Publishing in India -- Mythomania

来源: http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21710781-how-indian-publishing-discovered-its-game-thrones-and-created-literary-phenomenon

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[1] How mythological fiction became India’s “Game of Thrones”
WHEN the world’s highest-earning novelist launches his new thriller in January, his co-author may not be familiar to Western fans. James Patterson, an American crime writer whose estimated annual revenues of $95m dwarf even those of Harry Potter’s creator, J.K. Rowling, sometimes joins forces with local writers when he sends his investigators abroad. “Private Delhi” will be his second murder mystery with Ashwin Sanghi, a novelist from Mumbai who is far better known among Indian readers for his contribution to popular mythological fiction—one of the most remarkable, but overlooked, publishing stories of the past decade.
 

单词：

Mythologic 美 [ˌmɪθə'lɒdʒɪkl] 英 [ˌmɪθə'lɒdʒɪkl]
adj.神话的；神话学的
[例句] Conan is the name of two mythological figures from the Irish Gaelic tradition.
柯南来自于爱尔兰的盖尔传统神话人物的名字。
 
Thriller 美 ['θrɪlər] 英 ['θrɪlə(r)]
n.（尤指关于罪案或间谍的）惊险小说（或戏剧、电影）
[例句] To me, it looks like the spy thriller and epic love story it is.
对我来说，它看起来就像间谍惊悚小说以及史诗爱情故事
 
Dwarf 美 [dwɔrf] 英 [dwɔː(r)f]
n.侏儒；矮子；（神话中会魔法的）小矮人
v.使显得矮小；使相形见绌
adj.矮小的
[例句] The kind dwarf asked the little princess to have dinner with him.
善良的小矮人邀请小公主和他一起吃晚饭。
 
Overlook 美 [.oʊvər'lʊk] 英 [.əʊvə(r)'lʊk]
n. 被忽视
v. 忽视（overlook的过去式和过去分词形式）；忽略；俯瞰
[例句]It’s about the fact that we overlooked something.  
这是关于我们忽略一些事物的事实。
 

长难句1：

James Patterson, an American crime writer whose estimated annual revenues of $95m dwarf even those of Harry Potter’s creator, J.K. Rowling, sometimes joins forces with local writers when he sends his investigators abroad.
句子架构分析：
主干：James Patterson joins forces with local writers
插入语：an American crime writer是主语James Patterson的同位语。
定语从句：whose estimated annual revenues of $95m dwarf even those of Harry Potter’s creator, J.K. Rowling 修饰名词an American crime writer
时间状语从句：when he sends his investigators abroad是主句的时间状语。
讲解：James Patterson？詹姆斯帕特森，知道不，美国惊悚推理小说天王！还不清楚？我们继续，whose引导的定语从句修饰他，说他的预计年收入95m美元，有没有感觉，在这句话中有一个很有趣的表达，dwarf，这个词更常见的是作为名词：侏儒，矮子，其实它也可以做动词使用，意为使矮小，或者一个更符合这个语境的表达，也就是使相形见绌。意思就是JK就足够火了，但是和JP这个作家相比，还是有些相形见绌。JK罗琳听过没，大名鼎鼎的哈利波特的作者，在西方有一位比JK更火的一个作家就是这个詹姆斯帕特森，刚刚提到他是美国惊悚推理小说天王！
一眼看过去，James Patterson、Harry Potter 、J.K. Rowling这三个人名跃然纸上，这三个人的关系总算是搞清楚了，也都认识了，可还是看不懂这个句子啊。其实这个句子只是唬人，主语James Patterson，主语之后逗号中间我们看了半天的都是修饰语，试图让我们对与James Patterson了解更加深刻一点。 谓语后的表达就是join forces with sb，就发现这句话只是简单表达了James这个人有时候和海外作家一起合作创作。
 
[2] In the age of Patterson, Potter and “Game of Thrones”, Indian authors have brought their own special flavours to the table: mass-market fiction based on reinterpretations of the two great Hindu epic narratives, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Canny authors enlist ancient fables of gods and heroes, of rival clans, gigantic battles, perilous quests and fearsome ordeals as a way of unlocking the crowd-pleasing genres of mystery, fantasy and historical romance.
 

