回首来时——谭恩美访谈

Where the Past Begins: An Interview with Amy Tan

2017年10月17日,美国华裔作家谭恩美(Amy Tan,1952-)推出了新作《回首来时——作家回忆录》。记者兼作家艾莉森·辛格·吉就这部作品对谭恩美做了专题访谈,发表于美国《诗人与作家》("Poets&Writers")网站。在访谈中,谭恩美讲述了这部回忆录的成书缘起、创作过程,指出"抛开自我意识"的自发性写作是这部作品的主要创作方法。谭回顾了几代人的家族史,从中择取了触发她强烈情感的事件,写成回忆录。她认为写回忆录和写小说都是反思过去、顿悟历史、提升自我情绪、了解境况的手段。她进而指出,不同于写小说,写回忆录让作家更加亲近历史素材,获得更强烈的情感体验。此外,谭恩美还谈到了作家的职业焦虑、创作困境,优秀作家具备的品质等读者感兴趣的话题。

On 17 October 2017, when Amy Tan（1952-）, Chinese-American author, published her new book, Where the Past Begins： A Writer＇s Memoir, Alison Singh Gee interviewed Amy Tan on the book and the interview was published in‘Poets Writers’. In the interview, Amy Tan talks about how she came to write this memoir and its writing process, pointing out that spontaneity by ‘abandoning self-consciousness’ was the main way by which she wrote the book. Tan reminisces about her family history of several generations and writes the memoir by choosing the events that she＇s most impressed with from it. In her view, memoirs and novels are methods with which to reflect upon the past, to gain insight into the past, to lift one＇s own emotions and to understand the situation. Furthermore, she points out that, unlike fiction-writing, the writing of a memoir enables the writer to get closer to historical material and gain stronger emotional experiences. In addition, Amy Tan also talks about a writer＇s professional anxiety, creative difficulties and qualities that a good writer must have, all subjects that interest the readers.