DavidTang（鄧永鏘）
Iamscaredofhorrormovies.Iammorescaredofmywife.ButIammostscaredwhenpeopletellmetheydon'tread.Someevenboastthattheyhaveneverreadabookintheirlives.Whatachillingthought.It'schillingbecausenotreadingisnotwantingknowledge.Thinkaboutknowledgewhichwewouldnevergainfromourownexperiences.Thinkaboutknowledgefromwhichweneedtolearn.Andthinkaboutknowledgewhichwouldstimulateourimagination.Thinkhowmuchpoorerwewouldbewithlesswrittenknowledge.ImaginenoShakespeare!ImaginenoHomerorJaneAusten!Imagine,Godforbid,noP.G.Wodehouse!NoDonne,noKeats,noYeats,noBelloc!AndnoLiPo,Ovid,Rumi,Neruda!Andtheseareprobablyonlyonepercentofalltheauthorsthereare.Justimaginehowterrifyingitwouldbewithoutthem.Iwouldfeelnaked.ItwouldbelikesleepingnudewithFrankenstein'sCreature.(OfcourseIamabletomakethiscomparisonbecauseIhavereadMaryShelley'snovel.)
Butitwillnotonlybefictionwewouldmiss.Wewouldalsomissallthebeautifulprose.Lineswhichmakeusrepeatthemwithadmiration.Lineswhichexpressthingssubliminalandwhichevokewholenewworlds.Andlineswhichdeepenouremotionsandactonourimagination.AndIhavenotevenmentionedbiographiesfromwhichwesharethepointsofviewofothers.Norallkindsofotherdisciplinesbywhichourlivesdepend:sciences,arts,religions,histories,philosophies.Thosewhodon'treadwillofcoursesayknowledgeisgainedfrommanyothermeans:fromtelevision,cinema,conversations,seminarsandpersonalexperiences.Forcertain,welearnfromallthese.Butit'slaughablethatbookscaneverbereplaced.Giventhechoice,thosewhodonotreadarephilistines.InGreek,fromwherethewordcame,philistinesareuneducated.Worsestill,theyareunenlightened.
Therefore,alwaysbesuspiciousofsomeonewhodoesnotread.Anyhomewithoutbooksisasorrowfultomb.Anyonewhodoesn'thavebooksnexttotheirbedarebores.Andtheygetboredeasily.Whenpeopletellmetheyarebored,Iknowit'sbecausetheydon'tread.Thebookisman'sbestcompanion.(Thesecondisthedog.Iamalwaysunimpressedbythosewhodon'tlikedogs.Fordogsgivegreatcomfortandunconditionallove-justlikebooks.)SoIamneverbored.Onthecontrary,Idon'thavetimetoreadallthebooksIwantto.Iamonlyboredfornothavingenoughtimetoread.IwishIknewmore.WhenIthinkoflove,IreflectonOthelloandDesdamona,DarcyandElizabeth,GatsbyandDaisy.WhenIthinkofsacrifice,IrecallSydneyCarton.WhenIthinkofmanipulators,IrememberCharlesArrowby.Andonseduction,ImarvelatBeckySharp.Onsuspense,IcanjustseeAnneCatherick.Inhumour,IlaughwiththeThreeMeninaBoat,andMrPsmith.Yet,Iwanttoknowmore.Ithirstformore.IpineforthedaywhenIcanlunchordineonmyown,withbookinhandandnointerruption.
WhenProsperowasdeposedasDukeofMilan,hisloyalcourtiersenthimsomeofhispossessions.Prosperoremarked:
Forsomeonewhohasjustlosthisdukedom,Prosperostillhadasenseofpriority.
Anddon'tletthoseinternetnerdstellyouthatwecannowreadeverythingonthecomputer.Thereisnothinglikeaphysicalbook.Somethingwecantakeeverywhere;somethingwecangripinourhands;somethingwecansmell;somethingwecandelveintoorflickthrough.Andbookslooksowonderfulonshelves.Ialwayshaveshelvesofbooksinmydiningroomandbedroom,asIlovemosttoeatanddreamwithbooks.
Ifyoucannotaffordtobuybooks,gotothelibrary.IreadthatHongKonghasthehighestincidenceoflibraryusagepercapitaintheworld.Iwasveryhappytolearnthatfactfromabook.Iamlesshappytoseetheevidence.It'sodd.FornottoomanypeopleIknowreadinHongKong.Theyallsaytheyaretoobusy.Iambusy-verybusy,butImaketimeandIreadalot.Sonoexcusefornotreading,nomatterhowpreoccupiedyouare.Ofcourseithelpstohaveawifewhoreads.Minedoes.OtherwiseIwouldnothavemarriedher.Iamuxoriousonlybecauseshereads.Welovereadingtogetherinbed.Itmakesusrelaxed.AndwhenIgo-whenIwillbeatmymostrelaxedstate,IwouldliketoqualifyforHilareBelloc'ssweetcouplet:-
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作者為中國會、上海灘、太平洋雪茄和香港斯比安利創辦人，文章隔星期一刊出