单词：

Reinterpretation 美 [ˌriɪnˌtɜrprɪ'teɪʃn] 英 [ˌri:ɪnˌtɜ:prɪ'teɪʃn]
n.重新解释；不同的解释
[例句] What does age or experience have to do with your reinterpretation?
年龄与经历跟您的重新解读方式有什么关系？
 
Epic 美 ['epɪk] 英 ['epɪk]
n. 史诗；叙事诗；史诗般的作品
adj. 史诗的，叙事诗的
[例句] That hunger for something epic is an important part of who I am and what I do.
渴望完成史诗般的事情是我这所以是我以及我所做之事重要的一部分。
 
Narrative美 ['nerətɪv] 英 ['nærətɪv]
n.叙述；讲故事；叙事技巧
adj.叙述的；故事体的；善于叙述的
[例句] He then told me that he would commence his narrative the next day when I should be at leisure.
接着他对我说，如果我有空的话，第二天他就开始讲述他的经历。
 
Canny美 ['kæni] 英 ['kæni]
adj.（尤指在商业或政治方面）精明谨慎的
[例句] So far my own friends have dodged the worst with canny financial footwork.
迄今为止，由于谨慎的财务策略，我的朋友避开了最糟糕的情况。
 
Fable美 ['feɪb(ə)l] 英 ['feɪb(ə)l]
n.寓言；〈集合词〉神话；荒唐故事；人人谈论的话题
v.编寓言；虚构(故事)
[例句] He read stories to the children from an old book of fables.
他从一本旧的寓言书里念故事给孩子们听。
 
Clan美 [klæn] 英 [klæn]
n.家族；庞大的家族；宗派；帮派
[例句] Therefore, a different clan culture created a different concept of the contract.
因此，不同的宗族文化造就了不同的契约观念。
 
Perilous美 ['perələs] 英 ['perələs]
adj.危险的；艰险的
[例句] The journey through the jungle was perilous.
穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
 
Ordeal美 [ɔr'dil] 英 [ɔː(r)'diːl]
n.折磨；磨难；煎熬；严酷的考验
[例句] Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.
在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。
 
[3] These stories have helped transform publishing in a nation of 1.3bn people with improving literacy rates and—in contrast to long-term trends in the West—a growing appetite for the printed as well as the electronic book. Adult literacy rose from 65% to 74% between 2001 and 2011; the projection for 2020 is 90%. The annual value of the book market has swollen to an estimated $3.9bn, with 90,000 new titles added each year. Chiki Sarkar (who is married to a correspondent in our Delhi office) used to run Penguin Random House in India and has now founded her own company, Juggernaut Books. She believes that the establishment of book chains that emphasise promotions has meant big books are becoming bigger, just as they have in the West. “Into this landscape you’ve now got an old genre that has found new vitality,” she adds.
 

单词：

Appetite  美 ['æpə.taɪt] 英 ['æpətaɪt]
n. 食欲；嗜好
[例句These dishes can quicken your appetite.
这些菜肴能刺激你的食欲。
 
Swollen  美 ['swoʊlən] 英 ['swəʊlən]
adj. 肿胀的，浮肿的；浮夸的；激动兴奋的
[例句The ankle was badly swollen.
踝节部肿得很厉害。
 
Correspondent 美 [.kɔrə'spɑndənt] 英 [.kɒrɪ'spɒndənt]
n. 通讯记者；客户；通信者；代理商行
[例句Our correspondent says these accusations and withdrawals have dented the credibility of the elections.
我们的记者说这些指控和撤退对选举的可信度造成了影响。
 
