Novels Inspired by Greek Myths靈感源自希臘神話的書

蘇珊·斯托克斯-查普曼　左可飛/譯

When we think of Greek myths we think of vengeful gods， legendary heroes， sweeping love affairs and dastardly deeds. They are transformative tales which explore the full range of human experience so it is hardly surprising that writers continually turn to them for inspiration.

當我們想到希臘神話時，就會想到復仇的神祇、傳奇的英雄、跌宕起伏的情愛和卑鄙的行為。這些故事涵蓋人類經歷的全部，富于變革性，作家不斷從它們那里獲得靈感也就不足為奇了。

Poets such as Dante and Petrarch were enthralled by Greek myths， so too were Chaucer and Milton. Mary Shelley famously incorporated the theme of Prometheus into Frankenstein， and C.S. Lewis drew on Ovids Metamorphoses in his 1956 novel Till We Have Faces. In recent years mythical retellings have been booming， especially those that bring the role of women to the fore—Circe by Madeline Miller was released in 2018 while 2021 saw debuts such as Claire Heywoods Daughters of Sparta and Rosie Hewletts Medusa hit the shelves， and Jennifer Saints much-anticipated Elektra is due out later.

但丁和彼特拉克等詩人都對希臘神話著迷，喬叟和彌爾頓也是如此。眾所周知，瑪麗·雪萊曾將普羅米修斯主題融入她的小說《弗蘭肯斯坦》，C.S.劉易斯也在其1956年的小說《裸顏》中借鑒了奧維德的《變形記》。神話重述近年來方興未艾，尤其是那些突顯女性角色的作品——2018年，瑪德琳·米勒的小說《女巫瑟西》出版；2021年，克萊爾·海伍德的《斯巴達的女兒》和羅西·休利特的《美杜莎》等處女作問世；詹妮弗·桑特備受期待的《艾莉卡》也將于晚些時候發行。

But retellings come in many forms and guises. In my debut novel Pandora I wanted to explore female agency and the complexities of human nature， all through the richness of a Georgian lens using the myth of Pandoras box as an anchor. All the works Ive chosen have interpreted the Greek myths in different ways， but they are all testament to how these ancient stories have got under our skin.

然而神話重述也有許多不同形式和花樣。在我第一部小說《潘多拉》中，我想以潘多拉魔盒神話為基礎，以喬治王時代的豐富視角探索女性的能動性和人性的復雜性。下面選取的所有作品雖然詮釋希臘神話的方式各不相同，但都能證明這些古老的故事如何深入人心。

1. House of Names by Colm Tóibín

1. 科爾姆·托賓的《名門》

This intricately plotted novel draws on a number of Greek myths， chief among them those found in Aeschyluss Oresteia. It is the story of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra， beginning with the brutal sacrifice of their 16-year-old daughter， Iphigenia. A deeply human tale of a warring family， the story is steeped in violence and cruelty but Tóibín brings empathy and depth to the characters， offering a nuanced understanding of their anger， fear， hatred and guilt.

這部小說情節復雜，借鑒了以埃斯庫羅斯的《俄瑞斯忒亞》為主的諸多希臘神話。故事是關于阿伽門農與其妻克呂泰涅斯特拉的，以他們16歲的女兒伊菲革涅亞的殘酷犧牲作為開端。這是一個家庭成員彼此戰爭的故事，富于人性，充滿了暴力和殘酷。但托賓使角色變得具有同理心和深度，對人物的憤怒、恐懼、仇恨和內疚表現出細致入微的理解。

2. Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

2. 安妮·卡森的《紅色自傳》

An arresting novel in verse which brings the Greek monster Geryon （who features in the 10th Labour of Heracles） into a modern-day setting. Drawing on surviving fragments of the lyric poet Stesichoruss work Geryoneis， this is a moving coming-of-age tale about love and yearning which is whimsical， sad， and a fascinating take on a character overlooked in favour of the larger-than-life man who slayed him.

