著《教父》新书

Writing a New Godfather Novel

著《教父》新书

 

It’s been 35 years since The Godfather was published and five years since the death of Mario Puzo, who wrote the international best seller. But now one of the most celebrated¹ Mafia clans² in American fiction is back in a new novel, called The Godfather Returns. Author Mark Winegardner was picked by Random³ House publishers and the Puzo estate to write the book, it takes place during years not covered in the original novel or the Godfather movies.

 

Picking up where Mario Puzo left off might seem like a daunting⁴ task. The Godfather has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide since it was published in 1969. It also inspired a film that became a classic in its own right, and two movie sequels.

 

But while Mark Winegardner says writing a new novel around those familiar characters might seem like a challenge, it was also a privilege.

 

Mr. Winegardner: There were aspects of these characters I felt the films didn't get into, the novel didn't get into. I wanted to deepen those colors and take the story farther.

 

One story line that had yet to be resolved for Mr. Winegardner was Michael Corleone's conflict over whether he wanted to be part of the Mafia. Played by Al Pacino in the movie, Vito Corleone's son makes his first appearance as a young war hero, courting his future bride and trying to steer⁵ clear of the family business. But by the end of the original story, Michael Corleone is the new godfather.

 

The Godfather Returns begins in 1955, as Michael is ending a brutal⁶ power struggle with other New York mob families. Now he wants to move the Corleones west to Lake Tahoe and into legitimate⁷ business. But he has got a new enemy in another member of the Corleone syndicate, a one-time boxer-turned-lawyer named Nick Geraci.

 

Mr. Winegardner: He doesn't understand why you'd even want to [start a legitimate business]…the Mafia's going great. What we never see in the Mafia saga⁸ is some resolution to this thing that Michael's yearning⁹ for, that's driving him, the desire to take the family legitimate. And I wanted to see that resolved, and it is.

 

Although Mario Puzo collaborated¹¹ on the Godfather screenplays, he reportedly declined to write a book sequel about the Corleone family. But Jonathan Karp, who served as Mr. Puzo's editor at Random House, was not ready to see the story end.

 

Mr. Karp: I love the book…I love the characters. I wanted more. I wanted to revisit this world.

 

So Mr. Karp and the Puzo estate held a nationwide competition, inviting¹² aspiring¹³ Godfather authors to submit outlines of their proposed plots. Winegardner won, earning the right to take on a job that ultimately took over his life.

 

Mr. Karp: It's been kind of all-encompassing. I spent about two years working on the book from beginning to end. I was a month away at artists' colonies, a month back. The last eight weeks I was writing the book, I was literally¹⁴ sleeping every other night. But to live in and among these people was a joy.

 

Mark Winegardner met those characters when he read The Godfather for the first time at the age of 12. Writing The Godfather Returns gave him a chance to take them in new directions and clear up old mysteries. He launches family advisor¹⁵ Tom Hagen on a political career, for example. And he portrays¹⁷ Michael's brother Fredo Corleone as bisexual.

 

Mr. Winegardner: The seeds of that are in The Godfather. At one point Vito says something very vicious about Fredo, and Hagen wonders what it's about. The novel ends, and Puzo never says what secret Vito has about Fredo.

 

Mr. Winegardner also includes characters resembling real-life figures like F.B.I. director J. Edgar Hoover and the family of President John F. Kennedy.

 

Mr. Winegardner: You know, I wanted the novel to get into all the great elements from Mafia history in the 1950s and early 60s, and I took it there as well.

 

Reviews has been mixed for The Godfather Returns. Some critics have suggested that the original novel should have been left alone. But Publisher's Weekly bestowed¹⁸ a starred review on Mark Winegardner's story, claiming "the book isn't perfect…just nearly so." Mr. Winegardner says he is pleased with the response so far. As for more sequels or new movies, the author says he is not quite done with the Corleone family.

 

I am Nancy Beardsley.

 

注释:

The Godfather《教父》

fiction [5fikFEn] n. 小说

The Godfather Returns《教父归来》

take place 发生

steer clear of 避开

legitimate [lei5dVitimit] adj. 合法的

collaborate¹⁰ [kE5lAbEreit] vi. 协作

aspiring [Es5paiEriN] adj. 热心的，有抱负的

submit [sEb5mit] vt. 提交

direction [di5rekFEn] n. 方向

portray¹⁶ [pC:5trei] v. 描绘

bisexual [5bai5seksjuEl] n. 两性人

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

3 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

4 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

5 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

6 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

7 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

8 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

9 yearning   

a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的

参考例句：

• a yearning for a quiet life 对宁静生活的向往
• He felt a great yearning after his old job. 他对过去的工作有一种强烈的渴想。

10 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。

11 collaborated   

合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• We have collaborated on many projects over the years. 这些年来我们合作搞了许多项目。
• We have collaborated closely with the university on this project. 我们与大学在这个专案上紧密合作。

12 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

13 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

14 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

15 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

16 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

17 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。