Delhi 美 [ˈdɛli] 英 [ˈdeli]
n.德里
 
Juggernaut 美 ['dʒʌɡər.nɔt] 英 ['dʒʌɡə(r).nɔːt]
n. 世界主宰；强大的破坏力
[例句]In fact, they succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations, transforming the region into an export juggernaut and a model for the rest of China.
但事实上，改革的成功超出了所有人最大胆的期许，这个地区成为了出口巨头和中国其他地区的榜样。
 
Genre美 ['ʒɑnrə] 英 ['ʒɒnrə]
n.类型
[例句] Superficially, this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre .
从表面上看，莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。
 

长难句2：

These stories have helped transform publishing in a nation of 1.3bn people with improving literacy rates and—in contrast to long-term trends in the West—a growing appetite for the printed as well as the electronic book。
句子架构分析：
主干：These stories have helped transform publishing
介词短语：in a nation of 1.3bn people修饰publishing
平行结构：with improving literacy rates and a growing appetite 这个介词短语修饰名词nation。
讲解：这句话稍稍有些难懂，我这样把它的句式换一下看是不是更清楚一些，these stories have helped a nation of 1.3bn transform publishing。其实句子的主干就是这么多，这些故事改变了这个13亿人口大国的出版业。后面的with介词短语都是在修饰nation。改变成了一个什么样的国家呢，这个国家人民的文化水平不断上升并且对纸质书和电子书有着持续增加的兴趣。
 
[4] The Ramayana and Mahabharata have long nourished Indian popular culture, whether through village storytelling, puppet-shows, television serials or Bollywood movies. Indian novelists writing in English used to be known abroad purely as a source of strenuous literary works; now they regularly produce gaudy blockbusters that marry these ancient tales with the latest trends in genre fiction.
 
单词：
Ramayana 美 [rəˈmɑjənə]
n.《罗摩衍那》
 
Mahabharata 美 [ˌmɑhəˈbɑrətə] 英 [məˈhɑ:ˈbɑ:rətə]
n. 摩诃婆罗多
 
Nourish 美 ['nɜrɪʃ] 英 ['nʌrɪʃ]
vt. 滋养；怀有
[例句] South American women use the fruit to nourish their skin and hair.
南美洲的妇女都用这种水果来滋养她们的皮肤和头发。
 
Strenuous 美 ['strenjuəs] 英 ['strenjuəs]
adj. 紧张的；费力的；奋发的；艰苦的；热烈的
[例句] Three years of running this strenuous marathon. 
紧张的马拉松式长跑的三年。
 
Gaudy美 ['ɡɔdi] 英 ['ɡɔːdi]
adj.俗艳的；花哨的
n.〈英〉(英国大学中每年举行一次的)宴会
[例句] She was tricked out in gaudy dress.
她穿得华丽而俗气
 
Vitality美 [vaɪ'tæləti] 英 [vaɪ'tæləti]
n.活力；生命力；热情
[例句] It seemed to his imagination as if all her sweetness and vitality had flown.
他觉得仿佛她的可爱和活力已全化为乌有了。
 
[5] The man credited with inaugurating this mythological revival is Ashok Banker, once better known as a literary novelist but who turned to mythological stories in 2003 with an eight-volume Ramayana series that began with “Prince of Ayodhya”. Mr Banker is now writing a screenplay for Disney India, a two-part adaptation of a subsequent series, drawn from the Mahabharata. “Frankly, what is happening now is not something new. It is simply a continuation of an age-old tradition,” Mr Sanghi says. “What makes it new is the language of choice—English.”
 

单词：

Inaugurate 美 [ɪ'nɔɡjə.reɪt] 英 [ɪ'nɔːɡjʊreɪt]
vt. 创新；开辟；开创；举行开幕典礼；举行就职典礼
[例句] This allowed Frege to inaugurate some profound developments in the philosophy of language. 
这使得弗雷格在语言哲学上作出了重大的发展。

Subsequent美 ['sʌbsɪkwənt] 英 ['sʌbsɪkwənt]
adj.随后的；后来的；之后的；接后的
[例句] Subsequent to a week's rest, Mary returned to work.
休息了一个星期后，玛丽重返工作
 
[6] Mr Sanghi believes that the main reason why India lacked home-grown English-language bestsellers for so long was the condescending attitude of Indian publishers. Only after the spectacular success of young writers such as Chetan Bhagat, whose 2004 novel, “Five Point Someone: What Not to Do at IIT”, marked a turning point, did things change. Dynamic Indian based imprints began to exploit the newly discovered hunger for indigenous page turners. The arrival of publishing multinationals, such as Random House and Hachette—which, from 2000, have been able to setup without an Indian partner—quickened the pace.
 

