https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2017/ishiguro-interview.html

Kazuo Ishiguro - Interview

"I come in the line of lots of my greatest heroes. The greatest authors in history have received this Prize."

Kazuo Ishiguro: Hi, hello, Mr Smith, how are you?

Adam Smith: Very well. Thank you very much indeed for calling, very kind. Congratulations on the award of the Nobel Prize.

KI: Yes, thank you. I'm sorry you were kept hanging on. It's absolute chaos here I'm afraid. There's suddenly ... a lot of press has turned up and they're queued up the road.

AS: I can imagine. So, yes, your day must have changed in a totally unexpected way. How did you hear this news?

KI: Well I was sitting in the kitchen writing an email to a friend and the phone rang. And it started off as not entirely certain. People at my literary agents were watching the live feed come through on the announcement. I don't think they were expecting it, they were just waiting to hear who won the Nobel Prize this year. And so I started to receive calls back to back, and each time we were trying to establish if it was a hoax or if it was fake news, or what it was. And then it started to become more and more certain. By the time the BBC called I started to take it seriously. But I haven't actually stopped since then. It's a bit like the Marie Celeste here – everything's exactly as it was at about 11 o'clock, or whenever, before the whole thing started. And then it was pandemonium. There's now people queueing up the street to interview me.

AS: So has it sunk in?

KI: No! No, I don't think it will sink in for a long time. I mean, it's a ridiculously prestigious honour, in as far as these kinds of things go. I don't think you would have a more prestigious prize than the Nobel Prize. And comments I would make, I mean, one is, a lot of that prestige must come from the fact that the Swedish Academy has successfully, I think, kept above the fray of partisan politics and so on. And I think it's remained one of the few things that's respected, whose integrity is respected by many people around the world, and so I think a lot of the sense of honour of receiving the Prize comes from the actual status of the Swedish Academy. And I think that's a great achievement unto itself, over all these years the Swedish Academy has managed to retain that high ground, in all the different walks of life that it honours. And then the other reason it's a terrific honour for me is because ... you know I come in a line of lots of my greatest heroes, absolutely great authors. The greatest authors in history have received this Prize, and I have to say, you know, it's great to come one year after?Bob Dylan?who was my hero since the age of 13. He's probably my biggest hero.

AS: That's nice company to be in.

KI: Yeah. I do a very good Bob Dylan impersonation, but I won't do it for you right now.

AS: That's a pity, I would have liked that. Maybe at least when you come to Stockholm in December, please.

KI: Yes, I could try that.

AS: You must. It's a funny time in Britain at the moment. Does that place any particular significance for you on receiving the Prize now?

KI: I think it does. I mean, in fact just before I picked up the phone to you I was writing a kind of statement for press release, and I was trying to think what could I say in three lines, and I think the timing is pertinent for me because I feel ... I'm nearly 63 years old, I can't remember a time when we were so uncertain about our values in the western world. You know, I think we are going through a time of great uncertainty about our values, about our leadership. People don't feel safe. So I do hope that things like the Nobel Prize will in some way contribute to the positive things in the world, to the decent values in the world, and that it would contribute to some sense of continuity and decency. Yeah.

AS: I suppose what you have been writing about all this time, in a way, is that question of our place in the world, our connection to each other, our connection with the world. That is perhaps the theme you explore the most, do you think?

KI: Yes, I would say so, I mean I think ... If I could put it a little bit more narrowly that that, I mean it's probably ... one of the things that's interested me always is how we live in small worlds and big worlds at the same time, that we have a personal arena in which we have to try and find fulfilment and love. But that inevitably intersects with a larger world, where politics, or even dystopian universes, can prevail. So I think I've always been interested in that. We live in small worlds and big worlds at the same time and we can't, you know, forget one or the other.

AS: Thank you, well, these are things to talk about on a different day I guess.

KI: Yes.

AS: For the moment you have to work out how you're going to handle this line of press. Just a last thought – how do you feel about the deluge of attention you're about to receive?

KI: Well, I think ... I take it very positively. I mean, while it's a little unsettling because I had no idea when I woke up this morning that it was going to be anything other than a very ordinary day, I think it's a great thing that the press, the media, take the Nobel Prize for Literature seriously. I'll be very alarmed if there was a day when somebody won the Nobel Prize for Literature and nobody was interested. That would suggest that some awful things had happened to the world.

AS: A day to celebrate literature has to be a good day.

KI: Yes, and I think literature can be a great thing, it can be sometimes a force for bad as well. You know I think things like the Nobel Prize for Literature exist to try and ensure that it is a force for good.

AS: Lovely. Well thank you very much indeed, and we very much look forward to welcoming you to Stockholm in December.

KI: Yeah, really looking forward to it. Well, very nice to talk to you Mr Smith.

AS: Thank you very much indeed.

KI: Take care now. Bye.

