A CANADIAN writer and historian, Elizabeth Abbott became aware of mistresses as a child because her great-grandfather kept what her mother scathingly referred to as a 「love nest」, occupied by a series of 「fancy women」. Her great-grandmother tolerated the situation, on the condition that when a diamond was bought for a mistress, one was also given toher. Now Ms Abbott has explored the nature and history of the extra-marital affair as seen through the mistresses』 experience.
伊莉莎白.阿伯特是一位加拿大作家，也是歷史學家。早在幼年時，因母親時不時用尖刻的語氣提及曾祖父在外的愛巢，那裡形形色色的女人絡繹不絕。自此，她對情婦一詞有了朦朧的認識。她的曾祖母忍受了這一切，條件是曾祖父每給一個情婦買一顆鑽石，也得給她一顆。而今，阿伯特女士洞察了情婦們的經歷，探討了婚外情的本質和發展史。
Her history of mistresses, which was published in Canada some time ago, is the second in a trilogy of studies on male-female relations. The first was a history of celibacy; the third will be a history of marriage. In 13 thematic and loosely chronological chapters, the author traces the lives of more than 70 mistresses from biblical times to the present day.
她的這本情婦史前不久剛在加拿大出版，是研究兩性關係的三部曲中的第二本。第一本是關於獨身的歷史；而第三本將講述婚姻的發展歷程。通過13個主題鮮明但時間結構隨意的章節，作者描述了從聖經時代到現在的70多位情婦的生活。
The book’s scope is ambitious, shifting from imperial China to Europe’s royal whores, from Nazi Germany to revolutionary Cuba. Ms Abbott’s stated interest is how the relationship betweena man and his mistress reflects a woman’s position in society at different times. What stands out, however, are the women themselves.
此書的「版圖」可謂龐大，一直從封建社會時的中國寫到歐洲的皇室妓女，從納粹德國寫到革命時期的古巴。阿伯特女士的興趣點顯而易見，那就是在不同時代，男人和情婦的關係是如何反映女人當時的社會地位的。然而，最吸引眼球的，還是女人們自己的故事。
Malinche, the mistress and counsellor of Hernán Cortés, was so crucial to his conquest of the Aztecempire natives stopped distinguishing between the two and considered them one indivisible unit.」 In 1526 Roxelana, an ambitious beauty, rose out of the Ottoman imperial harem of 300 women to coerce Sultan Suleiman into a monogamous relationship—so unusual that courtiers whispered of bewitchment.
瑪麗娜，荷蘭多.科爾蒂斯的情婦兼軍師，對他徵服阿茲特克帝國起到了關鍵性作用，當地人甚至不再區分他倆直接把他們看成一個不可分割的整體。1526年，一個野心勃勃的美女蘿瑟拉娜從鄂圖曼帝國的300後宮佳麗中脫穎而出，迫使蘇勒曼一世成為第一個結婚的蘇丹。這件事如此的不同尋常，朝野遍傳蘇丹被下蠱了。
Camilla Parker Bowles is perhaps the most notorious mistress of recent years. Ms Abbott records how she and Prince Charles met at a rain-lashed polo field in 1970, when Camilla, 「though dripping wet and garbed in unflattering stable gear」, introduced herself to Britain’sheir to the throne. Their relationship continued through failed marriages on both sides and public uproar over the affair.
也許卡米拉.帕克.鮑爾拉是近年來最聲名狼藉的情婦了。阿伯特女士記載了在1970年卡米拉和查爾斯王子在暴雨傾盆的馬球場如何偶遇，當時卡米拉「雖然渾身溼答答的，穿著不討喜的馬服」，還是向英國王位繼承人介紹了自己。經歷了各自失敗的婚姻，也面對過公眾的譴責，他們的關係始終如一。
In a highly unusual move for a mistress, Mrs Parker Bowles became the prince’s wife in 2005. The experience of most mistresses is dismal. Even when they willingly enter into mistressdom, the insecurity of their position often leads to destructive behaviour: drink, drugs or gambling. Most of them long to marry their lovers and enjoy the respect society affords to wives.
在情婦裡面，卡米拉的行為算是極為罕見的。在2005年，她終成「查爾斯王妃」。但很多情婦門的經歷是很悽涼的，即便是自願充當情婦的角色，無保障性的地位經常會導致她們走向自我毀滅的行為：酗酒，吸毒或者賭博。當中很多人都渴望能與她們的愛人結婚，享有社會只會賦予妻子的尊重。
Ms Abbott is delightfully in discreet, with an eye for a good story and a colloquial style. Though her book reads more like an anthology of mistresses than a history, she has done the ladies a service by bringing them out of the shadows.
阿伯特女士有一雙發現好故事的眼睛，文章寫得通俗易懂，內容雖偶有冒犯，但筆調還是欣然。她的新作，與其說讀起來像歷史，不如說是情婦故事選集，但阿伯特把她們的事跡帶到陽光下，也算好事一樁。