内容简介:《生命不息》一书是2013年出版的一部带有科幻色彩和人物传记性质的畅销小说。该书作者带领读者们跟随女主角乌苏拉的脚步，看她如何在上世纪动荡的年代里，一遍又一遍活过自己的人生。作者阿特金森借由这个故事让我们见证，即使在最黑暗荒芜的时刻依旧有温暖存在，并且透过她绝妙的叙事与描绘能力，带我们重返过去。这部小说展现了并存于人类中最光明美善与最丑陋不堪的一面，是阿特金森笔下最深刻且最具有想象力的一部作品。

本次翻译实践选取了《生命不息》一书中的第17-60页进行翻译，这是属于这本小说的第一部分，第一部分主要讲述了小说主人公乌苏拉出生在1910年的英格兰，一个暴风雪之夜。乌苏拉出生之后因为窒息，幸亏医生的及时赶到，才把她从死神的手里给夺了回来。小说的第一部分重点描写了乌苏拉的母亲对往事的一些回忆，为后面乌苏拉的曲折经历埋下伏笔。

同时，所选段落中人物的描写也是值得大家深思的，例如小说中作者将格洛弗太太塑造成了两种形象，一种是尖酸刻薄的典型市侩小人，同时也刻画了格洛弗太太那种善良的天性。这也能够体现出全文的中心思想：即使在最黑暗荒芜的时刻依旧有温暖存在。

INTRODUCTION: The novel life after life was published in 2013, which was a best-selling novel with the property of science fiction and biography. The author takes the readers follow the step of the main role—Ursula, see how she lives her life again and again in last turbulent century. The author wants to take this story as an example, and let us know even in the darkest and the aridest times, there is still the warmth around us. The author also through her excellent ability of narration and description takes us back to the past. The novel shows the brightest beauty and the ugliest side in the life. It is one of the most imaginative works by Kate Atkinson.

  Pages 17~60 of this novel are chosen for translation. This part belongs to the first part of this novel. The first part mainly tells about the main character Ursula’s birth on 1910’s in England at a snow-storm night. After Ursula was born, she was dead of asphyxia. Fortunately, the doctor arrived in time and saved her. The first part of the novel is mainly about Ursula’s mother Sylvie’s memories to the past, and it also indicates Ursula’s tortuous future.

  Meanwhile, the description of the characters in the passage is also profound. For example, the author made Mrs. Glove into two characters, one is mean and typically philistine, and the other is rather kind. All of these reflect the theme of the passage that even if in the darkest time, warmness still exists.