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The activist and co-author of “I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World” relished “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” the first book she read in the hospital when recovering from an attack by the Taliban. New York Times correspondent Jodi Kantor will continue the conversation with Malala Yousafzai at a Times Talk this evening; click here to watch it live or afterwards. 社会活动家、《我是马拉拉：一个女孩是如何支持教育，改变世界的》(I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World)的合著者喜欢《OZ国历险记》(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)，这是她受塔利班袭击后在医院治疗期间读的第一本书。《纽约时报》记者卓迪·坎塔(Jodi Kantor)今晚会继续同马拉拉·优素福扎伊(Malala Yousafzai)在Times Talk中对话；点击此处收看。
What book are you reading right now? 你现在在读什么书？ I’ve been reading “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck, which is on the school curriculum. It’s a short book, but it is filled with so much. It really reflects the situation of 1930s America. I was fascinated to learn how women were treated at the time, and what life was like for poor itinerant workers. Books can capture injustices in a way that stays with you and makes you want to do something about them. That’s why they are so powerful. 我一直在读约翰·斯坦贝克(John Steinbeck)的《人鼠之间》，这是学校的课程。这本书很薄，但是内容很充实。它反映了20世纪30年代美国的情况。我兴奋地读到了女人们在当时受到的对待，还有流动工人的贫困生活。书籍可以捕捉到不正义，让你久久难忘，让你想要为此做点什么。所以它们才这么有力量。 What’s the last truly great book you read? 你最近读过的一本真正的好书是什么？
“The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho. I like it because it is hopeful and inspiring. It tells the story of a boy who embarks on a journey to find a treasure, but as he goes along, he learns from every part of his journey and every person he meets. In the end, he finds his treasure in a very interesting place. His story tells you that you should believe in yourself and continue your journey. 保罗·科埃略(Paulo Coelho)的《炼金术士》(The Alchemist)。我喜欢它，是因为它充满希望和启迪。它讲了一个男孩进行寻宝之旅的故事，他从旅途的每一段路程，以及遇到的每个人身上都学到东西。最后，他在一个非常有意思的地方发现了财宝。他的故事告诉你：应当相信自己，继续自己的旅程。 你最喜欢的当代作家是谁？ Deborah Ellis (author of “Parvana’s Journey”) and Khaled Hosseini (“The Kite Runner”). Both tell stories about young characters in difficult circumstances, having to make hard choices and having to find strength. They accurately depict war-torn regions. I like writers who can show me worlds I know nothing about, but my favorites are those who create characters or worlds which feel realistic and familiar to me, or who can make me feel inspired. I discovered Deborah Ellis’s books in the school library after my head teacher encouraged me to go beyond the school curriculum and look for books I might enjoy. This wasn’t long after I arrived in Britain, and I was missing my friends terribly. Reading about Afghanistan made me feel like being back at home. This is the power of books. They can take you to places which are beyond reach. 黛博拉·埃利斯（Deborah Ellis，《帕瓦纳的旅程》[Parvana’s Journey]的作者）和卡勒德·胡塞尼（Khaled Hosseini，《追风筝的人》[The Kite Runner]的作者）。两个人都讲述身处困境、必须做出艰难选择、必须鼓起勇气的年轻人的故事。他们都准确地描写了被战争蹂躏的地方。有些作家能向我展示出我所不知道的世界，我喜欢他们；但我最爱的还是这样的作家，他们创造出的人物与世界让我感觉真实和熟悉，或者让我感觉受到鼓舞。班主任鼓励我在课余多看些书，找找自己喜欢的书，后来我在学校图书馆里发现了黛博拉·埃利斯。那是在我来英国不久后，很想念朋友们。读着关于阿富汗的事，令我感觉好像回到了家中。这就是书籍的力量。它们能让你去到双脚去不了的地方。 And your favorite writers of all time? 你一直都最喜欢的作家是谁？ Paulo Coelho. 