美國瓊瑤 丹尼爾斯蒂爾的枕邊書
The author, most recently, of “Blue” says Alex Haley was her mentor. “We both wrote late at night, and when my phone rang at 3 a.m., I always knew it was him, making sure I was working.”
最新作品爲《藍》(Blue)的作者說，亞歷克斯·哈利(Alex Haley)是她的導師。“我們都在深夜寫作，我的電話凌晨3點響起時，我知道一定是他打來的，以確定我在工作。”
Which books are currently on your night stand?
問：現在你的牀頭櫃上放着什麼書？
“The Girl on the Train,” by Paula Hawkins, and a recent John Grisham, “Gray Mountain.”
答：葆拉·霍金斯(Paula Hawkins)的《火車上的女孩》(The Girl on the Train)以及約翰·格里沙姆(John Grisham)的新書《灰山》(Gray Mountain)。
What’s the last great book you read?
問：你讀的上一本很棒的書是什麼？
“All the Light We Cannot See,” by Anthony Doerr, and “The Nightingale,” by Kristin Hannah — those are both World War II books, which I love. And the most recent, “The Power of I Am,” by Joel Osteen.
答：安東尼·多爾(Anthony Doerr)的《我們看不見的光》(All the Light We Cannot See)以及克里斯廷·漢娜(Kristin Hannah)的《夜鶯》(The Nightingale)。這兩本書都是關於“二戰”的，我很喜歡。我最近很喜歡的是喬爾·奧斯廷(Joel Osteen)的《我的力量》(The Power of I Am)。
What genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?
問：你特別喜歡讀什麼類型的書？又不喜歡什麼類型的書？
I like books that inspire me in my own life. I don’t like depressing books, or books and stories where terrible things happen to children. I won’t read either.
答：我喜歡那些能對我自己的生活有所啓發的書。我不喜歡壓抑的書或者講述孩子身上發生可怕事情的書或故事。那兩種書我都不會讀。
What moves you most in a work of literature?
問：文學作品中什麼最打動你？
How well it’s written, how real it is, how well the story grabs me and keeps my interest, and how touching it is.
答：它寫得怎麼樣，有多真實，故事有多吸引我，能否讓我一直有興趣讀下去，有多感人。
What’s the last book that made you cry?
問：上一本讓你大哭的書是哪本？
The most recent one I was writing (I always cry when I write sad scenes).
答：我前不久寫的那本（寫到悲傷的場景時，我總會大哭）。
The last book that made you laugh?
問：上一本讓你大笑的書是什麼？
I love Joel Osteen’s books; they inspire me, and he also has a great sense of humor, in order to deliver his message with a light touch, and occasionally makes me laugh out loud.
答：我很喜歡喬爾·奧斯廷的書。它們能給我帶來靈感。他也很有幽默感，爲了輕鬆地表達自己的意思，有時能讓我笑出聲來。
The last book that made you furious?
問：上一本讓你憤怒的書是什麼？
One by an author I used to like, and tried to read again. The author unexpectedly killed a child at the end with no warning. I absolutely hate that!
答：是我以前挺喜歡的一位作家寫的一本書，我當時是想再讀一些這位作家寫的書。沒想到這位作家在結尾處毫無徵兆地把一個孩子給寫死了。我真的很討厭那樣！
Tell us about your favorite fairy tale.
問：說說你最喜歡的童話故事吧。
Any fairy tale with a happy ending.
答：所有結局幸福的童話故事。
Tell us about your favorite poem.
問：說說你最喜歡的詩歌吧。
I used to like Edna St. Vincent Millay (“First Fig,” “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver”) when I was very young, but today I find her poems to be somewhat depressing.
答：我很年輕的時候喜歡埃德娜·聖·文森特·米萊（Edna St. Vincent Millay，比如她的《第一顆無花果》[First Fig]和《豎琴謠》[The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver]），但是現在我覺得她的詩歌有點令人沮喪。
And the best movie adaptation of a book?
問：你認爲最棒的改編自圖書的電影是哪一部？
I always think the books are better than the movies.
答：我一直認爲，書比電影好。
What kind of reader were you as a child?
問：你小時候是怎麼讀書的？
I was an avid reader and read constantly. I read mostly in French, my first language, and loved “The Little Prince,” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but also loved “The Secret Garden,” by Frances Hodgson Burnett; “Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott; and “Eloise,” by Kay Thompson, for how naughty she was.
