Human nature is evil

Inherent Vice

Part noir, part psychedelic joke, 100% Pynchon private investigator Doc watches the end of an era through the smoke.
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★ A masterpiece by Thomas Pynchon, the master of postmodernism and "the most mysterious American writer"★ A secret nostalgia and distorted interpretation of the psychedelic years of the 1960s in the United States★ The film adaptation of the same name was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 87th Academy Awards and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 86th National Board of Review Awards
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Los Angeles private investigator Doc last saw his ex-girlfriend, Shasta, seemingly ages ago. Suddenly, she reappears, bearing an unsubstantiated tale of a bizarre kidnapping whose victim—her current lover—is a "millionaire" real estate developer. Knowing that "love" is a slippery word prone to tangles, Doc is drawn into Shasta's story, drawing him deeper and deeper into the world of surfers, pimps, drug dealers, rock musicians, and a murderous loan shark.
Simply analyzing the work of Thomas Pynchon, the world's most enigmatic postmodern novelist, along the lines of plot or genre fiction (though "Inherent Vice" does have a Chandler-like veneer) is clearly insufficient; however, a cold, technical analysis of this unique novel isn't necessarily the right approach either. In fact, while reading "Inherent Vice" still offers dazzling, encyclopedic scenery, no hiking boots are necessary. It's perhaps more like a personal account from the late Pynchon, imbued with an old man's nostalgic memories of Manhattan Beach in 1960s Los Angeles—not simply because he experienced it firsthand, but also because he secretly yearns for the naive romance and revolutionary ideals of those hippie youth. They weren't just there to enjoy a moment of psychedelic decadence; they were rooted in a comprehensive philosophical and religious system. Woodstock was their mass, and sharing and fraternity were their motto against the selfishness and greed of a commercial society.
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“‘Inherent Vice’ is the funniest book Pynchon has ever written. It has all the elements of seriousness and humour that make him such a uniquely great American voice. From the outset, the book burns with moral fury – he has an unparalleled compassion for America and the outcasts who wander it.”
—Rolling Stone magazine "A great American book. A brilliant pastiche of California noir, it's hilarious from beginning to end (though the jokes are hard to quote in the family newspaper, as they often use colorful colloquialisms). It's a biting re-telling of the last roar of the Sixties, an era that will soon be gone, lost in memory and legend."
—The Washington Post
"Pynchon's colloquial prose is so spontaneous and so thick with Americana that you forget it's concocted. 'Inherent Vice' reads with such rawness, like a series of jazz solos, scenes, and conversations arranged around a verbal riff."
—Newsweek

2020-07-01

上海译文出版社

478

9787532784295