保罗·科埃略。 What books would you recommend for young people hoping to understand the plight of girls and women in Pakistan today? 对于那些想了解如今巴基斯坦的女孩和女人们所面临的困境的人们，你向他们推荐什么书呢？ “Mud City,” part of the “Parvana’s Journey” series by Deborah Ellis. I was gripped by this series and couldn’t drag myself away from it. Ellis beautifully captures childhood in war-torn Afghanistan and Pakistan. The stories are very moving. 《泥城》(Mud City)，这是黛博拉·埃利斯的《帕瓦纳的旅程》系列中的一本。我迷恋这个系列，看得停不下来。埃利斯美妙地捕捉了饱受战争破坏的阿富汗与巴基斯坦的孩子们的童年。这些故事非常感人。 Is there one book you wish all girls would read? One all students would read? 有没有一本书是你希望所有女孩都能读一读的，所有学生必读的书呢？ All girls: “The Breadwinner,” by Deborah Ellis. The book tells the story of a young girl who takes on the challenge of saving her family. I think it’s important for girls everywhere to learn how women are treated in some societies. But even though Parvana is treated as lesser than boys and men, she never feels that way. She believes in herself and is stronger to fight against hunger, fear and war. Girls like her are an inspiration. “The Breadwinner” reminds us how courageous and strong women are around the world. 给所有女孩：黛博拉·埃利斯的《养家糊口的人》(The Breadwinner)。这本书讲了一个年轻的女孩接受挑战，拯救全家人的故事。我觉得世界各地的女孩都应当了解女性在某些社会中遭受怎样的对待。但是，虽然帕瓦纳受到的待遇不如男孩和男人们，她自己却从来不这样想。她相信自己，更加坚强地同饥饿、恐惧与战争作战。像她这样的女孩非常鼓舞人心。《养家糊口的人》告诉我们，世界上哪里都有勇敢与坚强的女人。 All students should read “The Kite Runner.” It shows you should not judge other people by external things. And it shows loyalty and friendship. 学生们都应该读一读《追风筝的人》。它告诉你，不要通过外表判断别人。书中也写出了忠诚与友谊。 Were there particular books that helped you get through the recovery process after the attack on you by the Taliban? 在你遭到塔利班攻击之后，有没有什么书帮助你度过了恢复期？ “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was the first book I read in the hospital. I had been having headaches and couldn’t read or focus properly for a while. It is a lovely book, and it was given to me by Gordon Brown — he sent me 25 books, and this was my favorite. 《OZ国历险记》是我在医院里读的第一本书。当时我一直在头疼，没法长时间阅读或集中注意力。这是一本可爱的书。是戈登·布朗(Gordon Brown)送给我的。他给了我25本书，我最喜欢这一本。 Which books might we be surprised to find on your bookshelves? 我们会在你的书架上惊讶地发现什么书？ “A Brief History of Time,” by Stephen Hawking. I read it during a period when life in Swat was very hard. I distracted myself from the fear and terrorism by thinking about things like how the universe began and whether time travel is possible. I enjoy science, and I’m a very curious person. I always want to know the reason behind everything, big or small. 斯蒂芬·霍金(Stephen Hawking)的《时间简史》(A Brief History of Time)。在斯瓦特，有段时期生活非常艰难，我就是在那段时候开始读这本书的，思考宇宙是从何时开始，时间旅行是否可能之类问题，让我可以暂时不去想自己的恐惧和恐怖主义。我喜欢科学，我是个非常好奇的人。我总是想知道一切事物背后的原因，不管是大事还是小事。 What was the last book to make you laugh? 你读过的上一本让你大笑的书是什么？ “The Little Prince.” It is a very clever book, and in the beginning it’s extremely funny. 《小王子》(The Little Prince)，这是一本非常聪明的书，开头非常有趣。 The last book that made you cry? 上一本让你哭泣的书呢？ I never cry reading a book. 我看书从来不哭。 The last book that made you furious? 上一本让你愤怒的书又是什么呢？ Mine! The editing was really hard. Especially because we wanted to get everything right in a very short period of time. The workdays were very long, but it was worth it in the end. 我自己的书！编辑工作很麻烦。特别是我们得在非常短的时间内把所有东西改正过来。工作非常艰苦，但最后一切都是值得的。 What are your childhood memories of books and reading? 