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The former president Bill Clinton, who collaborated with James Patterson on the new thriller “The President Is Missing,” reads everywhere: “At my work table, in my easy chair, in bed and on the plane. Even in the car when I’m not too tired.”
前总统比尔·克林顿(Bill Clinton)与詹姆斯·帕特森(James Patterson)合著了最新惊悚小说《失踪的总统》(The President Is Missing)。克林顿随时随地都在看书：“在办公桌前，在安乐椅上，在床上，在飞机上。甚至是在车上，在我不太累的时候。”
What books are on your nightstand?
你的床头柜上放的什么书？
“The Future Is History,” by Masha Gessen. It’s great and written in a direct, blunt style appropriate for the subject. I’ll soon be finished. “The Future of Humanity,” by Michio Kaku; “Enlightenment Now,” by Steven Pinker; and “Capture: A Theory of the Mind,” by David Kessler. Next up is the latest book in Jason Matthews’s Red Sparrow trilogy.
玛莎·格森(Masha Gessen)的《未来即历史》(The Future Is History)。这本书写得很好，风格直接、坦率，适合这个主题。我快看完了。还有加来道雄(Michio Kaku)的《人类的未来》(The Future of Humanity)、史蒂文·平克(Steven Pinker)的《今日的启蒙》(Enlightenment Now)和戴维·凯斯勒(David Kessler)的《捕捉：心智论》(Capture: A Theory of the Mind)。接下来是杰森·马修斯(Jason Matthews)《红雀》(Red Sparrow)三部曲中的最新一本。
When and where do you like to read?
你喜欢在什么时候，什么地方看书？
At my work table, in my easy chair, in bed and on the plane. Even in the car when I’m not too tired.
在办公桌前，在安乐椅上，在床上，在飞机上。甚至是在车上，在我不太累的时候。
What was the last truly great book you read?
你最后一次看的真正的好书是什么?
I loved “Killers of the Flower Moon,” by David Grann; “Fascism: A Warning,” by Madeleine Albright; and “Empire of Cotton,” by Sven Beckert.
我喜欢戴维·格兰(David Grann)的《花月杀手》、马德琳·奥尔布赖特(Madeleine Albright)的《法西斯主义：一个警告》(Fascism: A Warning)和斯文·贝克特(Sven Beckert)的《棉花帝国》(Empire of Cotton)。
Are you a rereader? What book do you read over and over again?
看过的书你会再看吗？什么样的书你会一遍又一遍地看？
Yes. I’ve reread Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations,” Seamus Heaney’s “The Cure at Troy” and William Butler Yeats’s “The Collected Poems” several times.
会。马可·奥勒留(Marcus Aurelius)的《沉思录》(Meditations)、谢默斯·希尼(Seamus Heaney)的《特洛伊的治愈》(The Cure at Troy)和威廉·巴特勒·叶芝(William Butler Yeats)的《诗集》(The Collected Poems)，我都看过好几遍了。
What was the best book you read as a student?
你学生时代看的最优秀的作品是什么?
In college: “The Confessions of Nat Turner,” by William Styron. In law school: “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” by Gabriel García Márquez. (This was also the best over all.) At Oxford: “The Spanish Civil War,” by Hugh Thomas, and “To the Finland Station,” by Edmund Wilson.
上大学的时候是威廉·斯泰隆(William Styron) 的《纳特·特纳的自白》(The Confessions of Nat Turner)。读法学院的时候是加夫列尔·加西亚·马尔克斯(Gabriel García Márquez)的《百年孤独》(One Hundred Years of Solitude)。（这也是最好的。）在牛津的时候是休·托马斯(Hugh Thomas)的《西班牙内战》(The Spanish Civil War)和埃德蒙·威尔逊(Edmund Wilson)的《去芬兰车站》(To the Finland Station)。
What books over the years have most influenced your thinking? Has a work of literature ever affected your policy positions?
这些年来，哪些书对你的思想影响最大？有没有影响过你政策立场的文学作品？
These books had a profound impact on my thinking: “The Evolution of Civilizations,” by Carroll Quigley; “Politics as a Vocation,” by Max Weber; “The Denial of Death,” by Ernest Becker; “Imitation of Christ,” by Thomas à Kempis; “Meditations,” by Marcus Aurelius; “The Cure at Troy,” by Seamus Heaney; and “The Guns of August,” by Barbara Tuchman.
下面这些书对我的思想产生了深远的影响：卡罗尔·奎格利(Carroll Quigley)的《文明的演进》(The Evolution of Civilizations)、马克斯·韦伯(Max Weber)的《政治作为一种志业》(Politics as a Vocation)、欧内斯特·贝克尔(Ernest Becker)的《拒斥死亡》(The Denial of Death)、托马斯·肯皮斯(Thomas à Kempis)的《效法基督》(Imitation of Christ)、马可·奥勒留的《沉思录》、谢默斯·希尼的《特洛伊的治愈》和芭芭拉·塔奇曼(Barbara Tuchman)的《八月炮火》(The Guns of August)。
I don’t know that any specific book affected my policy positions, but books by Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison made me want to do more about civil rights. I read “America: What Went Wrong,” by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, in 1992, and it strengthened my determination to try to reverse trickle-down economics and achieve a fairer and more prosperous economy.
