The Hemingway You Didn’t Know: Papa’s Adventures“老爸”的歷險(xiǎn)：你不曾了解的海明威

郝福合

“Never confuse movement with action.”“不可把心有所動(dòng)和付之行動(dòng)混為一談。”

It should be noted that Hemingway was at times neither a gentleman， a good father， nor a proper example of manhood， and no effort will be made here to rewrite history. Yet for all his flaws he represents an enigma of masculinity that so easily captures the imagination. His life was filled with the grand adventures that fill the dreams of many young boys and grown men alike.

Hemingway the sportsman

As an accomplished outdoorsman， Hemingway was equally at home2 both stalking3 a lion through Africa’s long grass and cruising the Gulf Stream in search of marlin and tuna. His interest in the sport varied between pheasant and duck shooting out West to big game safaris4 in East Africa. Hemingway’s love for safari was very clear in his uncontainable5 excitement in planning his second major hunt in 1954：

“Going back to Africa after all this time， there’s the excitement of a first adventure. I love Africa and I feel it’s another home， and any time a man can feel that， not counting where he’s born， is where he’s meant to6 go.”

Yet while Hemingway loved hunting， it was when he had a rod in his hand that he was truly successful. It was from the deck of the Pilar7 that Hemingway famously landed the largest marlin caught to date in 1935， weighing an astonishing 1175 lbs8. In an interview several years ago， Hemingway’s son recalled that his father’s happiest days were always those spent aboard the boat he made with his own hands， chugging9 along the Gulf Stream in search of marlin.

Hemingway the boxer

Hemingway had practiced the sweet science10 since childhood and at one point was a successful amateur boxer.

Hemingway’s love for boxing was unmatched by his other passions， and he even had a boxing ring built in the backyard of his Key West home， right next to the pool， so that he could spar11 with guests. Hemingway often dedicated his time not spent writing in Key West to boxing， even refereeing matches at the local arena.

Hemingway’s love of the sport carried over12 into the literary world as well. He was known for using boxing analogies in interviews， as well as for attempting to teach the poet Ezra Pound to box during his years in Paris. Several of his short stories reflect his love for the sport， including short stories Fifty Grand and The Battler.

Hemingway the Nazi submarine hunter

For nearly a year during World War II， Ernest Hemingway converted his 38-foot fishing boat Pilar into a Nazi submarine hunting ship in disguise. Coordinating with the Havana branch of the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence， Hemingway loaded the Pilar down with heavy artillery and small arms alike， all the while maintaining the outward appearance of a standard fishing vessel. He filled the Pilar with friends interested in being a part of the mission， and they carried out daily patrols in the waters off Cuba. The goal was to look like a regular fishing vessel so that a Nazi sub would surface and attempt to board them. Eventually the FBI took over Caribbean counter-espionage， and while the Pilar and her crew never fired on an enemy sub， it was adventure of the highest sort nonetheless.

Hemingway the War Hero

As a young man， Hemingway served with the Red Cross on the Italian Front in World War I. While delivering chocolates and cigarettes to soldiers on the line， he was hit by trench mortar fire， leaving over two hundred shrapnel fragments in his leg and nearly destroying his knee. Despite this gruesome13 injury， Hemingway managed to drag another injured soldier to safety. Hemingway was to receive the Silver Medal of Military Valor from the Italian government for his courageous actions that day.

Much later in life， Hemingway left again for Europe to see the action14 of World War II as a war correspondent. He witnessed the D-Day15 invasion from a landing craft just offshore and recorded many of the horrors of the war. Hemingway went on to take a much more active role in the combat he was there to document， often assuming the role of soldier himself in direct violation of the Geneva Convention16’s guidelines for war correspondents. An investigation into his actions during the war by the Army later charged him with several violations of his non-combatant status， including actions such as stripping off his non-combatant insignia and posing as a colonel in order to lead a French resistance group17 into battle.

Several high ranking friends testified on his behalf， and at the end of the investigation he was not only cleared of all charges， but was awarded the Bronze Star18 for his bravery as a war correspondent.

Hemingway the Survivor

Perhaps most unbelievable of all Hemingway’s exploits was the sheer number of potentially fatal diseases and accidents he survived. Aside from the remnants of fragment in his leg left over from the World War I mortar hit， he also bore a bullet wound in his leg. This was the result of a self-inflicted19 gunshot， an accident that occurred while trying to finish off a still thrashing shark he had dragged aboard while shark hunting. In his later years he survived anthrax， malaria， pneumonia， dysentery， skin cancer， hepatitis， anemia， diabetes， high blood pressure， and several major injuries.

