困境哲学——看小说《等待野蛮人》中的人道主义

Philosophy of Predicament——The Humanism in "Waiting for the Barbarians"

《等待野蛮人》是诺贝尔文学奖获得者约翰·马克斯韦尔·库切第一部为自己赢得国际声誉的长篇小说。这部有意隐去时代和地域背景的后现代式寓言作品很容易让人迷失在无边的语言游戏中。实际上,库切在小说中对文明与野蛮之间的隔阂与交流进行了深刻的反思,显示了对现实人生的真切把握,从根本上抓住了文明的痼疾,从而使小说在探讨文明现状、探讨现代人与人关系的同时,绽放出耀眼的人道主义色彩。

“Waiting for the Barbarians” is one of the early works written by J.M.Coetzee, the Nobel Prize Winner. It is the first long novel that wins the word-wide reputation. This postmodern allegory, where specific background like time and place were deliberately hidden, is frequently found to trap the readers in the vast word games. Actually, Coetzee profoundly rethinks the gap as well as the communication between civilization and barbarism, grasping both the real life and the inveterate disease of civilization. The novel explores the present situation of civilization and the relationships among modern people and displays strong humanism.