“禁書(shū)”一詞的奇妙之處在于，它總是讓人在望而卻步的同時(shí)產(chǎn)生無(wú)限的遐想與向往。縱觀歷史，書(shū)之被禁，雖原因各異，卻無(wú)一不是觸犯或挑戰(zhàn)了當(dāng)時(shí)社會(huì)生活或宗教信仰的敏感“部位”。從1557年羅馬教皇保羅四世頒布《教廷禁書(shū)目錄》至1966年教皇保羅六世終止該目錄的出版發(fā)行，西方社會(huì)以教廷為代表的禁書(shū)制度前后延續(xù)了四個(gè)多世紀(jì)。然而，經(jīng)歷了歷史長(zhǎng)河洗禮的被禁之書(shū)，卻并未因此而銷(xiāo)聲匿跡。那么，究竟有哪些書(shū)曾歷經(jīng)被禁的命運(yùn)與焚燒的考驗(yàn)而不“死”呢?我們且來(lái)略數(shù)一二——

This classic French satire lampoons1) all things sacred—armies， churches， philosophers， even the doctrine of optimism itself. In search of “the best of all possible worlds”， Voltaire’s ever-hopeful protagonist2) instead encounters the worst tragedies life has to offer and proceeds to describe each in a rapid， meticulous and matter-of-fact way. The effect is equal parts hilarious3) and shocking. The Great Council of Geneva and the administrators of Paris banned it shortly after its release， although 30，000 copies sold within a year， making it a best seller. In 1930， U.S. Customs seized Harvard-bound copies of the book， and in 1944， the U.S. Post Office demanded that Candide be dropped from the catalog for major retailer Concord Books.

這部法國(guó)經(jīng)典諷刺小說(shuō)對(duì)于所有神圣事物都加以鞭撻嘲諷，包括軍隊(duì)、教堂、哲學(xué)家，甚至對(duì)樂(lè)觀主義信條也毫不留情。伏爾泰筆下的主人公對(duì)于人生從來(lái)都是滿(mǎn)懷希望，苦苦尋覓“人世間最為美好的天地”。然而事與愿違，他遭遇到的卻是人生最為悲慘的境遇，而在之后講起這些遭遇時(shí)，他的描述竟能不加遲疑、纖毫入微、絲毫不帶個(gè)人情緒。這樣的效果是書(shū)的某些部分令人忍俊不禁，而某些部分卻令人震驚不已。書(shū)一面世，東正教教會(huì)和巴黎當(dāng)局立刻下了禁令，盡管如此，該書(shū)一年內(nèi)的銷(xiāo)量還是達(dá)到了三萬(wàn)冊(cè)，成為年度暢銷(xiāo)書(shū)。1930年，美國(guó)海關(guān)沒(méi)收了哈佛版《老實(shí)人》。1944年，美國(guó)郵政局要求圖書(shū)零售巨頭康科德公司從其書(shū)目中去掉《老實(shí)人》一書(shū)。

In 1885， the Concord Public Library in Massachusetts banned this book for its “coarse language”—critics deemed4) Mark Twain’s use of common slang as demeaning and damaging. Little Women author Louisa May Alcott lashed out publicly at5) Twain， saying， “If Mr. Clemens [Twain’s original name] cannot think of something better to tell our pure-minded lads and lasses， he had best stop writing for them.” In 1905， the Brooklyn Public Library in New York followed Concord’s lead， banishing the book from the building’s juvenile section with this explanation: “Huck not only itched but scratched， and that he said sweat when he should have said perspiration6).” Twain enthusiastically fired back， and once said of his detractors7): “Censorship is telling a man he can’t have a steak just because a baby can’t chew it.” Luckily for him， the book’s fans would eventually outnumber its critics. “It’s the best book we’ve had，” Ernest Hemingway proclaimed. “All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.”

1885年，馬薩諸塞州的康科德公共圖書(shū)館因《哈克貝利·費(fèi)恩歷險(xiǎn)記》一書(shū)語(yǔ)言粗俗而將其查禁。評(píng)論家認(rèn)為馬克·吐溫使用日常俚語(yǔ)有失體統(tǒng)，危害極大?！缎D人》的作者路易莎·梅·奧爾科特公開(kāi)抨擊馬克·吐溫說(shuō):“如果克萊門(mén)斯先生(馬克·吐溫的本名)想不出用更好的東西來(lái)教導(dǎo)我們純真無(wú)邪的少男少女，那就最好放下筆別再為他們寫(xiě)書(shū)了。”1905年，紐約布魯克林公共圖書(shū)館效仿康科德，將該書(shū)撤出了該館的青少區(qū)，并給出了這樣的理由:“書(shū)中不僅寫(xiě)到哈克身上發(fā)癢，而且描寫(xiě)他抓癢，該說(shuō)‘汗水’的時(shí)候他偏說(shuō)‘滿(mǎn)身大汗’?！瘪R克·吐溫對(duì)此給與了積極回?fù)簟Ｔ谝淮握f(shuō)起那些詆毀者時(shí)，他說(shuō):“查禁的意思就是告訴人們，因?yàn)閶雰航啦粍?dòng)牛排，所以大人也不能吃?！彼业氖?，這本書(shū)的擁護(hù)者眾多，其數(shù)量最終大大超過(guò)了反對(duì)者。厄內(nèi)斯特·海明威說(shuō):“所有的美國(guó)文學(xué)都得益于這本書(shū)，之前從未有一本書(shū)能像它這樣，這是截至目前我讀過(guò)的最好的一本書(shū)?！?/p>