单词：

Condescend 美 [.kɑndə'send]
v.屈尊；俯就；（对某人）表现出优越感
[例句] Will you condescend to argue with him?
你会屈尊和他一般见识吗？
 
IIT
印度理工学院(Indian Institute of Technology)
 
Indigenous 美 [ɪn'dɪdʒənəs] 英 [ɪn'dɪdʒənəs]
adj. 本土的；土著的；国产的；固有的
[例句] It affects water flow, electricity generation, transport, water quality and indigenous biodiversity.  
它影响水流、发电、运输、水质和本土的生物多样性。
 

长难句3：

Mr Sanghi believes that the main reason why India lacked home-grown English-language bestsellers for so long was the condescending attitude of Indian publishers.
句子架构分析：
主干：Mr Sanghi believes that 某人认为。。。。。that引导宾语从句
宾语从句主干：the main reason was the condescending attitude
定语从句：why India lacked home-grown English-language bestsellers for so long修饰名词reason
讲解：这句话是一个标准的宾语从句套定语从句的样例。believe后接that引出宾语从句，其中reason作为宾语从句的主语被why所引出的定语从句所修饰，整个句子内容充实而完整，大家可以在行文中使用宾语从句套定语从句的样式来丰富自己的文章内容。比如：I believe that you are the one who will come and pick me up。Mr Sanghi指出印度没有畅销英文作家都怪这些出版商脑袋僵硬思想落后。落后就要挨打呗，你看这不，跨国出版商来抢占市场了。
 
[7] Some observers link the chart-topping mythology to the new assertiveness about Indian tradition that characterises the so called “Hindutva” politics associated with the ruling BJP party and its leader, Narendra Modi, the prime minister. Christoph Senft, a specialist in modern Indian literature who teaches at Pune University in Maharashtra state, argues that a “search for internal homogeneity” has become the flipside of India’s rapid push towards the global marketplace. “Mythological texts confirm the Hindu nationalists’ wish to tell India’s history as a history of Hinduism.”
 

单词：

Assertiveness  [ə'sə:tivnis]
n. 魄力，自信
[例句] Ideological assertiveness makes a change for a country that spent much of the past15 years debating how far it needed to copy Anglo-American capitalism.
理念上的自信，使这个在过去15年中为多大程度上需要复制英美资本主义争论不休的国家焕然一新。
 
Hindutva
n.印度民族主义
 
BJP
印度人民党(Bharatiya Janata Party)
 
Homogeneity  [,hɒmə(ʊ)dʒɪ'neɪɪtɪ]
n. 同质；同种；同次性（等于homogeneousness）
[例句] We can reduce this by avoiding homogeneity in group composition. 
在群体成分中避免同质化，可以降低这种可能性。
 

长难句4：

Some observers link the chart-topping mythology to the new assertiveness about Indian tradition that characterises the so called “Hindutva” politics associated with the ruling BJP party and its leader, Narendra Modi, the prime minister.
句子架构分析：
主干：Some observers link… to…
介词短语：about Indian tradition 介词短语修饰名词assertiveness
定语从句：that characterises the so called “Hindutva” politics修饰名词tradition
分词结构：associated with the ruling BJP party and its leader修饰名词politics
讲解：先来看这个单词chart-topping是什么意思？chart大家都知道的对吧，表格，topping是什么？第一位，高居不下对吧，一直处于表达的第一位那就不是畅销榜嘛，这些观察家link sth to sth把什么归因于什么，把神话小说的畅销归因于另外的因素，即the new assertiveness about Indian tradition，对印度传统的自信，这种印度传统后面跟了that引导的从句进一步修饰。造就了印度教特性政治，这种政治后面接分词结构associated with也就是现在印度执政党BjP人民党和其领导人所推崇的，哎呀，这里厉害了吧~神话小说果然火的不一般，更深层的竟然是政治利害关系。一位大学教授指出，印度人民在慢慢的寻找内部一致性，而这种神话题材正印证了印度的民族主义，也就愈发的受欢迎。
 