這是一部引人入勝的詩體小說，它將希臘怪物革律翁（出現在英雄赫拉克勒斯的第十項任務里）帶入現代場景。小說借鑒了抒情詩人斯特西克魯斯的作品《革律翁之歌》的殘篇，是一個關于愛情與欲望的動人的成長故事，富于奇思妙想，卻又暗藏悲傷；小說對這個被忽視的人物進行了耐人尋味的解讀，以此烘托那個殺死他的傳奇神話人物。

3. Ulysses by James Joyce

3. 詹姆斯·喬伊斯的《尤利西斯》

Homers epic poem The Odyssey is reimagined in 1900s Dublin， chronicling in minute detail a single day in the life of Leopold Bloom， his friend Stephen Dedalus and his long-suffering wife Molly. An epic work in its own right， the novel is divided into episodes that roughly correspond to those in the original poem. It is both brilliant and infuriating in its sheer scale and narrative styling， and one of the greatest literary achievements of the 20th century.

喬伊斯的《尤利西斯》在20世紀的都柏林重新構想了荷馬史詩《奧德賽》，巨細靡遺地記錄了主角利奧波德·布魯姆、他的朋友斯蒂芬·迪達勒斯和他長期忍受痛苦的妻子莫莉生活中的一天。這部小說本身就是一部史詩作品，它分為若干個章節，與原詩大致對應。其敘事規模宏大，風格迥異，讓人感覺精彩絕倫而激憤難平，是20世紀最偉大的文學成就之一。

4. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith

4. 阿里·史密斯的《女孩遇見男孩》

The myth of Iphis and Ianthe is one of those rare Greek myths that end happily. The story is told in Ovids Metamorphoses， where a girl is raised as a boy to avoid her fathers wrath and falls in love with another girl. Later， her gender is changed by the goddess Isis， allowing them to marry. Smith takes this story into modern-day Inverness in the guise of Anthea and Robin， and deals with gender， transformation and acceptance of self. Its a small book at only 176 pages but it is vibrant， joyful， funny and poetic.

伊菲斯和揚莎的神話是希臘神話中極少結局圓滿的故事之一。這個故事來源于奧維德的《變形記》，講述了一個女孩為避免父親的怒火而被當作男孩養大，并愛上了另一個女孩。后來，她的性別被女神伊西斯改變，這對戀人得以結婚。史密斯借助安西婭和羅賓兩個人物將這個故事帶入現代的因弗內斯。該書主題是性別、變革和自我接納，雖是一本只有176頁的小書，但卻充滿活力、歡樂、趣味和詩意。

5. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

5. 派特·巴克的《少女的沉默》

This critically acclaimed novel is a retelling of Homers Iliad， told from the perspective of Briseis， a Trojan queen who is captured and forced to become the concubine of Achilles. It is a brave， powerful story about survival and resilience， which in no way shies away from the horrors of war and the cruelty women suffered at the hands of their enslavers. There are harrowing scenes including child murder， gang rape and suicide making it a ruthless story， but one that should not be ignored.

這部廣受好評的小說從布里塞伊斯的視角重述荷馬的《伊利亞特》。布里塞伊斯是特洛伊女王，她被俘并被迫成為阿喀琉斯的女奴。這是一個關于生存和堅韌的勇敢而有力的故事，它毫不避諱戰爭的恐怖以及婦女在她們的奴役者手中遭受的殘酷對待。其中有一些令人痛心的場面，包括殺害兒童、輪奸和自殺，使故事變得殘忍無情，同時也應不容忽視。

6. An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma

6. 奇戈齊·奧比奧瑪的《卑微者之歌》

Another reinterpretation of The Odyssey. Obioma tackles the myth by lifting it out of Ancient Greece and into Umuahia， Nigeria. When young poultry farmer Chinonso sees a woman about to jump off a bridge his whole life is set off course， and the aftermath of this event takes him further and further away from his dreams. Told from the perspective of Chinonsos “chi” （a guardian spirit of Igbo cosmology）， this novel is unlike any other. It is a thought-provoking and challenging tale exploring themes of love and sacrifice， vulnerability and misfortune， and the unyielding power of fate.

這部小說是重新詮釋《奧德賽》的又一次嘗試。奧比奧瑪使這個神話擺脫古希臘色彩，融入到尼日利亞的烏穆阿希亞。從年輕的家禽養殖場主奇農索看見一個女人要跳橋的那一刻起，他的整個人生便偏離了軌道，這件事的后果使他離自己的夢想越來越遠。小說從奇農索的“魑”（伊格博宇宙論中的一種守護神）的視角講述，這讓它與眾不同。這個發人深思且充滿挑戰的故事探索了愛與犧牲、脆弱與不幸以及命運的不屈力量等主題。

7. A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

7. 納塔利·海恩斯的《千船萬艦》

Broadcaster and classicist Natalie Haynes brilliantly retells the story of the Trojan war from an all-female perspective. She presents a kaleidoscopic view of the war and the women involved in a series of episodes narrated by Calliope， the Greek muse of epic poetry. A fresh take on the Iliad brimming with wit and atmosphere.

