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Conversation Two
长对话2
Welcome to this week's episode of Book Talk. With me today is Heidi Brown, a historian who has written five critically acclaimed books about military history.
欢迎收看本周的《书评》栏目。今天和我一起的是海蒂·布朗，她是一位历史学家，写了五本广受好评的军事史著作。
Thanks for having me, John. I'm so excited to talk about my latest book, which was published last month.
约翰，谢谢你的邀请。我很高兴能谈谈上个月出版的新书。
So, this book is a novel, your first attempt at that genre. And that's a bit of a departure for you.
那么，这本书是一部小说，您第一次尝试这种体裁。这对您来说似乎是一种转变。
I'd say it's a major departure as it's not just a work of fiction. It's set 200 years in the future.
我认为这是一次很大的转变，因为它不仅仅是一部小说。它是以200年后的未来为背景的。
Right. So how did that happen? You spent three decades writing about the past and focusing on the 18th and 19th centuries. And now you're speculating about the future.
是的。所以这是怎么回事呢？您花了30年的时间写过去的事，专注于18世纪和19世纪。而现在您却在推测未来。
Well, after years of researching soldiers and chronicling their lives during battle, I just started wondering about other facets of their lives, especially their personal lives.
嗯，经过多年对士兵的研究和对他们战时生活的记录，我开始好奇他们生活的其他方面，尤其是他们的个人生活。
I can see that. Your novel is about soldiers, but it focuses on their relationships, especially the bonds between sons and mothers, and men and their wives.
我明白了。您的小说是关于士兵的，但关注的是士兵们与其他人的关系，特别是（作为士兵的）儿子和母亲之间、（作为士兵的）男人和他们的妻子之间的关系。
Yes. That focus came about when I still intended to write another book of history. I started by researching soldiers' actual personal lives, studying their letters home.
是的。当我还打算写另一本历史书的时候，我就想到了这个写作重点。我从研究士兵的实际个人生活开始，从研究他们的家书开始。
So how did that history book become a novel?
那这本历史书是怎么变成小说的呢？
Well, I realized that the historical record was incomplete. So, I'd either have to leave a lot of gaps or make a lot more assumptions than a historian should.
嗯，我意识到历史记录是不完整的。所以我要么得留下很多空白，要么得做出更多的假设，这不是历史学家应该做的。
But why write a novel set in the future, when your credentials are perfect for a historical novel? As a historian, any historical novel you write would have a lot of credibility.
但是，既然您的资历非常适合写历史小说，为什么还要写一部以未来为背景的小说呢？作为一名历史学家，您写的任何历史小说都有很高的可信度。
I felt too constrained working with the past, like what I wrote needed to be fact as opposed to fiction, but writing about the future gave me more freedom to imagine, to invent.
我觉得写过去的事情太局限了，比如，我写的东西必须是事实，而不是虚构的，但书写未来给了我更多的自由去想象，去创造。
Well, having read your book, I'm glad you made that choice to move into fiction.
嗯，读了您的书后，我很高兴您选择进入小说领域。
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
请根据你听到的对话回答问题5至问题8。
Q5: What does the man say about the woman?
问题5：关于女士，男士说了什么？
Q6: What does the woman say about her newly published book?
问题6：关于她新出版的书，女士说了些什么？
Q7: What did the woman do before writing her new book?
问题7：女士在写新书之前做了什么？
Q8: What does the woman say about her writing history books?
问题8：关于写历史类书籍，女士说了些什么？