我不知道具体哪本书影响了我的政策立场，但理查德·赖特(Richard Wright)和拉尔夫·埃利森(Ralph Ellison)的书让我想要更多地维护公民权利。在1992年的时候，我看了唐纳德·L·巴莱特(Donald L. Barlett)和詹姆斯·B·斯蒂尔(James B. Steele)合著的《美国：哪里出了问题》(America: What Went Wrong)。这本书坚定了我努力扭转涓滴经济学，让经济更加公平和繁荣的决心。
Reading “Earth in the Balance,” by Al Gore, had a big impact on my decision to ask him to be my vice president and influenced what we did together to start turning the tide on climate change.
阿尔·戈尔(Al Gore)的《濒临失衡的地球》(Earth in the Balance)对我决定邀请他担任副总统的影响很大，还影响了我们一起为开始扭转气候变化趋势而采取的行动。
Do you have a favorite presidential biography? Favorite presidential autobiography? (Present company included!)
你有最喜欢的总统传记吗？最喜欢的总统自传呢？（包括你自己的！）
Favorites include “Lincoln,” by David Herbert Donald; “Grant,” by Ron Chernow; “T.R.: The Last Romantic,” by H. W. Brands; “A First-Class Temperament,” by Geoffrey C. Ward; “Truman,” by David McCullough; and Robert Caro’s series on Lyndon B. Johnson. Sidney Blumenthal’s Lincoln series is also fascinating, because he’s found material that was new to me.
我的最爱包括戴维·赫伯特·唐纳德(David Herbert Donald)的《林肯》(Lincoln)、罗恩·切尔瑙(Ron Chernow)的《格兰特》(Grant)、H·W·布兰兹(H. W. Brands)的《T·R：最后的浪漫主义者》(T.R.: The Last Romantic)、杰弗里·C·沃德的《一流气质》(A First-Class Temperament)、戴维·麦卡洛(David McCullough)的《杜鲁门》(Truman)和罗伯特·卡罗(Robert Caro)的林登·B·约翰逊(Lyndon B. Johnson)系列。西德尼·布鲁门塔尔(Sidney Blumenthal)的林肯系列也很吸引人，因为他发现了一些我不知道的东西。
Do you tend to hold onto books or give them away?
你倾向于把书收藏起来还是送人？
Both. Sometimes I give a book away and go get another copy.
两种情况都有。我有时候会把书送人，然后自己再去买一本。
What were your favorite books as a child? Did you have a favorite character or hero?
你小时候最喜欢哪些书？有特别喜欢的某个人物或英雄角色吗？
I loved biblical epics like “The Robe,” by Lloyd C. Douglas; “The Silver Chalice,” by Thomas B. Costain; “Ben-Hur,” by Lew Wallace; and books about Native American tribes and chiefs, especially Osceola and Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé.
我喜欢宏大的史诗作品，比如洛依德·C·道格拉斯的《圣袍》(The Robe)、托马斯·B·克斯坦因(Thomas B. Costain)的《白银圣杯》(The Silver Chalice)、刘易斯·华莱士(Lew Wallace)的《宾虚》(Ben-Hur)。还有关于美国原住民部落和酋长的作品，尤其是奥斯西奥拉(Osceola)和内兹珀斯部落的(Nez Percé)约瑟夫酋长(Chief Joseph)。
Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel as if you were supposed to like, and didn’t?
令人失望、过誉或者不好看：哪本书是你觉得你好像应该会喜欢，但并不喜欢的？
I’m embarrassed to admit it but in two tries I have never been able to get all the way through “Don Quixote.” I like long books, raced through “War and Peace” at 22, but could not finish “Quixote.” I will try at least once more.
我不好意思承认，但我试过两次但从未能读完整本《堂吉诃德》。我喜欢长的作品，22岁很快就读完了《战争与和平》，但就是没法读完《堂吉诃德》。我至少会再试一次。
If you could meet any writer, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you want to know?
如果你能与一名作家见面，不论是否在世，你会见谁？你会想了解些什么？
Mark Twain. I would want to know what he believed and what was show.
马克·吐温(Mark Twain)。我会想知道他相信的是什么，看到的又是什么。
Electronic or paper?
电子书还是纸质书？
Paper.
纸质书。
What books made you want to become a writer? And what books made you want to become a politician?
哪些书让你想成为作家？哪些书让你想成为政治家？
These books, and others, made me want to become a writer:
这些书，再加之其他的一些，让我想成为一名作家：
“North Toward Home,” by Willie Morris; “The Confessions of Nat Turner,” by William Styron; “The Fire Next Time,” by James Baldwin; “The Sound and the Fury,” by William Faulkner; “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” by Gabriel García Márquez; and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou.
