【英文文学】异乡异客 Stranger In A Strange Land.docx

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1、【英文文学】异乡异客 Stranger In A Strange LandPrefaceIF YOU THINK that this book appears to be thicker and contain more wordsthan you found in the first published edition of Stranger in a Strange Land,your observation is correct. This edition is the original one-the way RobertHeinlein first conceived it, and

2、 put it down on paper.The earlier edition contained a few words over 160,000, while this one runsaround 220,000 words. Roberts manuscript copy usually contained about250 to 300 words per page, depending on the amount of dialogue on thepages. So, taking an average of about 275 words, with the manuscr

3、iptrunning 800 pages, we get a total of 220,000 words, perhaps a bit more.This book was so different from what was being sold to the general public, orto the science fiction reading public in 1961 when it was published, that theeditors required some cutting and removal of a few scenes that might the

4、nhave been offensive to public taste.The November 1948 issue of Astounding Science Fiction contained a letter tothe editor suggesting titles for the issue of a year hence. Among the titleswas to be a story by Robert A. Heinlein-.Gulf.“In a long conversation between that editor, John W. Campbell, Jr.

5、, andRobert, it was decided that there would be sufficient lead time to allow all thestories that the fan had titled to be written, and the magazine to come out intime for the November 1949 date. Robert promised to deliver a short story togo with the title. Most of the other authors also went along

6、with the gag. Thisissue came to be known as the .Time Travel“ issue.Roberts problem, then, was to find a story to fit the title assigned to him.So we held a .brainstorming“ session. Among other unsuitable notions, Isuggested a story about a human infant, raised by an alien race. The ideawas just too

7、 big for a short story, Robert said, but he made a note about it.That night he went into his study, and wrote some lengthy notes, and setthem aside.For the title .Gulf“ he wrote quite a different story.The notes sat in a file for several years, at which time Robert began to writewhat was to be Stran

8、ger in a Strange Land. Somehow, the story didnt quitejell, and he set it aside. He returned to the manuscript a few times, but it wasnot finished until 1960: this was the version you now hold in your hands.In the context of 1960, Stranger in a Strange Land was a book that hispublishers feared-it was

9、 too far off the beaten path. So, in order to minimizepossible losses, Robert was asked to cut the manuscript down to 150,000words-a loss of about 70,000 words. Other changes were also requested,before the editor was willing to take a chance on publication.To take out about a quarter of a long, comp

10、licated book was close to animpossible task. But, over the course of some months, Robert accomplishedit. The final word count came out at 160,087 words. Robert was convincedthat it was impossible to cut out any more, and the book was accepted at thatlength.For 28 years it remained in print in that f

11、orm.In 1976, Congress passed a new Copyright Law, which said, in part, that inthe event an author died, and the widow or widower renewed the copyright,all old contracts were cancelled. Robert died in 1988, and the following yearthe copyright for Stranger in a Strange Land came up for renewal.Unlike

12、many other authors, Robert had kept a copy of the original typescript,as submitted for publication, on file at the library of the University of Californiaat Santa Cruz, his archivists. I asked for a copy of that manuscript, and readthat and the published versions side by side. And I came to the conc

13、lusionthat it had been a mistake to cut the book.So I sent a copy of the typescript to Eleanor Wood, Roberts agent. Eleanoralso read the two versions together, and agreed with my verdict. So, after thenotification to the publisher, she presented them with a copy of the new/oldversion.No one remember

14、ed the fact that such drastic cutting had been done on thisbook; over the course of years all the editors and senior officers at thepublishing house had changed. So this version was a complete surprise tothem.They decided to publish the original version, agreeing that it was betterthan the cut one.Y

15、ou now have in your hands the original version of Stranger in a StrangeLand, as written by Robert Anson Heinlein.The given names of the chief characters have great importance to the plot.They were carefully selected: Jubal means .the father of all,“ Michael standsfor .Who is like God?“ I leave it fo

16、r the reader to find out what the othernames mean. -Virginia Heinlein Carmel, CaliforniaChapter 1ONCE UPON A TIME when the world was young there was a Martiannamed Smith.Valentine Michael Smith was as real as taxes but he was a race of one.The first human expedition from Terra to Mars was selected o

17、n the theorythat the greatest danger to man in space was man himself. At that time, onlyeight Terran years after the founding of the first human colony on Luna, anyinterplanetary trip made by humans necessarily had to be made in wearyfree-fail orbits, doubly tangent semi-ellipsesfrom Terra to Mars,

18、twohundred fifty-eight days, the same for the return journey, plus four hundredfifty-five days waiting at Mars while the two planets crawled slowly back intorelative positions which would permit shaping the doubly-tangent orbit-a totalof almost three Earth years.Besides its wearing length, the trip

19、was very chancy. Only by refueling at aspace station, then tacking back almost into Earths atmosphere, could thisprimitive flying coffin, the Envoy, make the trip at all. Once at Mars she mightbe able to return-if she did not crash in landing, if water could be found onMan to fill her reaction-mass

20、tanks, if some sort of food could be found onMars, if a thousand other things did not go wrong.But the physical danger was judged to be less important than thepsychological stresses. Eight humans, crowded together like monkeys foralmost three Terran years, had better get along much better than human

21、susually did. An all-male crew had been vetoed as unhealthy and sociailyunstable from lessons learned earlier. A ships company of four marriedcouples had been decided on as optimum, if the necessary specialties couldbe found in such a combination.The University of Edinburgh, prime contractor, sub-co

