Newsletter No. 325

No. 325, 19.10.2008 But attitude is key. For the past 20 years, I have lived in close to 10 countries. When I arrive at a new place, I try to adapt to the new environment as soon as possible. Home is everywhere when it is nowhere. 7 詩人的靈感從那兒來？ Where does a poet’s inspiration come from? 坦率地說，靈感是含混陳舊的說法。寫作其實是用兩部分 組成的，一是巫術，二是手藝。巫術是天生的，是通過語言 呼風喚雨的神秘力量；而手藝是後天的，靠的是悟性和努 力。沒有「巫術」，再努力也白搭；沒有「手藝」，也就沒有 形式，久而久之，「巫術」的神秘力量也會消失。 Frankly, inspiration is an ambiguous cliché. Writing is made up of two parts: witch craft and craftsmanship. Witch craft is inborn. It is the mysterious power that lets you summon wind and fire with language. Craftsmanship is something that can be acquired through comprehension and hard work. Without ‘witch craft’, hard work ends in vain. Without ‘craftsmanship’, there is no form and, with time, the mysterious power of ‘witch craft’ vanishes. 8 很多人都說你的詩歌蘊含很多政治的寓意，你 同意嗎？ It is often said that your poetry is full of political meaning. Do you agree? 如果說詩歌如大海，那麼政治只是匯入其中的一條河流而 已。所以這類說法沒甚麼意義。 If poetry is a sea, politics is just one of the rivers flowing into it. This kind of comment is pointless. 9 如果不寫詩，你會以甚麼為專業？ If you were not a poet, what would have been your profession? 寫詩是一種存在方式，不是專業。開始寫詩時，我是建築 工人，六年混凝土工和五年鐵匠。此後當過編輯、記者、翻 譯和自由撰稿人，到了歐美又改行教書。如果你說的專業 就是職業的話，那只不過是謀生的手段而已。 Being a poet is a way of being, not a profession. I was a construction worker when I first started writing poetry—six years working concrete and five years, metal. After that, I had been an editor, reporter, translator, and freelance writer. I became a teacher after going to Europe and America. If you define profession as an occupation, then it is just a way to make a living. 10 在國外居住多年，會想再回到中國去嗎？ You have lived overseas for many years. Do you want to return to China? 在海外漂泊了快二十年，回不回去已沒那麼重要，其間因 父親病重也回過北京，面目皆非，讓人很失望。不知為甚 麼，搬到香港，覺得離中國更遠了。我與香港，在身分上倒 是有某種對應關係。香港就有一種漂泊感，還有香港人在 身分認同上的含混。就此而言，這大概是我找到的另一個 故鄉吧。 I led a wandering life overseas for almost 20 years. It is no longer important whether I return to China. I went back to Beijing when my father was critically ill. It was changed beyond recognition. Very disappointing. I don’t know why but having moved to Hong Kong, China feels even further away. However, I find parallels between myself and Hong Kong in terms of identity—this city feels like a drifter and the self-identity of Hong Kong people is ambiguous. In this sense, I may have found another hometown. 粵曲的學和唱：王粵生粵曲教程（第三版） 陳守仁 此書編排及整理了粵樂名家王粵生教授粵曲的講學內容，是 粵曲初學者的入門教材。書中簡述王氏的創作生涯、粵曲基 本概念及結構、王氏粵曲課程摘要及粵曲教材，隨書附送雷 射唱碟乙隻，收錄王氏現場粵曲教學錄音《歸來燕》、《胡不 歸．慰妻》等。 國際標準書號：978-962-810-415-4 售價：八十港元（平裝），153頁  This book introduces the life of the late Cantonese opera master Wang Yuesheng and some basic concepts of Cantonese opera. It also features teaching materials of Mr. Wang and a CD is included. ISBN: 978-962-810-415-4 Price: HK$80 (paperback), 153 pp. 香港亞太研究所 Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies 「十一五」下泛珠三角與香港研究系列：IV. 