威利·莫里斯(Willie Morris)的《家乡以北》(North toward Home)、威廉·斯泰隆(William Styron)的《纳特·特纳的自白》(The Confessions of Nat Turner)、詹姆斯·鲍德温(James Baldwin)的《烈火降至》(The Fire Next Time)、威廉·福克纳的《喧哗与骚动》、加夫列尔·加西亚·马尔克斯的《百年孤独》以及玛雅·安杰卢(Maya Angelou)的《我知道笼中鸟为何歌唱》(I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings)。
I wanted to become a politician because I was fascinated by people, policy and politics. I read books to learn how to do it better.
我想成为一名政治家是因为人、政策、政治让我着迷。我看书是为了学习如何做个更好的政客。
If somebody walked into your office while you were writing, what would they see?
如果有人在你写作的时候走进你的办公室，他们会看到些什么？
Lots of paper for research, the notebooks in which I write by hand and the typed pages with rewrites — lots of those.
很多研究资料，我的手写笔记本，还有修改过的打印稿纸——全都是这些。
If you had to recommend one book to a student of government, what would it be?
如果你要给一名对政府治理感兴趣的学生推荐一本书，会是哪本？
“Politics as a Vocation,” by Max Weber.
马克斯·韦伯的《政治作为一种志业》。
Favorite James Patterson book?
最喜欢的詹姆斯·帕特森(James Patterson)作品是？
I loved all the Alex Cross and Michael Bennett books, and I thought “The Black Book” was great.
所有的亚历克斯·克洛斯(Alex Cross)和迈克尔·贝纳特(Michael Bennett)故事我都喜欢，我觉得《黑皮书》(The Black Book)很棒。
Favorite thrillers?
最喜欢的惊悚小说是？
I devour thrillers. I just finished David Baldacci’s “The Fallen,” which may be his best book; A. J. Finn’s “The Woman in the Window”; Nelson DeMille’s “The Cuban Affair”; Jacqueline Winspear’s “To Die but Once” — her Maisie Dobbs series was a gift to Hillary and me from her mother; Lisa Scottoline’s “After Anna”; James Lee Burke’s “Robicheaux”; Alex Berenson’s “The Deceivers”; and Walter Mosley’s beautiful new New York work, “Down the River Unto the Sea.” And I can’t wait for the next Lee Child, Harlan Coben, Robert Crais, Louise Penny, Sara Paretsky, Susan Elia MacNeal and Daniel Silva. I also look for writers whose works are not that well known yet, like David Pepper. And I sure miss Sue Grafton.
惊悚小说让我入迷。我刚看完大卫·鲍尔达奇(David Baldacci)的《阵亡者》(The Fallen)，这可能是他最棒的一本。A·J·费恩(A. J. Finn)的《窗里的女人》(The Woman in the Window)、尼尔森·德米尔(Nelson DeMille)的《古巴历险》(The Cuban Affair)、杰奎琳·温斯皮尔(Jacqueline Winspear)的《死就一次》(To Die but Once)——她的《梅西·多不斯》（Maisie Dobbs，又译《曙色谋杀》）系列是希拉里和我从她的母亲那儿收到的礼物、丽莎·史考恩莱特(Lisa Scottoline)的《安娜之后》(After Anna)、詹姆斯·李·伯克(James Lee Burke)的《罗比肖》(Robicheaux)、亚历克斯·贝伦森(Alex Berenson)的《欺骗者》(The Deceivers)，还有沃尔特·莫斯里(Walter Mosley)那本漂亮的纽约新作《顺流而下》(Down the River Unto the Sea)。我也迫不及待地想看到李·柴尔德(Lee Child)、哈伦·科本(Harlan Coben)、罗伯特·克莱斯(Robert Crais)、路易丝·彭尼(Louise Penny)、莎拉·派瑞斯基(Sara Paretsky)、苏珊·伊利亚·麦克尼尔(Susan Elia MacNeal)和丹尼尔·西尔瓦(Daniel Silva)的下一本作品。我也会去找一些作品不那么知名的作家，比如大卫·佩珀(David Pepper)。当然了，我也怀念苏·格拉夫顿(Sue Grafton).
If you could choose anyone from history to write your biography, who would it be?
如果你能从历史上选一个人来为你写作传记，你会选谁？
David Herbert Donald, now deceased, Ron Chernow or Strobe Talbott. They are all first-rate historians, terrific writers, and they seem to get me.
已故的戴维·赫伯特·唐纳德、罗恩·切尔瑙或者斯特罗布·塔尔博特(Strobe Talbott)。他们都是一等一的历史学家，出色的作家，并且似乎能够懂我。
What do you plan to read next?
你下一本打算看什么书？
“The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization,” by Martin Puchner.
马丁·皮斯纳(Martin Puchner)写的《文字世界——故事的力量如何塑造人、历史和文明》(The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization)。