答：我是個書迷，一直在讀書。我大多是讀法語書，法語是我的母語，我非常喜歡安東尼·德·聖-埃克蘇佩裏(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)的《小王子》(The Little Prince)，不過我也很喜歡弗朗西絲·霍奇森·伯內特(Frances Hodgson Burnett)的《祕密花園》(The Secret Garden)，路易莎·梅·奧爾科特(Louisa May Alcott)的《小婦人》(Little Women)，以及凱·湯普森(Kay Thompson)的《埃洛伊塞》(Eloise)，我喜歡她的調皮勁兒。
Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine? Your favorite antihero or villain?
問：你最喜歡的虛構男主人公或女主人公是誰？你喜歡的反派主角呢？
Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet.
答：維尼熊(Winnie-the-Pooh)和小豬皮傑(Piglet)。
If you had to name one book that made you who you are today, what would it be?
問：如果你必須選出哪本書造就了今天的你，你會選哪本？
The Bible.
答：《聖經》。
What author, living or dead, would you most like to meet, and what would you like to know?
問：在世和去世的作者中，你最想與誰會面？你想知道什麼？
Alex Haley (author of “Roots”) was a dear friend, and my mentor early in my career. He predicted I would do well, and I thought he was crazy. He was a remarkable human being. We both wrote late at night, and when my phone rang at 3 a.m., I always knew it was him, making sure I was working. I miss him greatly and would love to see him again (rather than an author I don’t know).
答：亞歷克斯·哈利（《根》[Roots]的作者）是我的摯友，他是我事業早期的導師。他預言我能寫得很好，我當時覺得他這麼想很瘋狂。他是個了不起的人。我們都在深夜寫作，我的電話凌晨3點響起時，我知道一定是他打來的，以確定我在工作。我很想念他，很想再次見到他（而不想去見我不認識的人）。
Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?
問：失望，評價過高，不好看：哪些書讓你覺得自己應該會喜歡但實際上不喜歡？你還記得上一本沒看完就放下的書嗎？
I do remember the book, but it would be unkind to mention it. I’m a very disciplined person, so I finish a book even if I hate it, and always wish I didn’t waste the time! I always hope it will get better right to the very end.
答：我的確記得有這樣一本書，但我覺得說出來不太好。我是個非常自律的人，所以就算我很討厭一本書，也會把它讀完，然後一直希望自己沒浪費那些時間！我一直希望那些書到後面會寫得好一些。
Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favorite or the most personally meaningful?
問：在你寫過的所有的書中，你最喜歡的或者對你個人最有意義的書是哪一本？
The most personally meaningful is the one I wrote about my son Nick, “His Bright Light,” who died at 19. He was bipolar all his life and committed suicide. I wrote the book to honor him, and help parents of similar children. The favorite one I’ve written is always the one I’m currently writing or just finished.
答：對我個人最有意義的是關於我兒子尼克(Nick)的書——《他的光芒》(His Bright Light)，他19歲時去世。他一生都患有躁鬱症，最後自殺了。我寫那本書是爲了紀念他，同時幫助有類似孩子的父母。我寫過的書中最喜歡的一直是我正在寫或剛寫完的書。
Whom would you want to write your life story?
問：你想讓誰來寫你的人生故事？
No one — ever. Perhaps my children, who know me better than anyone. But a life written about by another person, viewed from the outside, is never accurate. Whatever happened in my life is history and should remain private, and not shared with the world. I prefer that people come to know me through the books I’ve written. I have no desire to see my real life written about, and hope it never will be.
答：我不想讓任何人寫。我的孩子們或許可以，他們比其他任何人都更瞭解我。但是外人寫的人生永遠都不會準確。我生活中發生的任何事情都是歷史，都應該保密，不應該與世人分享。我更希望人們通過我寫的書認識我。我不想看到任何人寫我的真實生活，希望永遠也不會有人寫。
What do you plan to read next?
問：你接下來打算讀什麼書？
A lot of my own work. I have too little time to read, and only read when I take a break from writing in the summer for a few weeks. The rest of the time, I’m writing, and I never read other people’s work when I’m writing.
答：我有很多工作要做。我閱讀的時間很少，我只在夏季休假的那幾周讀書。其他的時間我都在寫作，我寫作的時候從不讀別人的作品。
Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most?
問：目前還在寫作的作家中，你最欣賞哪位？不管是小說家、劇作家、記者或詩人。
I wish I had more time to read new novelists, see plays and read magazines, but my new publishing schedule of six books a year keeps me very busy. As I’ve said, I wish I did!
答：我希望自己有更多時間讀新小說家們的作品，讀劇本，或者讀雜誌，但我每年要出六本書，特別忙。就像我說的，我希望自己有時間去讀別人的作品！
