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《一個乾淨明亮的地方》
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
by 歐內斯特·海明威
Ernest Hemingway
▌閱讀時長：8分鐘
▌內容簡介
Hemingway’s writing can be minimalistic, a quality that lends itself well to short stories. In fact, Washington Post's books editor, Ron Charles, has said that Hemingway’s short stories are better than his novels.
海明威的寫作手法一向頗為簡潔，這一特點尤其適合於短篇小說。事實上，《華盛頓郵報》的圖書編輯羅恩·查爾斯就曾評價說，海明威的短篇小說比他的長篇小說更優秀。
You』ve probably read, or at least heard about, 「Hills Like White Elephants,」 a cryptic conversation between a man and a woman. 「A Clean, Well-Lighted Place」 is another classic, in which two waiters prepare for the end of the evening.
你可能讀過或者至少聽說過《白象似的群山》，那是發生在一男一女之間的一段晦澀對白。而《一個乾淨明亮的地方》則是另一個經典，講述了兩個男服務生準備結束一個夜晚的故事。
▌精彩選段
The two waiters inside the café knew that the old man was a little drunk, and while he was a good client they knew that if he became too drunk he would leave without paying, so they kept watch on him.
呆在餐館裡的兩個侍者知道這老人有點兒醉了，他雖然是個好主顧，可是，他們知道，如果他喝得太醉了，他會不付帳就走，所以他們一直在留神他。
"Last week he tried to commit suicide," one waiter said.
"上個星期他想自殺，"一個侍者說。
"Why?"
"為什麼？"
"He was in despair."
"他絕望啦。"
"What about?"
"為啥絕望？"
"Nothing."
"不為什麼。"
"How do you know it was nothing?"
"你怎麼知道是不為什麼？"
"He has plenty of money."
"他有很多錢。"