廣播員和古典主義者納塔利·海恩斯從一個全女性視角出色地重述了特洛伊戰爭的故事。她通過希臘神話中掌管英雄史詩的繆斯女神卡利奧佩講述的一系列情節，展示了戰爭和參與其中的女性千變萬化的視角，不啻為一部充滿機智和風趣的新版《伊利亞特》。

8. The Giant Dark by Sarvat Hasin

8. 薩爾瓦特·哈辛的《巨暗》

Loosely inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice， this is a genre-bending novel which centres on rock star Aida， who finds herself trapped in a destructive love affair. The novel is split into two parts in homage to the myths thematic origins， and echoes the originals message about the dangers of using a lover as a muse. A wholly original story that explores themes of jealousy， trauma and the crippling effects of fame with visceral panache.

這部小說的靈感大致來源于俄耳甫斯與歐律狄刻的神話，是一部以搖滾明星艾達為中心的類型融合小說。艾達發現自己身陷一場毀滅性的戀情之中。這部小說分為兩部分，來致敬神話的主題淵源，并呼應原作傳遞的信息，即以愛人作為靈感之源的危險。這是一個完全原創的故事，作者以直白灑脫的筆觸探討了嫉妒、創傷以及名氣帶來的不利影響等主題。

9. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

9. 亞歷克斯·麥克利茲的《姐妹會》

Dark academia meets Greek myth in this literary thriller set at Cambridge University. The story follows Mariana Andros who returns to her alma mater after her nieces friend is murdered. Mariana suspects that charismatic classics professor Edward Fosca is responsible， and that the girls death is linked to a secret society of young female students known as The Maidens， named after Persephone， the goddess of death. Its a twisty tale， with lots of red herrings to keep you guessing， that is also a clever tribute to Greek tragedy.

在這部以劍橋大學為場景的文藝驚悚片中，黑暗的學術界與希臘神話相遇。故事講述瑪麗安娜·安德羅斯在侄女的朋友被謀殺后回到母校。瑪麗安娜懷疑魅力四射的古典學教授愛德華·福斯卡是兇手，而且女孩的死與一個名為“姐妹會”的由年輕女學生組成的秘密社團有關。該社團以死亡女神珀爾塞福涅命名。這是一個曲折的故事，有很多令人猜不透的干擾信息，同時也是對希臘悲劇的巧妙致敬。

10. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

10. 詹妮弗·桑特的《阿里阿德涅》

This story of Ariadne， princess of Crete and daughter of King Minos， reimagines the classic tale of Theseus and the Minotaur. It is the compelling story of her whole life rather than one event in it， and by widening the readers perspective we are skilfully given an insight not just into the novels captivating heroine but the stories of other women such as Medusa， Semele， Pasipha? and Phaedra. The men， too， are well drawn， allowing for a deeper insight into why they act as they do without excusing their failings. Ariadnes relationship with Dionysus is fascinating and the alternate perspective of Theseus a refreshing take in light of past misogynistic retellings. Beautifully written and utterly immersive.

這部關于克里特島公主、米諾斯國王的女兒阿里阿德涅的小說重新塑造了忒修斯和彌諾陶洛斯的經典故事。這個扣人心弦的故事講述了阿里阿德涅的整個人生，而不是其中的一個事件。通過拓展讀者的視野，我們不僅可以巧妙地了解小說中迷人的女主角，還可以了解其他女性，譬如美杜莎、塞梅萊、帕西法厄和菲德拉的故事。男人的形象也刻畫得十分精細，從而讓讀者更深入地了解他們行為的原因，而非為他們的失敗開脫。阿里阿德涅與狄俄尼索斯的關系令人著迷，忒修斯的視角轉換也在過去的厭女重述的襯托下讓人耳目一新。這本書文字優美，令讀者有身臨其境之感。

（譯者單位：北京語言大學）