10.5 Chapters World History

A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters

Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes subverts established world history: fiction, parody, and interpretation are the themes of human history; love is our last Noah's Ark! Bi Feiyu, Ma Boyong, and Miao Wei's private book list strongly recommends Is the history you know true?
What did Noah and his family eat during the Flood, spending so many days on the ark? Did cannibalism occur on the romantic "Raft of the Medusa"? How did this man survive the sinking of the Titanic? Why are the remains of Noah on Mount Ararat a woman? ... In each story, Barnes shows us that at crucial moments in human history, there seems to be another possibility.
Only Barnes could write a world history in 10.5 chapters. While constructing a novel in the name of history, Barnes hints that he's playing a joke on history. In his version, the Ark reappears at different points in human history, but the chain that originally connected the Ark with salvation slips through the lips of different narrators, and the history carefully woven by historians begins to sail into the unknown. Barnes said, "I desperately wanted a historian to comment, but there wasn't one."
◆After reading the book, 99% of you will wonder, is this a novel?
"My bottom line now is, I'm a novelist, and if I say it's a novel, then it is," Barnes said.
Barnes sometimes jokes about the Bible, sometimes reviews famous paintings, sometimes narrates history, and sometimes invents the future, collaging religious legends, new stories, historical records, personal narratives, etc. into his novels.
Renowned graphic designer Ma Shirui was invited to create the overall design, which is based on the theme "There is nothing new under the sun." History is simply repeating itself, like a circle, repeating itself over and over again. The overall design uses the imagery of "circle" and "triangle" to present the theme. The "circle" on the cover symbolizes the "cycle" and "return" of history, while the "triangle" in the text symbolizes the woodworm that constantly gnaws at the storyteller of human history. The interior and exterior complement each other and echo the historical theme.
The designer has meticulously typeset the entire text with a clear, airy layout, creating a unique and ingenious theme, and has incorporated variations on the theme in the chapter "Interlude." The font is clear, strong, and appropriately sized, making it easy to read. The cover is crafted from fine art paper, featuring hot stamping and embossing, creating a sense of depth and a refined feel. The text is printed on offset book paper with a slight beige tint, ensuring both comfortable reading and a lasting collection.
-------------------------------------------------------------
【Content Introduction】
History keeps repeating itself, "the first time is a tragedy, the second time is a farce."
During the last apocalypse, a woodworm stole into Noah's ark. It witnessed Noah's actions, which were vastly different from those recorded in the book. The ark reappears time and again throughout human history, as a hijacked cruise ship, the Titanic, or a lone ship at sea during a nuclear panic... This stowaway never left, observing with dispassion how history is distorted and how that distortion becomes "true" history. It possessed Barnes's pen, guiding him through his wondrous prose, piecing together a seemingly absurd but thought-provoking history of the world.
-------------------------------------------------------------
【Celebrity Reviews】
Everywhere in this book, brilliance, wit, and profound thought flash, making it a joy to read. Barnes is like a medieval commentator reincarnated, bringing us this novel. It is a footnote to history, a subversion of the known.
—Salman Rushdie His work maintains a complex distance from what anyone else does.
—Martin Amis When I saw A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, I immediately fell in love with Barnes.
——Miao Wei This novel is Barnes' most studied and discussed work.
——Ma Boyong

2021-03-01

译林出版社

337

9787544785174