[8] Some writers, however, mine the epics for stories and themes that have little to do with narrow chauvinism. Devdutt Pattanaik’s “The Pregnant King” hunts down gender-fluid elements in the Mahabharata cycle. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novel, “The Palace of Illusions”, tells that epic’s core plot of dynastic conflict from the feminist perspective of the resilient, much-married heroine, Draupadi. Mr Banker, the godfather of the mythological-literature boom, has always scorned the politics of caste or creed, and voices pride in his mixed, part-Christian background. Amish Tripathi, author of the “Shiva Trilogy” of racy potboilers, calls himself a “religious liberal” and uses only his first name on book jackets to avoid the upper-caste connotations of his surname.
 

单词：

Chauvinism  ['ʃəʊv(ɪ)nɪz(ə)m]
n. 沙文主义；盲目的爱国心
[例句The author lashed out against chauvinism.  
作者猛烈抨击沙文主义。
 
Resilient  [rɪ'zɪlɪənt]
adj. 弹回的，有弹力的
adj. 能复原的；有复原力的
[例句In citizens like these, we see the best of our country — resilient and hopeful, caringand strong.  
从这些公民身上，我们看到了我们 国家最美好的一面——弹性与希望，关怀与强大。
 
Caste美 [kæst] 英 [kɑːst]
n.社会等级；（印度教的四大）种姓；社会等级制度
[例句] The best answer would be where the candidate is unaware of his or her caste.
最佳答案应该是候选人没有意识到他或她的阶级。
 
Potboiler  ['pɒtbɒɪlə]
n. 粗制滥造的文艺作品；粗制滥造作品的
[例句The author of a good novel wouldn't complain that readers were unfair for preferringa potboiler with a racy cover.  
作家不会仅仅因为读者喜欢封面恶俗、粗制滥造的作品，而抱怨他的优秀作品受到读者不公正的对待。
 
Connotation  美 [.kɑnə'teɪʃ(ə)n] 英 [.kɒnə'teɪʃ(ə)n]
n.含义；隐含意义
[例句] Inkstone is one of the four treasures, with deep cultural connotation.
砚是文房四宝之一，有着深厚的文化内涵。
 
[9] The vast bulk of readers turn to these pages packed with divinities and demons for excitement and distraction rather than religious instruction. As Mr Sanghi says: “I have always maintained that my primary goal is to entertain, not educate or enlighten. If the latter two objectives happen along the way, that’s a bonus.”
 

单词：

Divinity  [dɪ'vɪnɪtɪ]
n. 神；神性；神学
[例句Mercury was the presiding divinity over commerce. 
墨丘利是商业之神。
 
[10] Paradoxically, this reclaiming of traditional lore has also helped bring Indian publishing into line with international norms. For all their deep roots in native soil, myth-fuel led bestsellers fit snugly into a global entertainment market that is often driven by story-cycles such as “Lord of the Rings” or “Game of Thrones”. Ms Sarkar notes that the Indian bestseller list now looks more and more like mass-market fiction lists in Britain and America.
 

