| 中文摘要 |
人與土地間緊密的關係曾經是文學的重要主題，但奈波爾的2001年出版的《浮生半世》（Half a Life） 和2004年的《魔法種子》（Magic Seeds）卻強調了人與土地的疏離。這兩本小說是他作品中少見的二部曲，描繪主角威利浪遊印度、英國、非洲等地的旅程，也反映其心路風景，表現棄離土地，終身漂泊的人生觀照。威利對土地不再有「靈視」，他的土地視野非來自於地景家園，而是來自於與歷史傳統的連結和想像。奈波爾著重於多文化角度的衝突，強調主角異鄉人的漂泊無根感，對家和認同的追尋之旅和最終對土地的棄絕具體表現了「離散」的特質：不確定、不安和概念的複雜性。
V. S. Naipaul is far more than just a ＂regional writer,＂ though he is usually labeled as one of ＂Caribbean writers.＂ In contrast to regional writing which highlights men's commitment to the lands they lived or live, Naipaul's works negate humans' allegiances to their homes and communities. Naipaul's protagonists are mostly tramps who travel the world and discard their local identities. Half a Life and its sequel Magic Seeds are especially pessimistic because the protagonist loses the senses of place and belonging as well. Both Half a Life and Magic Seeds depict the protagonist's travels and stays in India, England and Africa, which mirror both his physical paths and mental landscape. Demonstrating his hero's lack of ＂vision＂ of land, Naipaul sarcastically describes India as nothing but the kingdom of illusion and disillusionment of revolutionary paradise, England as ＂a sham,＂ its kings and queens as ＂imposters,＂ the English capitalist society as Jack's ＂beanstalk＂ and Africa as a magic castle as well as a prison for the hero. Tired of all places of which he has no sense of identity, the hero remains as a tramp-a stranger to all lands. In these two books Naipaul's focus on conflict in the multi-cultural landscape fortifies his hero's homelessness as a stranger. This man's journey of search for a home and identity and his eventual alienation from land embody the senses of insecurity and complexity, which characterize diaspora. |
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