福建與香港 （ 研究專論第一九四號 ） 楊汝萬、沈建法、盧一飛 福建省政府通過五年規劃，針對自身發展的薄弱環節制訂系 列方針，力圖盡快步入中國一線強省行列。根據目前省人均地 區生產總值判斷，福建將在「十一五」期間面臨發展瓶頸，如 何在人力、資源、環境制約的情況下保持目前的發展步伐，將 是福建面臨的重大考驗。 國際標準書號：978-962-441-194-2 售價﹕二十港元（平裝），32頁 The Pan-Pearl River Delta Region and Hong Kong under the Eleventh Five-year Plan Research Series: IV. Fujian and Hong Kong (Occasional Paper 194) By Yeung Yue-man, Shen Jianfa and Lu Yife To address the problems hindering Fujian’s development, the provincial authorities have set up development goals through the Five-year Plans launched by the central government since the early 1950s. In the Eleventh Five- year Plan, Fujian will face bottlenecks to its development and will have to address the challenge of pursuing development in the face of constraints of manpower, resources, and the environment. ISBN: 978-962-441-194-2 Price: HK$20 (paperback), 32 pp. 「十一五」下泛珠三角與香港研究系列：V. 湖南與香港 （ 研究專論第一九五號 ） 沈建法、楊汝萬、蘇文珊 本文先回顧湖南近年的發展成就，並簡述湖南在「十一五」期 間社經發展的主要方向，繼而介紹湘港在投資、貿易及旅遊等 項目上的合作現況，並探討香港在未來合作中的機遇。 國際標準書號：978-962-441-195-9 售價：十五港元（平裝），30頁 The Pan-Pearl River Delta Region and Hong Kong under the Eleventh Five-year Plan Research Series: V. Hunan and Hong Kong (Occasional Paper 195) By Shen Jianfa, Yeung Yue-man and So Man-shan This paper reviews the recent developments and highlights the key directions in Hunan’s socio-economic development under the Eleventh Five-year Plan. It also introduces the cooperation between Hong Kong and the province in the areas of investment, trade, tourism, and so on, followed by a discussion of the opportunities for Hong Kong in further cooperation with Hunan. ISBN: 978-962-441-195-9 Price: HK$15 (paperback), 30 pp. 香港中文大學粵劇研究計劃 Cantonese Opera Research Programme 帝女花（青年版）演出劇本集 為配合「粵劇國際研討會﹕情尋足跡二百年」及紀念 《帝女花》劇本誕生五十周年，中文大學於2007年9月籌 演《帝女花》（青年版），贏得了觀眾好評。現出版《帝女 花（青年版）演出劇本集》，以圖文並茂的形式為演出作 一個「全紀錄」。 國際標準書號：978-962-810-418-5 售價：六十港元（平裝），107頁 To mark the holding of the ‘International Conference on Cantonese Opera: Following the Footprints of the Past 200 Years’ and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of the libretto Princess Chang Ping , CUHK presented Princess Chang Ping (Youth Version) in September 2007. The performance was a success. The publication of this illustrated play script serves as a perfect conclusion to the events. ISBN: 978-962-810-418-5 Price: HK$60 (paperback), 107 pp. 粵劇國際研討會論文集（上下冊） 本書為2007年「粵劇國際研討會﹕情尋足跡二百年」會議發表 的論文結集，收錄了三十九篇論文，是海內外的國際學者對粵 劇歷史的研究成果，課題包括早期粵劇發展、粵劇唱腔研究、 粵劇音樂研究、粵劇電影研究、當代粵劇發展、名演員研究、 粵劇傳承方式、名編劇研究等。 國際標準書號：978-962-810-417-8 售價：一百港元（平裝，兩冊），595頁 This proceedings of the ‘International Conference on Cantonese Opera: Following the Footprints of the Past 200 Years’ consists of 39 theses by scholars from Hong Kong, China, Macau and overseas. Their topics range from the development of Cantonese opera, case studies of opera actors and playwrights, to film adaptations of Cantonese opera. ISBN: 978-962-810-417-8 Price: HK$100 (paperback, two volumes), 595 pp.