伊沙致荷兰鹿特丹国际诗歌节策划简·威廉·安科尔的信

 

 

 

亲爱的安科尔：

久未联系，你好吗？一定是在忙于今年诗歌节的工作吧？

去年的诗歌节过去这么久了，让我意想不到的是：我的参加竟在中国的一些诗歌网站和报纸上引发了一场争议，有人质疑我的资格问题，说我是冒名顶替参加了鹿特丹国际诗歌节。所以，请你在百忙之中回答我的一些疑问，好吗？请理解：你的回答对我很重要！

 

他们的质疑依据是去年诗歌节网页上对我的一段简介：

 

“Country: China
Language: Chinese
Year of birth: 1966

Sha Yi edited a literary magazine named Not-Not, which played a central role in the lively, alternative poetry circuit outside Peking. Yi Sha writes poems on subjects that seem rather pedestrian at first sight, in a language that is stripped of any artificial ornamentation.”

照片、国籍、语种都没问题，我出生于1966年当然也是毫无问题的。有人质疑的是这一句：Sha Yi edited a literary magazine named Not-Not——中国有一本民间诗歌刊物叫《NO NO》（《非非》可能是你们所说的Not-Not），我做过《非非》的编委，但并非主编，我主编的杂志叫《文友》（我诗歌节前提供的资料中提到过），你知道我的英文不好，搞不清主编、编辑、编委的区别，诗歌节上也没有中文翻译，所以没有向你们提出来。《非非》的主编是一个叫周伦佑的诗人，1952年出生，现居四川——你是否知道他？是否读过他的诗？

有人怀疑：是你们搞错了，原来想请的是别人，结果错请成了伊沙。

所以我想问问：你们是在什么地方读到了我的诗并决定邀请我去参加诗歌节的？是因为我的诗还是因为编辑了某个刊物？有没有把我邀请错了的可能？这也是我想知道的几个问题。

诗歌节介绍我说是一个在中国饱受争议的诗人——真是没有说错！去参加一次国际诗歌节竟也引起了轩然大波，如果给你带来了麻烦，实在对不起！

Anker先生，请你在百忙之中帮忙回答我信中的疑问？急盼你的回信！

你永远的朋友   伊沙

2008.3.11

 

 

 

Dear Anker，

Long time no see, how have you been these days? I guess you must be busy with international poetry festival of this year?

Long time has been past since last poetry festival, I have never expected that much controversy was caused from my participation of last festival these days. Some people questioned my qualification of participation; they slandered me that I participated in the Rotterdam International poetry festival by masquerading under others poet’s name!! So would you please do me a favor for answering some questions? I understand that you must be busy these days, but your answer is really important for me!!!

 

The rumor I mentioned above is made on the basis of the following introduction which is used on the webpage of last poetry festival:

“Country: China
Language: Chinese
Year of birth: 1966

Sha Yi edited a literary magazine named Not-Not, which played a central role in the lively, alternative poetry circuit outside Peking. Yi Sha writes poems on subjects that seem rather pedestrian at first sight, in a language that is stripped of any artificial ornamentation.”

 

My photo, Country, Language are absolutely right, and the year of birth has not problem as well. However, the sentence some people questioned is: “Sha Yi edited a literary magazine named Not-Not.” There is a folk poetry publication called "NO NO" ("Feifei", which might be “Not-Not” you mentioned), I have been edited "NO NO", but not the editor-in-chief. I have been an editor-in-chief for the magazine named “Literature Friend” (which has been mentioned in the profile I have provided before last festival). You know that my English is not good, I feel so confused about the difference between “editor-in-chief”, ”editor” and “the member of editorial board”, There has no Chinese interpreter in the poetry festival, so I have no chance to raise this question at that time. The editor-in-chief for "NO” is a poet named Zhou Lunyou, who was born in 1952, and is living in Sichuan now. Do you know him? Have you ever read his poetry?

 

Some people are wondering that you might wanted to invite other poet originally but mistakenly invited me, Yisha.

