ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joshua Prager - Journalist
Joshua Prager’s journalism unravels historical secrets -- and his own.

Why you should listen

Joshua Prager writes for publications including Vanity Fair, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, where he was a senior writer for eight years. George Will has described his work as "exemplary journalistic sleuthing."

His new book, 100 Years, is a list of literary quotations on every age from birth to one hundred. Designed by Milton Glaser, the legendary graphic designer who created the I ♥ NY logo, the book moves year by year through the words of our most beloved authors, revealing the great sequence of life.

His first book, The Echoing Green, was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. The New York Times Book Review called it “a revelation and a page turner, a group character study unequaled in baseball writing since Roger Kahn’s Boys of Summer some three decades ago.”

His second book, Half-Life, describes his recovery from a bus crash that broke his neck. Dr. Jerome Groopman, staff writer at the New Yorker magazine, called it “an extraordinary memoir, told with nuance and brimming with wisdom.

Joshua was a Nieman fellow at Harvard in 2011 and a Fulbright Distinguished Chair at Hebrew University in 2012. He was born in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, grew up in New Jersey, and lives in New York. He is writing a book about Roe v. Wade.

 

More profile about the speaker
Joshua Prager | Speaker | TED.com
TEDActive 2015

Joshua Prager: Wisdom from great writers on every year of life

約書亞·普拉格: 偉大作家筆下生命年歲的智慧

Filmed:
1,797,150 views

儘管我們人人皆有不同, 我們的生命卻都跟隨著一種相同的規律,而這種我們的生命規律也滲透在我們所深愛的書籍。在這段動人的演說中,記者約書亞·普拉格用諾曼·梅勒,喬伊斯·卡羅爾·奧茨,威廉·特雷弗,和更多別的偉大作家的名句,和平面設計師米爾頓·格拉塞的視覺感染,帶領觀眾去探索生命中的每個階段。普拉格說:“書籍能幫我們看清曾經的我們,當下的我們,和未來的我們。”
- Journalist
Joshua Prager’s journalism unravels historical secrets -- and his own. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
I'm turning車削 44 next下一個 month,
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我下個月要44歲了
00:15
and I have the sense that 44
is going to be a very good year,
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我有感覺44歲會是很好的一年,
00:19
a year of fulfillment履行, realization實現.
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滿足而充滿領悟的一年。
00:23
I have that sense,
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我會有這種感覺,
00:24
not because of anything
particular特定 in store商店 for me,
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不是因為我本身有甚麼特殊故事,
00:27
but because I read it would be a good year
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而是我從諾曼·梅勒
00:30
in a 1968 book by Norman諾曼 Mailer信封.
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在1968年寫的書上看到的。
00:34
"He felt his own擁有 age年齡, forty-four四十四 ..."
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"44歲, 他感覺到了岁月无情,"
00:37
wrote Mailer信封 in "The Armies軍隊 of the Night,"
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梅勒在《夜幕下的大軍》中寫到
"感覺到他自己就是
00:40
"... felt as if he were a solid固體 embodiment實施例
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00:42
of bone, muscle肌肉, heart, mind心神,
and sentiment情緒 to be a man,
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由骨頭, 肌肉, 心, 意識, 情感
而化身的結晶,
00:46
as if he had arrived到達."
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就像他現在這樣。”
00:49
Yes, I know Mailer信封
wasn't writing寫作 about me.
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我知道梅勒不是在寫我。
00:52
But I also know that he was;
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但我冥冥中能感受到他其實就在寫我;
00:54
for all of us -- you, me,
the subject學科 of his book,
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因為我們所有人--你,我,
還有他書中的主人公,
00:58
age年齡 more or less in step,
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都逃不過歲月的腳步,
01:00
proceed繼續 from birth分娩
along沿 the same相同 great sequence序列:
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從出生就限定在了
恆定的生命規律中了:
01:05
through通過 the wonders奇蹟
and confinements接產 of childhood童年;
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從童年的好奇和禁錮;
01:08
the emancipations解放出來
and frustrations挫折 of adolescence青春期;
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到少年的不羈和煩惱;
01:12
the empowerments灌頂
and millstones磨盤 of adulthood成年;
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再到成年人的權威和里程碑;
01:16
the recognitions認可
and resignations辭職 of old age年齡.
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最後邁入老年的德高望重。
01:20
There are patterns模式 to life,
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生命有它自己的規律,
01:22
and they are shared共享.
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而且這是一個所有人必經的生命歷程。
01:24
As Thomas托馬斯 Mann wrote:
"It will happen發生 to me as to them."
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就如托馬斯·曼所寫:
“我所將經歷的一切,也許別人也將經歷。“
01:29
We don't simply只是 live生活 these patterns模式.
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我們不僅只存活在這種規律中,
01:32
We record記錄 them, too.
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我們還會把它們記錄下來。
01:33
We write them down in books圖書,
where they become成為 narratives敘事
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我們把它寫進書裡,
成為了大家都可以讀識的
01:36
that we can then read and recognize認識.
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敘事性故事。
01:39
Books圖書 tell us who we've我們已經 been,
