2026 Reading List
✿ 2/100 ✿
✿ 2/100 ✿
出版社: 人民文学出版社
[南非/South Africa]
01-09-2025
借由C先生的口吻，库切控诉了现代社会律法的坍塌，美国霸权下新殖民主义的伪善。他不断地问自己，也问读者，一个自诩文明、有基本道德的自由人，真的可以毫无耻辱感地生活在现代文明之中，理所当然地享受着建立在剥削与霸权之上的安稳便利的生活，却对阴影里的压迫与控制视而不见吗？
作为体系中微小的获益者，我们的确从未得到如权力阶层巨大的直接利益。但这层保护色，足以让我们心安理得地撇清自己和恶行之间的关系吗？衡量一个人与恶的距离的标准，不该是「得到的够不够多」如果诅咒没有回响，报应无从验证，宗教就不再是灵魂的安放所，而是现实的遮羞布，慷慨地挥洒来世的许诺，廉价地洗刷本该背负的愧疚，旁观者在虚伪的慈悲中一次次麻痹地闭上眼睛。
最近有两则新闻，委内瑞拉总统被逮捕引渡，ICE枪杀本国公民。国际秩序不过是强权的注脚，而当同一套权力机器掉转方向，它同样可以轻易碾碎自己曾经承诺保护的公民。
人如何在宏大政治洪流中自处？库切说，在臣服和起义之外，也许还有第三条路。就算没有救赎的许诺，人依然可以站在废墟之上保持敏感、感知苦难、维系尊严。当权力和功利主义只会计算利益，我们总可以选择那些不可被计算的东西，比如理解，比如关怀，比如尊重，比如同情。
Through the voice of Mr. C, Coetzee condemns the collapse of modern law and the hypocrisy of neo-colonialism under American dominance. He questions both himself and his readers: can a person who calls themselves “civilized” and “free” really live without shame in modern society, enjoying comfort built on exploitation and power, while ignoring the oppression and control hidden in the shadows?
As small beneficiaries of the system, we may never receive the enormous profits taken by those in power. But does this limited benefit truly free us from responsibility? Our distance from evil should not be measured by how much we gain. When there is no echo to a curse, no proof of punishment, religion no longer shelters the soul. Instead, it becomes a cover for reality, generously promising the afterlife while cheaply washing away the guilt that should be carried. In this false compassion, bystanders repeatedly close their eyes and grow numb.
Two recent news stories come to mind: the arrest and extradition of Venezuela’s president, and the fatal shooting of a citizen by ICE. The so-called international order is merely a product of power. And when the same machinery of authority changes direction, it can just as easily crush the people it once claimed to protect.
How, then, should one live within this overwhelming political current? Coetzee suggests that beyond obedience and rebellion, there may be a third path. Even without the promise of redemption, one can still stand among the ruins, remain sensitive, recognize suffering, and preserve dignity. When power and utilitarian logic care only about interests, we can still choose what cannot be calculated: understanding, care, respect, and compassion.
出版社: 上海译文出版社
[俄罗斯/Russia]
01-13-2025