MIDSUMMER NIGHT IN THE WORKHOUSE
Book ID/图书代码： 06580013B64636
English Summary/英文概要： “I can remember in detail being hit by my first story one January morning in 1958.” So begins literary legend Diana Athill in the preface to Midsummer Night in the Workhouse, a long-overdue collection of her short fiction, originally published in the 1950s to the 1970s. In unsentimental though often touching prose, Athill’s young women anticipate, enjoy, or just miss out on brief sexual encounters with men met on trains, at parties — just about anywhere they can. A cheating wife, back with her boring husband, is wracked with agonizing love for the unavailable partner of her brief fling; a writer seeks inspiration at a writers’ retreat whilst avoiding the group seducer’s invitation; a wife’s party flirtations propel her possessive husband into another woman’s bed; two fun-loving women face a sinister sexual assault during a Greek holiday; a teenager experiences enraptured detachment during her first kiss. Beautifully written, perceptive, touching, and funny, Midsummer Night in the Workhouse is Diana Athill at her best.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 这是一位在耄耋之年获得科斯塔奖的英国女作家戴安娜•阿希尔首次跟进自己的生活写照所撰写的一部短篇小说集《仲夏夜的济贫院》：“在其中的第一个故事中，我还能清晰地回忆起1958年的1月的一个早晨所发生的所有片段。那是我还是一个默默无名的女孩，身为编辑，只是埋头阅读其他人的作品，而绝非梦想到自己有一天也会成为一个笔者。”随后作者追忆了当时所遇见一段插曲，以及那晚在她回家后，坐在打字机前所记录的第一个短篇故事。‘当这个故事完成后，另一个新的故事的延续，直到年底作者一共积攒了九个故事集。’然而，这些故事不是她所说的那些所谓的“激动人心”的故事。“这是用第三人称的视角所陈述的故事，”，这部短篇故事集为她赢得了《观察家》报的短篇小说竞赛奖：‘把我埋葬吧，我亲爱的朋友们’戴安娜•阿希尔写道，‘把《观察家》报叠放在我的枕下，让这个奖项唤醒我可以从写作中变得愉悦的事实。’
这部短篇故事起初发行于上世纪50~70年代，文中以其动人的散文笔触讲述了那个时代的故事。阿希尔笔下的年轻女性充满着对生活的期盼和热爱，或是恰巧刚刚错过一段良缘。一个不忠的妻子，回到了令她生厌的丈夫身边，饱受风霜的爱情无法填补她那短暂的飞蛾扑火般的所谓爱侣；一位为了寻求灵感而避世隐居的作家，同时还要躲避诈骗集团的邀请；一位妻子激情似火的晚会，却将自己的丈夫推到了另一个女人的床上；两位喜好玩乐的女性在希腊渡假时，遭遇了一场邪恶的性侵；一为少女在经历了人生的第一次初吻后的欣喜若狂。优美的文笔，细腻的观察，和动人风趣的描述，《仲夏夜的济贫院》堪称戴安娜•艾希尔的最佳之作。(Sandy)
Awards/获奖情况："I loved loved loved these short stories. They’re like many-faceted gems, understated, deceptively simple and even off-hand, yet so filled with insights and real beauty." —Nancy Pearl
"[Diana Athill’s] collected fiction writing from the 1950s through the 1970s is a handsome garland on a long career…" —Vogue
"… a very smooth read … Athill is clearly a writer of intelligence." —Rover Arts
"These stories are small gems … [Athill’s] legion of admirers will be pleased." —Maclean’s Magazine
About the Author/作者介绍： 黛安娜•阿西尔(Diana Athill)，英国女作家。生于1917年，是英国出版业的老前辈，曾做过诺曼•梅勒、约翰•厄普代克、西蒙娜•德•波伏瓦和VS.奈保尔等著名作家的编辑。工作五十余年后，于1993年退休。今年她的作品《终点前某处》（Somewhere Towards the End）获得了科斯塔传记奖，阿西尔女士毫不煽情地描写老年生活，坦率清晰的散文堪称十年间回忆录的登峰之作。
黛安娜•阿西尔(Diana Athill)女士在英国文学界是一个不朽的神话，一头翩翩的白发，精神依旧矍铄，脸上已深深浅浅地布满了沟壑般的皱纹，可每一道皱纹里都孕育着她在文学创作中无尽的智慧。近来她的新书《人生课堂——黛安娜•阿西尔的记忆碎片》终于与读者们见面了，再一次展示了这位出版界女性前辈的魅力。
Born in 1917 and educated at Oxford University, DIANA ATHILL has written several memoirs, including "Instead of a Letter," "After a Funeral," "Somewhere Towards the End," and the New York Times Notable Book "Stet," about her fifty-year career in publishing. She lives in London and was recently appointed an Officer of the British Empire.
Format:TRADE PAPERBACK
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：Rights sold: RCS libri-Italy
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