关于书籍与阅读，你的童年记忆是怎样的呢？ One of the first books I read is called “Meena,” about a girl who stood up for women’s rights and education in Afghanistan. I also read a biography about Martin Luther King Jr., written for children. 我读过的最早几本书里有《米娜》(Meena)，讲了一个女孩支持阿富汗的女性权利与教育。我还读过儿童版的小马丁·路德·金(Martin Luther King Jr.)传记。 But I didn’t read a lot of books when I was young. In our country, many children don’t attend school or learn how to read. Those who do usually read only textbooks. In our classes, we focused more on history, science and mathematics than literature. Many people couldn’t afford books. Most books were secondhand, used by many children before. In Pakistan even schools own very few books. I was lucky to have a father who valued education and thought it was important that I knew how to read. I read eight or nine books in Swat, and I was considered to be a bookish girl! Here [in Birmingham, England] girls have read hundreds of books. 但我小时候没有读过很多书。在我们的国家，很多孩子不上学，也不学识字。上学的人通常也只读课本。我们课上主要读历史、科学和数学，而不是文学。很多人买不起书。大多数书籍都是二手的，之前被很多孩子读过。在巴基斯坦，就连学校也没有多少书。幸运的是，我父亲重视教育，觉得让我学会阅读是很重要的。在斯瓦特，我读了八九本书，就被人们看成女书虫！在这儿（英国伯明翰），女孩子们都读过几百本书呢。 One of the most memorable moments in my life was when I was asked to open the Library of Birmingham, Europe’s largest new library. I had never seen so many books and all of them freely available to members of the public. If only children in Pakistan had such easy access to books! People of Birmingham are very lucky to have such a wonderful library. 受邀为伯明翰图书馆揭幕，是我人生中最难忘的时刻之一，它是欧洲最大的新图书馆。我从来没见过那么多书，它们全都是免费向公众开放的。要是巴基斯坦的孩子们也能这么方便读到书就好了。伯明翰人拥有这么棒的一座图书馆，真的很幸运。 If you could require the American president to read one book, what would it be? 如果你能推荐美国总统读一本书，你会选哪一本呢？ I would like to suggest him to read many books. He should read “The Kite Runner,” too. And “The Little Prince.” Or maybe “The Alchemist,” if he would like to get away from his real world into the imaginary world of “The Alchemist.” 我有很多书想推荐他去读。他也应该看看《追风筝的人》。还有《小王子》。也许还有《炼金术士》，如果他想离开真实世界，可以到《炼金术士》的想象世界里呆一会儿。 If you could require the prime minister of Pakistan to read one book, what would it be? 如果你能推荐巴基斯坦总理读一本书，又会是哪一本呢？ I would suggest him to read “Meena, Heroine of Afghanistan: The Martyr Who Founded RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” 我建议他读《米娜，阿富汗的女英雄：创立阿富汗妇女革命联盟的殉道者》这本书，还有《灿烂千阳》(A Thousand Splendid Suns)。 What’s the best book you’ve ever read? 你读过的最好的书是什么？ “The Alchemist.” 《炼金术士》。 And the worst? 最糟糕的书呢？ I think it would be disrespectful to say that, but I did read a book recently which I thought was the worst. 我觉得这么说很不恭敬，但最近的确读过一本书，我觉得是最糟糕的。 What was the last book you put down without finishing? 你上一本拿起来读却没有读完的书是什么？ Someone gave me a book to help me in improving my English. I read a few pages, and I didn’t really like that book and decided not to read it, as it had no suspense. A book should have suspense and grab you right from the beginning. 有人给了我一本书，帮我提高英语水平。我读了几页，真的不喜欢，就不想读了，因为它没有悬念。一本书应该有悬念，好在一开始就抓住读者。 What are you planning to read next? 接下来你要读的书是什么？ “An Inspector Calls.” It’s actually a play that I saw and enjoyed. It is part of the English syllabus, and I want to read it as well. 《罪恶之家》(An Inspector Calls)这其实是我看过的一部话剧，我很喜欢。这是英语课上的内容，我自己也很想读。 本文最初发表于2014年8月24日。 翻译：董楠 |
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