During his last safari in East Africa， he survived not one， but two plane crashes. News of the first crash， deep in the jungles of Uganda， set off20 reports of his death back home， spawning21 numerous obituaries which Hemingway would later read daily over his morning coffee with amusement. Following the crash he， his wife， and the pilot were forced to camp overnight in the middle of elephant country， a survival story in itself.? The second crash， following just several days after the first， was much more severe， and Hemingway was severely injured as a result. He emerged with a laundry list22 of injuries， including first degree burns， internal bleeding， ruptured kidney， ruptured spleen， ruptured liver， a crushed vertebra and a fractured skull. Not a month later Hemingway was back in action， this time receiving second degree burns on his left hand and face while fighting a wildfire. All this and he lived to tell the tale23.

Hemingway the Legend

Hemingway’s life experiences provided the source material for his literary works， and much of his life can be seen reflected in his fiction. The male protagonists in so many of his stories share both his machismo24 and his hidden pains， yet always exhibited grace under pressure. Perhaps he is best summed up by actress Marlene Dietrich， a close friend， who commented on his life to his biographer：

“I suppose the most remarkable thing about Ernest is that he has found time to do the things most men only dream about. He has had the courage， the initiative， the time， the enjoyment to travel， to digest it all， to write， to create it， in a sense. There is in him a sort of quiet rotation of seasons， with each of them passing overland and then going underground and re-emerging in a kind of rhythm， refreshed and full of renewed vigor.”

值得一提的是，海明威有時(shí)既非紳士，亦非慈父，更不是男人的典范，本文也無(wú)意改寫(xiě)歷史。然而他雖有缺陷，卻是謎一般的男人，極易引人遐想。他一生歷險(xiǎn)無(wú)數(shù)，可謂驚心動(dòng)魄，實(shí)現(xiàn)了許多男孩和成年男人的夢(mèng)想。

熱衷運(yùn)動(dòng)的海明威

海明威是戶(hù)外運(yùn)動(dòng)健將，無(wú)論是潛行于非洲的長(zhǎng)草叢獵取獅子，還是航行于墨西哥灣流搜尋馬林魚(yú)和金槍魚(yú)，他都同樣得心應(yīng)手。他的戶(hù)外興趣廣泛，既去過(guò)美國(guó)西部射獵雉雞和野鴨，也到過(guò)東非獵捕大型野獸。1954年，在籌劃第二場(chǎng)大型狩獵時(shí)，海明威難掩激動(dòng)，對(duì)游獵的癡迷顯而易見(jiàn)：

“闊別多年，重返非洲，有種初次歷險(xiǎn)的興奮。我喜愛(ài)非洲，感覺(jué)這是我的第二故鄉(xiāng)。一個(gè)人不管生于何處，一旦視某地為第二故鄉(xiāng)，就該去那里。”

然而，海明威雖熱衷行獵，但他真正的成功卻是在手持釣竿之時(shí)。眾所周知，1935年，在“皮拉爾”號(hào)的甲板上，海明威捕獲有史以來(lái)最大的馬林魚(yú)，重達(dá)驚人的1175磅。在幾年前的一次訪談中，海明威之子回憶說(shuō)，父親最快樂(lè)的日子是船上時(shí)光：乘著親手建造的小船，順墨西哥灣流突突地行進(jìn)，搜尋著馬林魚(yú)。

癡迷拳擊的海明威

自?xún)簳r(shí)起，海明威就開(kāi)始習(xí)練這門(mén)“令人快意的科學(xué)”，曾一度是成功的業(yè)余拳擊手。

海明威對(duì)拳擊情有獨(dú)鐘，其余愛(ài)好均無(wú)法與之相提并論。他甚至在基韋斯特的自家后院緊挨泳池的地方建了一座拳擊臺(tái)，以便與客人對(duì)拳。在基韋斯特，海明威在寫(xiě)作之余，常把時(shí)間傾注到拳擊上，甚至擔(dān)任當(dāng)?shù)厝瓝舯荣惖牟门小?/p>

海明威對(duì)拳擊的鐘情也延伸至文學(xué)世界。人們知道，他不僅在旅居巴黎期間曾試圖教詩(shī)人埃茲拉·龐德打拳，而且在接受訪談時(shí)用拳擊作比。他有幾個(gè)短篇小說(shuō)反映出對(duì)這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)的癡迷，包括《五萬(wàn)大洋》和《拳擊手》。

潛擊納粹的海明威

二戰(zhàn)時(shí)，有近一年的時(shí)間，海明威將自己38英尺長(zhǎng)的漁艇“皮拉爾”號(hào)改作獵潛船，偽裝追蹤納粹潛艇。海明威與美國(guó)海軍情報(bào)局哈瓦那分部配合，給“皮拉爾”號(hào)同時(shí)裝備了重炮和輕武器，卻始終保持其普通漁船的樣子。他邀請(qǐng)來(lái)滿(mǎn)船想?yún)⒓尤蝿?wù)的朋友，每天在古巴附近海域巡邏，目的是偽裝成普通漁船，等待納粹潛艇浮出水面企圖登船。最終，聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局接管了加勒比海域的反間諜活動(dòng)。盡管“皮拉爾”號(hào)和船員們從未向敵潛艇開(kāi)過(guò)火，然而這段經(jīng)歷卻成為最動(dòng)人心魄的歷險(xiǎn)。

