Friday, February 12, 2010

都說《泰晤士報》的讀者留言版很精彩。畢竟﹐這一份歷史悠久報紙的讀者臥虎藏龍。想不到便是其網上討論區﹐也如此。

搬到歐洲生活後﹐我沒有買星期天報紙的習慣。除非碰上愛華頓在週末贏了一場重要比賽。因為價錢比平常貴一倍外﹐我知道我這個香港人﹐便是星期六晚上已經從報攤買下一份(在倫敦﹐星期天的報紙的確在星期六夜晚便在報攤有售)﹐我依然無法子在星期一上班前讀畢整份報紙。實在太厚了。無謂浪費﹐無謂教一些有心人買不到一份報紙。我很明白那一種沒有報紙讀的心情 - 就是阿嘉莎克里詩緹在小說《NEMESIS》首章裡所描述的那一種。因為平常上班日子﹐我也是那一種人。我明白「己所不欲﹐勿施於人」這個道理。

就是因為不會買一份星期天報紙﹐於是﹐星期天的時候﹐我會做一做一個現代人﹐跑上網去讀報紙。

我是那種在辦公室裡堅持要把整份文件編印出來才校對的人。我也算是一個謹慎的人。只是﹐透過熒光屏﹐我總是會錯過一些東西。所以﹐在網上讀報紙﹐我不會讀得太多文章。

也只選擇一些有興趣的來讀。平常日子﹐我會逼自己啃一些自己沒有興趣的文章。因為唯有這樣﹐才能擴闊自己的眼界﹐才能在任何場合跟任何一個人都能找得到一個話題。自搬到歐洲生活後﹐我便不斷提醒自己不能跟許多香港人一樣﹐沒法子在社交場合跟其他人暢所欲言。我跟自己說﹐縱然不能做一些教香港在世界驕傲的事情﹐也不能做一些教香港在世界蒙羞的事。我要全世界知道﹐香港人也是有主見的﹐也是有獨立想法的。也能夠清楚表達自己的主見和自己的想法。

早陣子﹐《星期天泰晤士報》網站裡面有一篇談及書店水石堂的文章。原來﹐在剛過去的聖誕節﹐這一間英國書店的銷售量暴跌。

在討論區裡﹐當然許多人都在慨嘆年青一代在影像媒體影響底下﹐漸漸失去了人類應有的想象力。畢竟﹐沒有想像力﹐根本讀不成書。因為讀書是透過作者的文字描寫﹐然後在自己的腦袋裡堆砌一個又一個景像出來。沒有兩個人所想是相同的。之所以那些改編小說的電影﹑電視劇﹐總是招到許多討論和不滿。只是﹐在影像媒體影響底下﹐每個人腦袋裡的景像便都給統一起來﹐想象力變成多餘了。

其中一個叫Philip Schuler的﹐寫下了如此一段文字﹕

I read this article with a tear in the eye. I miss many of the dusty old bookshops that once were and should always be. Stores that take me back to my childhood with a copy of Paddington Bear on a rainy day. We need these shops. To take a lazy Sunday stroll going from store to store, not ordering a mass produced book that arrives in a few days and falls apart by page 47. The mass market of Amazon and the whole books on tape travesty. For me books have to be felt, the ink on fingertips and the smell of the pages in ones nostrils. One reads the words with ones eyes and develops a whole new world in ones mind. Not spoon feed devices that reads for you and deprives a generation of imagination.


I feel that I am rambling here. But I agree, what we need are more dusty old shops along with the dusty old keepers of these treasures. A brilliant article. One that makes me want a cup of tea as I curl up with a good book on this cold evening.

我想起了陶傑在《泰晤士河畔》裡的一篇談及香港人搬到英國生活的文章。裡面警告說﹕「除閣下的嗜好與十七歲在畫報上徵友時無異﹕愛對大海沉思﹑獨自欣賞日落﹑追尋煙雨中的康橋﹐以及在火爐邊細讀《小婦人》與《咆哮山莊》﹐否則英國絕對是閣下的人間地獄。」

我知道﹐就是這樣的生活﹐我愛英國。

[按﹕到倫敦渡農曆新年﹐暫停數天。年初四(香港時間)再續。新年快樂。]

6 comments:

michelle said...

祝你 虎年快樂 !

Unknown said...

I love your writing and also have the same feeling about UK. I stayed there for 2 years and UK beome my second home.

The Man Who Loves Everton said...

Michelle,

You are the first one to greet me. Thanks. Same to you. Kung-Hey-Fat-Choy.

The Man Who Loves Everton said...

Siddal,

Thanks millions.

Sometimes, I think that we have no choice but to love the UK (or other countries, for others). I'm not saying it's a perfect country - and obviously it's not. But HK is just not a place where people can have dreams; and the most important thing is the situation is getting worse. I still can't find one single reason to raise my children in HK.

Again, thanks for your praise.

May said...

wish u a roaring year of the tiger!!! hv fun w/ yr family in london :)

let it roar! let it roar! let it roar!!!

The Man Who Loves Everton said...

Thanks May,

Well said. Let it roar. Happy Lunar New Year.