Huxley’s 1932 work—about a drugged， dull and mass-produced society of the future—has been challenged for its themes of sexuality， drugs and suicide. The book parodies8) H.G. Wells’9) utopian novel Men Like Gods and expresses Huxley’s disdain for the youth-and-market-driven culture of the American. Chewing gum， then as now a symbol of America’s teenybopper10) shoppers， appears in the book as a way to deliver sex hormones and subdue anxious adults. In Huxley’s vision of the 26th century， Henry Ford is the new God (worshippers say “Our Ford” instead of “Our Lord”)， and the carmaker’s concept of mass production has been applied to human reproduction. As recently as 1993， a group of parents attempted to ban the book in Corona-Norco， Calif.， because it “centered around negativity”.

赫胥黎的這部作品寫(xiě)于1932年，描述了一個(gè)未來(lái)的社會(huì)，那個(gè)社會(huì)麻木不仁、呆滯乏味，那里的一切都是批量生產(chǎn)。這部作品一直因其主題涉及性、毒品和自殺而備受詬病。該書(shū)模仿威爾斯的烏托邦小說(shuō)《人如神》而作，表達(dá)了赫胥黎對(duì)以年輕與市場(chǎng)為驅(qū)動(dòng)力的美國(guó)文化的蔑視。嚼口香糖，不管是當(dāng)時(shí)還是現(xiàn)在，都是美國(guó)頹廢少女消費(fèi)者的象征，而在這本書(shū)中它卻成為一種產(chǎn)生性激素的方式，使焦慮不安的成年人甘受奴役。在赫胥黎所展望的26世紀(jì)里，亨利·福特是新的上帝(崇拜者口稱(chēng)“我們的福帝”而非“我們的上帝”)，而且汽車(chē)制造商大批量生產(chǎn)的理念已經(jīng)被應(yīng)用于人類(lèi)的繁殖。近在1993年，一群父母因其“中心思想太過(guò)負(fù)面”，曾試圖在加州的科羅納市和諾科市取締該書(shū)。

It’s both ironic and fitting that 1984 would join the American Library Association’s list of commonly challenged books， given its bleak warning of totalitarian11) censorship. Written in 1949 by British author George Orwell while he lay dying of tuberculosis， the book chronicles12) the grim future of a society robbed of free will， privacy and truth. The book spawned13) terms like “Big Brother” and “Orwellian”， which continue to appear in pop culture. The year 1984 may have passed， but the book’s message remains as relevant as ever.

《1984》一書(shū)對(duì)極權(quán)主義的審查制度發(fā)出了嚴(yán)正的警告，后來(lái)卻被列入美國(guó)圖書(shū)館學(xué)會(huì)的禁書(shū)名單，這實(shí)在是充滿(mǎn)反諷意味，卻又合情合理。該書(shū)由英國(guó)作家喬治·奧威爾1949年所著，當(dāng)時(shí)奧威爾因患肺結(jié)核，臥病在床，已病入膏肓。書(shū)中記述了一個(gè)沒(méi)有自由意志、沒(méi)有個(gè)人隱私、沒(méi)有真理存在的社會(huì)的灰暗前景。該書(shū)創(chuàng)造了“老大哥”和“奧威爾式的”等詞，這些詞現(xiàn)在仍出現(xiàn)在大眾文化中。1984年已成歷史，但是這本書(shū)所傳遞的信息卻一直和人類(lèi)社會(huì)息息相關(guān)。

The Catcher in the Rye

By J. D. Salinger

Within two weeks of its 1951 release， J.D. Salinger’s novel rocketed to No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list. Ever since， the book—which explores three days in the life of a troubled 16-year-old boy—has been a “favorite of censors since its publication，” according to the American Library Association. In 1960， school administrators at a high school in Tulsa， Okla.， fired an English teacher for assigning the book to an 11th grade class. Another community in Columbus， Ohio， deemed the book “anti-white” and formed a delegation14) to have it banned from local schools. One library banned it for violating codes on “excess vulgar language， sexual scenes， things concerning moral issues， excessive violence， and anything dealing with the occult15).”