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書籍能幫我們看清曾經的我們,
01:41
who we are, who we will be, too.
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當下的我們,和未來的我們。
01:45
So they have for millennia千年.
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所以書籍已經存在了上千年。
01:48
As James詹姆士 Salter鹽商 wrote,
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正如詹姆斯·索爾特所寫,
01:49
"Life passes通行證 into pages網頁
if it passes通行證 into anything."
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“如果生命能变成什麼的話,
它能变成书中的扉页。”
01:54
And so six years年份 ago,
a thought leapt躍上 to mind心神:
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所以六年前,
一個想法從我腦中閃過:
01:58
if life passed通過 into pages網頁,
there were, somewhere某處,
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如果歲月能变成書中的扉页,
02:02
passages通道 written書面 about every一切 age年齡.
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那也許會有關於每一個年紀的文章存在,
02:04
If I could find them, I could
assemble集合 them into a narrative敘述.
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如果我能找到它們,
我就可以把它們串成一段敘事的故事
02:08
I could assemble集合 them into a life,
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我可以把它們匯成一輩子,
02:10
a long life, a hundred-year百年 life,
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只有我們之間最幸運的
02:13
the entirety整體 of that same相同 great sequence序列
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才能跨越的生命長度和規律的
02:15
through通過 which哪一個 the luckiest幸運 among其中 us pass通過.
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一段長壽,一百年的生命。
02:19
I was then 37 years年份 old,
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當年我37歲,
02:22
"an age年齡 of discretion慎重,"
wrote William威廉 Trevor特雷弗.
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威廉·特雷弗說
這是“一個小心翼翼的年紀”。
02:27
I was prone易於 to meditating沉思 on time and age年齡.
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我總是想去冥想歲月和人生。
02:30
An illness疾病 in the family家庭
and later後來 an injury to me
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我們家族中的一種遺傳病,
也是後來我所得的重創,
02:33
had long made製作 clear明確 that growing生長 old
could not be assumed假定.
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告訴我不能假定每個人都能平平安安活到老的。
02:37
And besides除了, growing生長 old
only postponed延期 the inevitable必然,
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況且,年華老去只不過是
推遲了不可避免的死亡的事實,
02:40
time seeing眼看 through通過
what circumstance環境 did not.
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歲月總是能看破時勢。
02:43
It was all a bit disheartening令人沮喪.
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這有些令人傷感。
02:46
A list名單, though雖然, would last.
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然而一張時間表會得以留存。
02:49
To chronicle編年史 a life
year by vulnerable弱勢 year
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去記錄逐漸衰弱的生命,
02:52
would be to clasp and to ground地面
what was fleeting流年,
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就是去嘗試挽留流水般逝去的年華,
02:55
would be to provide提供 myself and others其他
a glimpse一瞥 into the future未來,
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就是去給我們自己和別人窺看一眼未來,
02:59
whether是否 we made製作 it there or not.
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我們是否能抵達我們的終點。
03:01
And when I then began開始 to compile my list名單,
I was quickly很快 obsessed痴迷,
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而當我開始整理我的時間表時,
我就已經被迷住了,
03:05
searching搜索 pages網頁 and pages網頁
for ages年齡 and ages年齡.
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一頁一頁地尋找歲月的痕跡。
03:09
Here we were at every一切 annual全年 step
through通過 our first hundred years年份.
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在一百年的跋涉中我們回看每年的步伐。
03:14
"Twenty-seven二十七 ... a time
of sudden突然 revelations啟示,"
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“二十七歲,
是一個充滿著豁然開朗的年齡。”
03:19
"sixty-two62, ... of subtle微妙 diminishmentsdiminishments."
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“六十二歲,是一個逐漸光華不再的年齡。”
03:23
I was mindful銘記, of course課程,
that such這樣 insights見解 were relative相對的.
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當然我也明白,這般的深意和見地是相對的。
03:28
For starters首發, we now live生活 longer,
and so age年齡 more slowly慢慢地.
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首先,我們的壽命比前人要長,
所以我們衰老得慢。
03:33
Christopher克里斯托弗 Isherwood伊舍伍德 used
the phrase短語 "the yellow黃色 leaf"
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克里斯托弗·伊舍伍德
用“落葉”
03:36
to describe描述 a man at 53,
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形容53歲的人,
03:38
only one century世紀 after Lord Byron拜倫
used it to describe描述 himself他自己 at 36.
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而一百年前拜倫勳爵正好用這個詞
形容當時36歲的自己。
03:42
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
03:45
I was mindful銘記, too, that life
can swing搖擺 wildly瘋狂 and unpredictably不可預測的
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我也知道,有時命運多舛的人一年之間
03:48
from one year to the next下一個,
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也會經歷不可預測的大風大浪,
03:50
and that people may可能 experience經驗
the same相同 age年齡 differently不同.
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每個人在每段年齡都有不同的經歷。
03:54
But even so, as the list名單 coalesced合併,
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但儘管如此,當這張時間表完成的時候,
03:57
so, too, on the page, clear明確
as the reflection反射 in the mirror鏡子,
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我仍然能在那裡面找到
04:01
did the life that I had been living活的:
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我自己一生的影子:
