自告奮勇當“模特”，比方白貓、白金......：-）
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讚歸舟美眉的英文評論！
計劃今年是我的國際年，目前讀的兩本都不錯: A Horse Walked Into a Bar （以色列）,還有就是這本The White Book（韓國）。可惜前一本不是你的菜，希望下一本能精彩。
非常女性的文字~~
沒讀過她的這本書，但是讀過《The Vegetarian》。
你的攝影美得讓我驚歎！