Vessel Information

Author: Annie Proulx (USA), translated by Ai Nong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-28
Features: This is the third work by Annie Proulx, the author of "Brokeback Mountain," telling the story of a failed middle-aged man in New York who finds rebirth in the desolate Newfoundland. The term "failed middle-aged man" seems to be a new trend in Hollywood in the past two years: films like "Crazy, Stupid, Love" and "The" all feature protagonists of this type, exploring their hidden failures and soothing the most vulnerable nerves of every audience. Clearly, this is a product of modern psychological pressure, where everyone—especially men—cannot escape the fatal curse of "success anxiety," stumbling forward on the path of success imposed upon them. In the literary world, Annie Proulx, known for writing about marginalized and disillusioned individuals, wrote "Ship News" as early as 1993, a long novel about a failed man's rebirth. The protagonist, this middle-aged man, is named Queer, a mediocre reporter in New York. He was born unattractive, with a "chin that jutted forward like a shelf," and had always been discriminated against, covering his chin with his hands while speaking, living in humility until the age of 36 without ever receiving a single affirmation from the world. How failed was he—his wife was unfaithful, eloped with someone (and sold two of his young daughters along the way), dying in a car accident; his parents were aging, committing suicide together without even leaving a complete phone message; his career was, barely surviving, and he was fired with a single notice, plunging him into profound despair. At this critical moment, his elderly aunt suggested he take his two young daughters back to his ancestral home in Newfoundland, a house abandoned for over 40 years. On this desolate island, with the help of many other small characters who were equally wounded in their hearts, Queer, by writing ship news and traffic accident reports for a local newspaper called "The Fisherman," surprisingly received the world's first nod of affirmation in his life. Thus, Queer gradually overcame the psychological shadows cast by his ugly appearance and failed life, finally finding his own small but firm place in life. And a less modest career and a no-longer-hesitant love also came to his side. In this harsh survival environment, facing the life-devouring sea, giant waves, ice, and fierce winds, this group of marginalized small characters helped each other, each finding redemption and the joy of rebirth. The most moving description in the book is Queer's hesitation and reluctance in the face of new love: although the silence with the female protagonist made him feel at ease, and something had already begun to emerge, Queer, who had tasted the humiliation of love, asked himself, "What is this? This must not be love, because love twists and hurts people. This must not be love, because love only happens once in a lifetime." Like "Brokeback Mountain," the language style of "Ship News" is rough and simple, making it hard to imagine it was written by a woman. On the other hand, the suppressed deep emotion, like an undercurrent, compels you to admit that only a delicate and tender female heart can touch these scarred souls. The entire book seems to be a soothing and healing of the inner folds and spiritual wounds of those marginalized and disillusioned individuals who are rejected by the world but refuse to give up. The ending is particularly heartwarming: "Since Jack could escape from the pickle barrel, since the neckless bird could fly away, what is impossible? Perhaps water is older than light, diamonds shatter in hot lamb blood, the mountain top spews cold fire, a forest appears in the middle of the sea, perhaps the crab's back has the shadow of a hand, perhaps a knotted rope can trap the wind. Perhaps, sometimes, love can also be free from pain and sorrow."—In fact, how many adults do not have painful memories and wounds deep in their hearts? Annie Proulx wants to tell us that failure and pain are unavoidable, but the key is how to move forward from these wounds and shadows, bravely facing tomorrow and a new life. This is the author's most deeply caring long novel, which has long been praised by the literary world: it won the 1993 National Book Award and the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the International Novel Award from The Irish Times, and other major awards. Critics have called it "a rare work in contemporary literature, telling a story of redemption and healing, celebrating the revival of the human spirit, and even rarer is that it is also a sweet and gentle love story" (The Toronto Star). Just as she took "eight years" to write "Brokeback Mountain," the female writer visited Newfoundland in Canada nine times to immerse herself in life, listen, interview, and take notes—to write "Ship News." It is precisely this extraordinary writing method that has achieved Annie Proulx's unparalleled literary status and height. The book was adapted into a film by Hollywood in 2001, starring Kevin Spacey and Julian Moore (also translated as "The Shipping News"), with a lot of action and a lavish cast, but it did not achieve the success of "Brokeback Mountain." One reason is that the actors were "too handsome": Kevin Spacey never looked like a failed middle-aged man, lacking the depth of persuasion. I once told a few friends—successful middle-aged men—all about the story of "Ship News," and their reactions were the same: "It's clearly about me, except for the specific details, I'm just Queer." There's nothing strange about that. As Li An once said: "Isn't there a failed middle-aged man in everyone's heart?"