04:03
finding發現 at 20 that "... one is less
and less sure of who one is;"
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發現“人在20歲的時候總是看不清自己”;
04:08
emerging新興 at 30 from the "... wasteland荒地
of preparation製備 into active活性 life;"
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三十出頭“總算從荒蕪闖出精彩紛呈“;
04:13
learning學習 at 40 "... to close softly輕輕的
the doors to rooms客房
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40歲學會了“要輕輕地關上
04:17
[I would] not be coming未來 back to."
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我再也不會回去的房間的門。”
04:20
There I was.
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這就是我,
04:23
Of course課程, there we all are.
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這也是你們。
04:26
Milton米爾頓 Glaser格拉澤, the great graphic圖像 designer設計師
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你所看到的這張美麗的照片
04:29
whose誰的 beautiful美麗
visualizations可視化 you see here,
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正是86歲的米爾頓·格拉塞,
04:32
and who today今天 is 85 --
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一位了不起的平面設計師。
04:34
all those years年份 "... a ripening成熟
and an apotheosis神化," wrote Nabokov納博科夫 --
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86個年頭,“正是成熟和昇華之時”
納博科夫寫到。
04:39
noted注意 to me that, like art藝術 and like color顏色,
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從中我明白了,就像藝術和色彩,
04:43
literature文學 helps幫助 us to remember記得
what we've我們已經 experienced有經驗的.
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文學替我們記住我們記住了曾經的我們。
04:47
And indeed確實, when I shared共享
the list名單 with my grandfather祖父,
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果真當我把這張時間表拿給我祖父看時,
04:50
he nodded點頭 in recognition承認.
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他贊同地點了點頭。
04:53
He was then 95 and soon不久 to die,
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他當時已經95歲了,離大去之時不遠了。
04:57
which哪一個, wrote Roberto羅伯托 Bola博拉ño,
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像羅伯托·博拉諾寫的,
04:59
"... is the same相同 as never dying垂死."
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“這就如同永垂不朽。”
05:03
And looking back, he said to me that, yes,
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往回看,我祖父跟我说,是的,
05:07
Proust普魯斯特 was right that at 22,
we are sure we will not die,
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普鲁斯特說所不假,当你22岁的时候我们坚信我们不会死,
05:13
just as a thanatologistthanatologist
named命名 Edwin埃德溫 Shneidman父施耐德曼 was right
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而就像死亡學家,埃德温父施耐德曼說的,
05:16
that at 90, we are sure we will.
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90歲的時候,我們都清楚我們將要離去。
05:21
It had happened發生 to him,
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就跟他的同輩人一樣
05:23
as to them.
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他已然經歷了死亡。
05:27
Now the list名單 is doneDONE:
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現在這張時間表已經完成:
05:30
a hundred years年份.
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整整一百年。
05:33
And looking back over it,
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只是現在再回看這張表,
05:36
I know that I am not doneDONE.
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我覺得我還沒有完成我的任務。
05:38
I still have my life to live生活,
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我還要去好好活我餘下的人生,
05:40
still have many許多 more pages網頁 to pass通過 into.
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而這剩下的年華,也足夠去書寫更多人生。
05:44
And mindful銘記 of Mailer信封,
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心中不忘諾曼·梅勒所言,
05:46
I await等待 44.
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我期待我的44岁。
05:48
Thank you.
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謝謝
05:49
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by LING WU
Reviewed by Lydia Yu

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joshua Prager - Journalist
Joshua Prager’s journalism unravels historical secrets -- and his own.

Why you should listen

Joshua Prager writes for publications including Vanity Fair, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, where he was a senior writer for eight years. George Will has described his work as "exemplary journalistic sleuthing."

His new book, 100 Years, is a list of literary quotations on every age from birth to one hundred. Designed by Milton Glaser, the legendary graphic designer who created the I ♥ NY logo, the book moves year by year through the words of our most beloved authors, revealing the great sequence of life.

His first book, The Echoing Green, was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. The New York Times Book Review called it “a revelation and a page turner, a group character study unequaled in baseball writing since Roger Kahn’s Boys of Summer some three decades ago.”

His second book, Half-Life, describes his recovery from a bus crash that broke his neck. Dr. Jerome Groopman, staff writer at the New Yorker magazine, called it “an extraordinary memoir, told with nuance and brimming with wisdom.

Joshua was a Nieman fellow at Harvard in 2011 and a Fulbright Distinguished Chair at Hebrew University in 2012. He was born in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, grew up in New Jersey, and lives in New York. He is writing a book about Roe v. Wade.

 

More profile about the speaker
Joshua Prager | Speaker | TED.com

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