勇赴戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)的海明威

一戰(zhàn)時(shí)，年輕的海明威曾參加意大利前線的紅十字會(huì)。在給前線的士兵分發(fā)巧克力和香煙時(shí)，他被迫擊炮擊中，一條腿內(nèi)遺留下兩百余枚炮彈碎片，還險(xiǎn)些毀掉一個(gè)膝蓋。盡管身負(fù)重傷，海明威仍把另一名傷兵拖至安全地帶。因當(dāng)日的英勇行為，后來(lái)海明威獲頒意大利政府的“銀質(zhì)勇敢勛章”。

多年后，海明威再赴歐洲，以戰(zhàn)地記者的身份親歷二戰(zhàn)。在近岸一艘登陸艇上，他目睹了諾曼底登陸行動(dòng)，記錄下大量殘酷的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)場(chǎng)面。二戰(zhàn)中，作為戰(zhàn)地記者，海明威扮演了遠(yuǎn)超自己職責(zé)的活躍角色。他時(shí)常親自沖鋒陷陣，這直接違反了《日內(nèi)瓦公約》對(duì)戰(zhàn)地記者的規(guī)定。后來(lái)軍方對(duì)他在戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)中的行為展開(kāi)調(diào)查，指控他數(shù)次違反非戰(zhàn)斗人員身份，包括摘掉非戰(zhàn)斗人員證章，還冒充上校，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)一隊(duì)法國(guó)抵抗力量投入戰(zhàn)斗。

有幾位高級(jí)軍官朋友為他作證。調(diào)查結(jié)束時(shí)，他不僅洗脫了所有指控，而且作為戰(zhàn)地記者還獲授“銅星勛章”。

大難不死的海明威

在海明威所有的非凡經(jīng)歷中，最令人難以置信的也許是，他曾多次身染惡疾，遭遇重大事故，每次卻都死里逃生。除了一戰(zhàn)時(shí)遭迫擊炮襲擊在腿內(nèi)留下炮彈殘片之外，他的腿上另有一處彈傷。這是他自己開(kāi)槍所致——獵鯊時(shí)，他試圖射殺一頭已拽上船而仍在拼命掙扎的鯊魚(yú)，卻誤傷自己。在后來(lái)的歲月里，他得過(guò)炭疽、瘧疾、肺炎、痢疾、皮膚癌、肝炎、貧血、糖尿病、高血壓，還受過(guò)幾次重傷，但都挺了過(guò)來(lái)。

他最后一次游獵東非時(shí)，遇到的墜機(jī)事故不止一起，而是兩起。第一起發(fā)生在烏干達(dá)的叢林深處，美國(guó)紛紛報(bào)道他的死訊，出現(xiàn)無(wú)數(shù)篇訃告，后來(lái)海明威每天早晨邊飲著咖啡，邊津津有味地讀著這些訃告。墜機(jī)后，他與妻子和駕駛員被迫在大象出沒(méi)的腹地搭帳篷過(guò)夜，這本身就是一段求生故事。僅僅幾天之后，再次發(fā)生墜機(jī)，這次要嚴(yán)重得多，海明威身負(fù)重傷。他幸存下來(lái)，所受的傷可列出長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)一串，包括一度燒傷、體內(nèi)出血、腎臟破裂、脾臟破裂、肝臟破裂、脊椎壓傷、顱骨開(kāi)裂。不出一個(gè)月，他再度上陣，這次在撲滅野火時(shí)左手和臉部二度燒傷。他歷盡危難而終得幸免。

成就傳奇的海明威

海明威的人生閱歷為他的文學(xué)作品提供了素材。可以看出，他的大部分人生在其小說(shuō)中都有反映。在他眾多的小說(shuō)中，男主人公既有他的陽(yáng)剛氣概，也同樣承受著他的隱痛，然而身處重壓之下，卻總是不失優(yōu)雅。他的摯友、演員瑪琳·黛德麗向他的傳記作者如是評(píng)價(jià)其一生，這或許是對(duì)他的最好總結(jié)：

“我認(rèn)為歐內(nèi)斯特的最不凡之處在于，他抽空去做大多數(shù)男人只能幻想的事情。他有膽魄、進(jìn)取心、時(shí)間和興致，去游歷，去體悟，去寫(xiě)作，從某種意義上說(shuō)去開(kāi)創(chuàng)。在他身上，似乎有著時(shí)節(jié)的悄然輪轉(zhuǎn)，每個(gè)時(shí)節(jié)行經(jīng)大地，而后隱沒(méi)地下，又以某種節(jié)律去而復(fù)返，重?zé)ㄉ鷻C(jī)，充盈著再次勃發(fā)的活力。”

（譯者為“《英語(yǔ)世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎(jiǎng)選手）