“我得以與我心目中的許多最偉大的英雄同列。史上最偉大的作家都榮獲了這一獎項侦另∑峒剩”

石黑一雄（下簡稱KI）：你好先口，史密斯先生，你怎么樣递瑰？

亞當·史密斯（下簡稱AS）：我很好苔悦。非常感謝您來電話。祝賀你獲得諾貝爾獎没宾。

KI：好的，謝謝沸柔。我很抱歉一直讓你待機循衰。我恐怕這里實在太喧鬧了。突然有許多媒體現(xiàn)身褐澎，他們沿路擺開陣勢会钝。

AS：我能想象得到。好的工三，那么迁酸，對你來說今天肯定變成了完全意想不到的樣子。你是怎么聽到消息的俭正？

KI：我正坐在廚房給一個朋友寫電子郵件奸鬓，這時電話鈴響了。一開始還不十分確定掸读。我的出版代理人正在看宣布獎項的實時信息流全蝶。我不認為他們有心理準備。他們只是等著聽今年誰獲獎寺枉。所以我開始接二連三地接到電話，每次我們都試圖確定是騙局還是假新聞绷落，或者是其它的什么姥闪。然后消息越來越肯定。等BBC打來電話時砌烁，我開始當真了筐喳。但我實際上并沒停止寫信。這有點像瑪麗·塞利斯特號船——事情發(fā)生前所有東西一如11點左右或隨便什么時刻的樣子函喉。然后就亂成了一鍋粥”芄椋現(xiàn)在人們在街上排隊要采訪我。

AS：那么已經(jīng)平靜下來了么管呵？

KI：沒有梳毙！沒有。我認為長時間都不會平靜捐下。我的意思是账锹，這是一項無比權(quán)威的榮譽萌业，這類事情正是這樣。我不認為還有比諾貝爾獎更權(quán)威的獎項奸柬。我要指出一點生年，權(quán)威性主要來自一個事實，那就是瑞典皇家科學院已成功擺脫政黨政治和其它因素的影響廓奕。我認為它一直堅守著為數(shù)不多的幾項原則之一抱婉，這很可敬，世界上許多人都尊敬它的公正性桌粉，因此我認為獲獎的榮譽感主要來自瑞典皇家科學院的真實狀態(tài)蒸绩。我還認為這是它自己取得的偉大成就，這些年來瑞典皇家科學院在授予社會各階層人士榮譽時設法保持了道德高度番甩。還有一個原因讓我感到獲獎是我的無上榮耀侵贵，那就是我得以與我心目中的許多最偉大的英雄同列，他們絕對是偉大作家缘薛。史上最偉大的作家都榮獲了這一獎項窍育，而且我不得不說，我在鮑勃·迪倫獲獎一年后也獲獎宴胧，這太棒了漱抓。我13歲時他就是我的英雄，他很可能是我心目中最大的英雄恕齐。

AS：加入他們的行列真好乞娄。

KI：是啊。我模仿鮑勃·迪倫惟妙惟肖显歧，但現(xiàn)在我不會演給你看仪或。

AS：那太遺憾了，我真想看士骤。當你12月來斯德哥爾摩時總可以了吧范删？求你了。

KI：好的拷肌，我盡量吧到旦。

AS：你一定要。這時的英國很有意思巨缘。那對你現(xiàn)在獲獎有什么特殊意義嗎添忘？

KI：我認為有的。我的意思是若锁，實際上就在我拿起電話打給你之前搁骑，我正在為新聞發(fā)布會寫一份類似于聲明的東西，我正在絞盡腦汁想三行能說些什么，我認為這個時間點對我太重要了靶病，因為我覺得 ... 我快63歲了会通，我記不得有什么時候我們像現(xiàn)在這樣對我們在西方世界里的價值如此不確定。你知道嗎娄周，我認為我們正在經(jīng)歷一個我們的價值和領(lǐng)導力非常不確定的時代涕侈。人們沒有安全感。所以我真心希望像諾貝爾獎這樣的事情將在一定程度上增加世界的正能量煤辨，提升世界的良性價值裳涛，并增進一些持續(xù)感和體面感。是的众辨。

AS：我猜你一直圍繞這個時代在寫的東西在某種意義上就是我們在世界里的位置問題端三、我們彼此之間的聯(lián)系、我們與世界的聯(lián)系鹃彻。這可能是你探討最多的主題郊闯。你認為呢？

KI：是的蛛株，我也這么想团赁，我的意思是我想?...?如果我能把范圍稍微縮小一點說，我的意思是很可能?...?總是引起我興趣的事情之一是我們?nèi)绾瓮瑫r活在小世界和大世界里谨履，我們有一個個人舞臺欢摄，在那里面我們必須嘗試，獲得滿足和愛笋粟。但是它又不可避免與更大的世界有交集怀挠，在更大的世界里，政治甚或反烏托邦宇宙可能占主導地位害捕。所以我認為我總是對那些感興趣绿淋。我們同時活在小世界和大世界里，我們不能忘掉其中任何一個尝盼。

AS：謝謝你躬它，好了，我想這些是我們改天要談的事情东涡。

KI：是的。

AS：現(xiàn)在你不得不考慮怎樣應付這一大票媒體倘待。我還有最后一個想法——你對即將引來的鋪天蓋地的關(guān)注有何感想疮跑？

KI：嗯，我想?...?我積極看待它凸舵。我的意思是祖娘，雖然有點煩人，因為我今早起床時完全沒想到這絕不是普通的一天，但我認為新聞機構(gòu)和媒體重視諾貝爾文學獎是好事渐苏。如果有一天某人獲得諾貝爾文學獎卻沒人感興趣掀潮，我將非常緊張。那將說明世界上發(fā)生了一些可怕的事情琼富。

AS：慶祝文學的一天必然是美好的一天仪吧。

KI：是的，我認為文學可以是好事鞠眉，有時候也可以成為邪惡的力量薯鼠。你知道嗎，我認為有了諾貝爾文學獎這樣的事情械蹋，就可以做出努力出皇，確保它是正義的力量。

AS：說得好哗戈。啊真的非常感謝郊艘，我們?nèi)f分期待12月在斯德哥爾摩歡迎您。

KI：是啊唯咬，實在期待纱注。好了，很高興與你談話副渴，史密斯先生奈附。

AS：真的非常感謝您。

KI：保重煮剧。再見斥滤。

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