塞林格的這本小說(shuō)于1951年出版，上市不到兩周，就飆升至《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》暢銷(xiāo)書(shū)排行榜的榜首。這本書(shū)描繪了一個(gè)16歲叛逆少年三天內(nèi)的生活;按照美國(guó)圖書(shū)館協(xié)會(huì)的說(shuō)法，該書(shū)自出版之日起就一直是“審查機(jī)構(gòu)的最?lèi)?ài)”。1960年，俄克拉何馬州塔爾薩鎮(zhèn)一所高中的管理者解雇了一名英語(yǔ)教師，理由是他把這本小說(shuō)布置給了11年級(jí)的學(xué)生閱讀。另外，俄亥俄州哥倫布市的一個(gè)社會(huì)團(tuán)體認(rèn)為這本書(shū)“與白人為敵”，他們組成請(qǐng)?jiān)笀F(tuán)，要求當(dāng)?shù)貙W(xué)校封殺此書(shū)。還有一家圖書(shū)館禁了這本書(shū)，理由是該書(shū)違反了社會(huì)常規(guī)，書(shū)中“充斥著粗俗語(yǔ)言、性愛(ài)場(chǎng)景以及引發(fā)道德?tīng)?zhēng)議的種種事件，而且暴力描寫(xiě)過(guò)多，還宣揚(yáng)神秘主義”。

First published in France by a pornographic16) press， this 1955 novel explores the mind of a self-loathing and highly intelligent pedophile17) named Humbert， who narrates his life and the obsession that consumes it: his lust for “nymphets18)” like 12-year-old Dolores Haze. French officials banned it for being “obscene19)”， as did England， Argentina， New Zealand and South Africa. Today， the term Lolita has come to imply an oversexed teenage siren20)， although Vladimir Nabokov， for his part， never intended to create the association. In fact， he nearly burned the manuscript in disgust， and fought with his publishers over whether an image of a girl should be included on the book’s cover.

這本書(shū)最早由法國(guó)的一家色情作品出版社于1955年出版，小說(shuō)的主人公名叫亨伯特，是個(gè)憎惡自己而又智商很高的戀童癖者。他講述了自己的一生，以及耗噬了他整個(gè)生命的那種迷戀——對(duì)于像12歲的多洛雷絲·阿澤這樣早熟的少女的欲望。法國(guó)官方因其離經(jīng)叛道的色情描寫(xiě)把該書(shū)列為禁書(shū)，英國(guó)、阿根廷、新西蘭和南非也封殺了此書(shū)。今天，“洛麗塔”已被用做極其性感妖媚的美麗少女的代名詞，但對(duì)納博科夫本人來(lái)說(shuō)，他可從未想過(guò)要引起這種聯(lián)想。實(shí)際上，他差點(diǎn)兒出于厭惡燒掉這部書(shū)的手稿，他還曾就封面上是否應(yīng)該放一個(gè)少女的形象這個(gè)問(wèn)題，和出版商爭(zhēng)執(zhí)不休。

This book sparked riots around the world for what some called a blasphemous21) treatment of the Islamic faith (throughout the book， the Prophet Muhammad is referred to as Mahound， the medieval name for the devil). In 1989， five people died in riots in Pakistan and a stone-throwing mob injured 60 people in India. Although Rushdie issued an apology， Iranian spiritual leader Khomeini publicly condemned the Indian-British author to death， putting a $1 million bounty22) on his head. While European nations recalled their diplomats from Tehran， some Muslim authors， like Nobel Prize–winner Naguib Mahfouz23)， defended Rushdie and accused the Khomeini of “intellectual terrorism”. Meanwhile， Venezuelan officials threatened anyone who owned or read the book with 15 months of prison. Two major U.S. booksellers—Walden Books and Barnes Noble—removed the book from their shelves after receiving death threats. And even Rushdie’s publisher， Viking Penguin， was forced to temporarily close its New York City office to improve security. Under the protection of British authorities， Rushdie lived in hiding for nearly a decade.

這本書(shū)引發(fā)了全世界的無(wú)數(shù)暴動(dòng)，因?yàn)橐恍┤苏J(rèn)為它褻瀆了伊斯蘭教(在整本書(shū)中，先知穆罕默德被稱(chēng)為魔罕德——中世紀(jì)時(shí)魔鬼的代稱(chēng))。1989年，巴基斯坦發(fā)生暴動(dòng)，五人死亡;在印度，一伙暴徒扔擲石塊，致使60人受傷。盡管拉什迪公開(kāi)發(fā)表聲明道歉，但伊朗精神領(lǐng)袖霍梅尼公開(kāi)判處這位印度裔英國(guó)作家死刑，懸賞一百萬(wàn)美元取他項(xiàng)上人頭。歐洲各國(guó)紛紛從德黑蘭召回自己的外交官，而一些穆斯林作家，如諾貝爾獎(jiǎng)得主納吉布·馬赫福茲，則聲援拉什迪，指責(zé)霍梅尼搞“知識(shí)恐怖主義”。同時(shí)，委內(nèi)瑞拉政府威脅，任何膽敢購(gòu)買(mǎi)或閱讀該書(shū)的人，將會(huì)被處以15個(gè)月的監(jiān)禁。美國(guó)兩大頂級(jí)連鎖書(shū)店——沃爾登書(shū)店和邦諾書(shū)店——皆因收到死亡恐嚇信，只得把該書(shū)從書(shū)架上撤下。甚至拉什迪的出版商維京企鵝公司書(shū)店也為安全起見(jiàn)，被迫短期關(guān)閉其紐約分部。在英國(guó)政府的保護(hù)下，在將近十年的時(shí)間里，拉什迪一直過(guò)著隱匿的生活。