 

So please allow me to ask the following questions. How did you decide to invite me to attend the festival? From where did you read my poems and decided to invite me? Did you invite me for my poems themselves or for the magazine I edited? Is it possible that you invited me mistakenly? I’m so looking forward to hear from you.

 

I was introduced as the most controversial Chinese poet in last Rotterdam International poetry festival- which is absolutely right! My participation of an international poetry festival triggered so much controversy!! You must feel shocked for what I have told above, I’m really sorry for bothering you!!

Dear Anker, please help me and answer my questions above, I’m looking forward your early replying!! 

Best regards!!

You friend forever Yisha

2008.3.11

 

荷兰鹿特丹国际诗歌节策划简·威廉·安科尔致伊沙的信

 

Dear Yi Sha,

 

I’m well, good to hear from you. It’s a surprise to read your mail. You are right, I am working hard to get everything in order for this year’s festival. Just as the others here of course.

 

I will do my best to answer your questions.

 

The information on the website about you. It’s been a while, to be honest, I don’t know exactly anymore how we got that information. We probably found it on the Internet. In any case we can change your biography and we will if it causes confusion. The thing is, as I see it, in the Dutch page it says you were an editor for Not-not, just one of the editors, and not the editor in chief. In English it says ‘you edited’ this magazine, which is open for more interpretations. For that I’m sorry, because it apparently caused so much confusion.

 

In any case we were very certain we wanted to invite you. Any suggestion we might have mistaken you for someone else is ridiculous. If you like you can tell that to the people who are slandering you. You can quote me. I don’t know the poet Zhou Lunyou and I’ve never read his work (if he’s good I’m more than happy to read his work, provided he has been translated in English because I cannot read Chinese). We read your work on the Chinese domain of the website www.poetryinternational.org, so through the English translations of Simon Patton. We did not invite you because of your position in the magazine Not-Not (Maghiel van Crevel’s translation for Feifei). How could we, we cannot read it, because it is in Chinese.

 

Well, I hope this will do. If there’s anything else, don’t hesitate to contact me. I am interested in the reason for what is happening, it sounds serious.

 

All the best, your friend,

 

Jan-Willem

 

PS. Anker is my surname, my friends call me Jan-Willem, please do.

 

2008.3.11

 

 

 

亲爱的伊沙，

我很好，很高兴收到你的信，你的信的确吓了我一跳。你说对了，我正在忙于今年诗歌节的事情，努力使一切就绪，当然就像以前每届所做的一样。

 

我将尽我所能回答你的问题。

 

之前网站上关于你的信息，坦白说，我也不确定从何而来。我们大概是在网上得到的。不管怎样，如果它引起误会，我们可以并将修改你的简介。在我看来，事情是这样的：在荷兰语页面上，你是非非的编辑，只是众多编辑之一，并不是说主编。用英文说“you edited”这个杂志，这种说法翻译表述上有所扩大。对于这点，我很抱歉，因为显然它已给你带来了很大的困扰。

 

无论如何我们非常确定，我们要邀请的是你伊沙。任何关于我们错误邀请你的说法都是荒谬可笑的。你可以直接引用我的话，去告诉诬陷你的人。我不知道那个叫周伦佑的诗人，我从没读过他的作品（如果他很好，我非常乐意去读他的作品，只要他的作品有被译作英文，因为我读不懂中文）。我们是在www.poetryinternational.org 的中国板块看到你的作品的，由西敏翻译的。我们绝不是因为你在《非非》杂志（柯雷译为Feifei）中的地位而邀请你，怎么可能啊，杂志是中文的，我们读不懂。

好吧，希望这些能对你有所帮助。如果有其他需要帮忙的，请不要犹豫联系我。我对发生这一切的原因很感兴趣，事情听起来很严重。

 

祝一切顺利！

 

你的朋友  Jan-Willem

 

PS. 安科尔是我的姓，我的朋友们都叫我简·威廉，所以请叫我简·威廉。

2008.3.11