经济学人下载:法国巴黎-人们心中的圣殿

Mr. McCullough, twice a winner of the Pulitzer prize, tells his story well. One chapter describes the medical schools and hospitals of Paris, well ahead of their counterparts in America. A particular boon for the visiting American students was the “ample opportunity to examine female patients as well as men. This was not the case in America, where most women would have preferred to die than have a physician—a man—examine their bodies.”

作为两次普利策奖得主，麦卡洛先生的故事引人入胜。书中有一章使对巴黎的医科学校和医院的描述。从中可以看出，巴黎的医科学校和医院远比美国的要先进。此外，访法的美国学生可以有充足的机会像检查男性病人那样检查女性病人，这真可谓一项意外收获。因为在美国，许多女人宁愿等死，也不愿意一位男性大夫为自己检查身体。

Another chapter describes the infinite care with which Augustus Saint-Gaudens (an American despite his name) created in his Paris studio the giant statue to Admiral David Farragut that now stands in New York. Mr. McCullough brings a similar, impressive understanding to the paintings of John Singer Sargent and other artists who came to Paris to perfect their craft.

书中的另一章对矗立在纽约的大卫．法拉格上将的巨大雕像给予了极大关注。这座雕像是由雕塑家奥古都斯．圣．高登（美国人很鄙夷这个名字）在他法国的工作室里完成的。对于像约翰．辛格．萨金特和其他到巴黎来精进自己技艺的艺术家来说，麦卡洛先生都对其作品给予了独到的见解，就像理解奥古都斯．圣．高登一样，令人印象深刻。

But Mr. McCullough is more historian than art critic—which is just as well given that his book goes from 1820 to the end of the century, a period in France’s turbulent history that embraced both monarchy and revolution. His description of the 1870-71 siege of Paris and the subsequent nightmare of the Paris Commune is masterly.

但相对于文艺评论家的头衔，麦卡洛先生也许更像一个历史学家。这从他1820年到19世纪末的著作中可略窥一斑。而这段时间，正是法国君主制与大革命冲突不断的动荡期。麦卡洛先生对于1870-1871年普法战争中巴黎被围困以及之后巴黎公社运动的描写，真可谓是神来之笔。

Perhaps this is why the real hero of this account is neither artist nor writer but Elihu Washburne, a former Republican member of Congress who served as America’s minister (ambassador) to France from 1869 to 1877. Unencumbered by any training as a diplomat, Washburne proved to be an indefatigable protector of America’s interests, arranging passports for Americans to escape the siege and acting with bravery during the two months of the Paris Commune. Mr. McCullough was fortunate enough to discover Washburne’s own diary of the period, basing two of his best chapters on its vivid entries.

也许，这就可以解释为什么这里描写的英雄既不是艺术家，也不是作家，而是Elihu Washburne——一位于1869-1877年间出任美国驻法部长（外交官）的前国会共和党成员。虽然未接受过任何外交官培训，但事实证明Washburne是美国利益的忠实维护者。在此期间，是他美国民众逃出被围攻的巴黎，也是他在巴黎公社运动的两个月中表现出极大的坚毅勇敢。麦卡洛先生很幸运地发现了Washburne于此时记下的日记。本书中最为精彩的两个章节均是来自日子中栩栩如生的描述。

Mr. McCullough stops his story at the start of the 20th century, even though the American fascination for Paris continues. But do Americans living in Paris thereby become real Parisiens? It seems unlikely. As Saint-Gaudens wrote: “coming here has been a wonderful experience, surprising in many respects, one of them being to find how much of an American I am.”

麦卡洛先生让他的故事停在了20世纪初，即使美国人依旧为巴黎的魅力所倾倒。但是，住在巴黎的美国人就真正成为了巴黎人么？似乎并不是这样。就像圣．高登曾经写到的那样：“来到此地真是一次美妙的经历，常常会有惊喜。而其中之一就是发现了我是个多么纯粹的美国人。”