单词：

Paradoxically  [,pærə'dɔksikəli]
adv. 自相矛盾地；似非而是地；反常地
[例句Paradoxically, they must be fiercely independent, yet able to collaborate well withothers.  
矛盾的是，他们必须是完全独立的，但又能够与他人合作。
 
Lore美 [lɔr] 英 [lɔː(r)]
n.（尤指口头流传的）某一方面的学问；（某一群体的）传说
[例句] I would speed the vast career of civilizing lore.
我要尽快地充实浩瀚的知识宝库。
 
Snugly  ['snʌɡli]
adv. 舒适地；隐蔽地；贴身地；紧密地
[例句Before abandoning his surplus jacket, he pulled a blond wig from the pocket and fitit snugly on his head. 
在扔掉外套前，他从口袋里拿出一顶金色的假发并把它舒适的戴到头上
 

长难句5：

For all their deep roots in native soil, myth-fuel led bestsellers fit snugly into a global entertainment market that is often driven by story-cycles such as "Lord of the Rings" or "Game of Thrones".
句子架构分析：
主干：myth-fuel led… fit… into
定语从句：that is often driven by story-cycles such as "Lord of the Rings" or "Game of Thrones"这个定语从句修饰名词a global entertainment market
讲解：粗看这句，可能被后面的指环王和权力的游戏所迷惑，而搞不清楚重点。其实这个句子并不难哦，核心就是标红的部分。A lead b fit into C，大意就是神话题材使得畅销书能够跻身全球娱乐市场，后面是that引导的定语从句修饰market，什么样的市场呢，经常被指环王以及权利的游戏系列主导的市场。而现在的印度畅销榜与欧美的畅销榜愈发的相似了。
 
[11] In common with several of his peers, Mr Sanghi started out in business before switching to writing novels with titles like “The Krishna Key”. He holds an MBA from Yale, and initially joined his family firm in Mumbai. Mr Tripathi, whose reported million-dollar deal for South Asian rights to a series of Ramayana novels made global headlines in 2013, worked in banking and insurance before he became a writer. Mr Pattanaik qualified as a physician. One of the most successful women authors in a now-crowded field, Krishna Udayasankar, whose “Aryavarta Chronicles” refashion the Mahabharata, still lectures in management in Singapore
 

单词：

Mumbai英 [mʌm'bai]
孟买；印度孟买
 
Refashion [,ri:'fæʃən]
vt. 重制；再作；重新设计
[例句Now, they are looking for a way to refashion memories even years after they were created. 
现在他们正在寻找重塑记忆的方法，即便那些记忆已经存留多年。
 
[12] Why should India’s young professional dynamos turn with such relish to the distant storytelling past? Mr Sanghi argues that this group grasps the tools of “effective communication” but “does not carry the burden of a literary legacy”. Unlike literary-fiction writers, they feel “free to experiment”. Moreover, they know how to sell and are not afraid to involve themselves in marketing and distribution. Mr Tripathi’s “Shiva Trilogy” was initially published as a digital download by his literary agent after it received more than 20 rejections from publishers. He has promoted his books on a variety of platforms, including YouTube and even at cricket matches of the Indian Premier League; since 2010 “Shiva” has sold more than 2.5m copies. Each Indian generation folds myth into modernity. As Ms Sarkar observes: “The epics have always been in fashion.”
 

单词：

Dynamos美 [ˈdaɪnəˌmoʊ]
n.〈非正式〉精力充沛的人；【物】发电机
[例句] The rhythm of the dynamos is the pulse of nightmare.
发电机的节奏是恶梦的律动。
 
Relish ['relɪʃ]
n. 滋味；风味；食欲；开胃小菜；含义；调味品
vt. 盼望;期待;享受; 品味；喜爱；给…加佐料
vi. 有特定意味；味道可口
[例句People like me who relish political theater of the absurd will miss the “Leader;” butmost of his people, I suspect, will not.  
我这样喜欢品味荒谬政治舞台的人将会怀念这位“领导人”，但是我想，他的绝大多数民众却不会怀念他的。
 
Cricket美 [ˈkrɪkɪt] 英 ['krɪkɪt]
n.【虫】蟋蟀；【体】板球；矮木凳；垫脚凳
adj.公平的
v.【体】打板球
[例句] His hobby is watching cricket, he said, and his strength is punctuality.
他说，自己的业余爱好是看板球赛，他的强项是守时。
 
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