22、ntracted crew selectionto the Institute for Social Studies. After discarding the chaff of volunteersuseless through age, health, mentality, training, or temperament, the Institutestill had over nine thousand candidates to work from, each sound in mind andbody and having at least one of the necessary

23、 special skills. It was expectedthat the Institute would report several acceptable four-couple crews.No such crew was found. The major skills needed were astrogator, medicaldoctor, cook, machinist, ships commander, semantician, chemical engineer,electronics engineer, physicist, geologist, biochemist

24、, biologist, atomicsengineer, photographer, hydroponicist, rocket engineer. Each crew memberwould have to possess more than one skill, or be able to acquire extra skillsin time. There were hundreds of possible combinations of eight peoplepossessing these skills; there turned up three combinations of

25、 four marriedcouples possessing them, plus health and intelligence.-but in all three casesthe group-dynamicists who evaluated the temperament factors forcompatibility threw up their hands in horror.The prime contractor suggested lowering the compatibility figure-ofmerit; theInstitute stiffly offered

26、 to return its one dollar fee. In the meantime a computerprogrammer whose name was not recorded had the machines hunt for threecouplerump crews. She found several dozen compatible combinations, eachof which defined by its own characteristics the couple needed to complete it.In the meantime the machi

27、nes continued to review the data changing throughdeaths, withdrawals, new volunteers, etc.Captain Michael Brunt, M.S., Cmdr. D. F. Reserve, pilot (unlimited license),and veteran at thirty of the Moon run, seems to have had an inside track atthe Institute, someone who was willing to look up for him t

28、he names of singlefemale volunteers who might (with him) complete a crew, and then pair hisname with these to run trial problems through the machines to determinewhether or not a possible combination would be acceptable. This wouldaccount for his action in jetting to Australia and proposing marriage

29、 to DoctorWinifred Coburn, a horse-faced spinster semantician nine years his senior.The Carlsbad Archives pictured her with an expression of quiet good humorbut otherwise lacking in attractiveness.Or Brant may have acted without inside information, solely through that traitof intuitive audacity nece

30、ssary to command an exploration. In any case lightsblinked, punched cards popped out, and a crew for the Envoy had beenfound:Captain Michael Brant, commanding-pilot, astrogator, relief cook, reliefphotographer, rocketry engineer;Dr. Winifred Coburn Brant, forty-one, semantician, practical nurse, sto

31、resofficer, historian;Mr. Francis X. Seeney, twenty-eight, executive officer, second pilot,astrogator, astrophysicist, photographer;Dr. Olga Kovalic Seeney, twenty-nine, cook, biochemist, hydroponicist;Dr. Ward Smith, forty-five, physician and surgeon, biologist;Dr. Mary Jane Lyle Smith, twenty-six,

32、 atomics engineer, electronics andpower technician;Mr. Sergei Rimsky, thirty-five, electronics engineer, chemical engineer,practical machinist & instrumentation man, cryologist;Mrs. Eleanora Alvarez Rimsky, thirty-two, geologist and selenologist,hydroponicist.The crew had a well-rounded group of ski

33、lls, although in some cases theirsecondary skills had been acquired by intensive coaching during the lastweeks before blast-off. More important, they were mutually compatible intheir temperaments.Too compatible, perhaps.The Envoy departed on schedule with no mishaps. During the early part ofthe voya

34、ge her daily reports were picked up with ease by private listeners. Asshe drew away and signals became fainter, they were picked up andrebroadcast by Earths radio satellites. The crew seemed to be both healthyand happy. An epidemic of ringworm was the worst that Dr. Smith had tocope with-the crew ad

35、apted to free fall quickly and no antinausea drugs wereused after the first week. If Captain Brant had any disciplinary problems, hedid not choose to report them to Earth.The Envoy achieved a parking orbit just inside the orbit of Phobos and spenttwo weeks in photographic survey. Then Captain Brant

36、radioed: .We willattempt a landing at 1200 tomorrow GST just south of Lacus Soli.“ No furthermessage was ever received.Chapter 2IT WAS A QUARTER of an Earth century before Mars was again visited byhumans. Six years after the Envoy was silent, the drone probe Zombie,sponsored jointly by the Geographi

37、c Society and La Socit AstronautiqueInternationale, bridged the void and took up an orbit for the waiting period,then returned. The photographs taken by the robot vehicle showed a landunattractive by human standards; her recording instruments confirmed thethinness and unsuitability of the Arean atmo

38、sphere to human life.But the Zombies pictures showed clearly that the .canals“ were engineeringworks of some sort and there were other details which could only beinterpreted as ruins of cities. A manned expedition on a major scale andwithout delay surely would have been mounted had not World War III

39、intervened.But the war and the delay resulted eventually in a much stronger, saferexpedition than that of the lost En my. The Federation Ship Champion,manned by an all-male crew of eighteen experienced spacemen and carryingmore than that number of male pioneers, made the crossing under Lyle Drivein

40、only nineteen days. The Champion landed just south of Lacus Soli, asCaptain van Tromp intended to search for the Envoy. The second expeditionreported to Earth by radio daily, but three despatches were of more thanscientific interest. The first was:.Rocket Ship Envoy located. No survivors.“The second

41、 worldshaker was: .Mars is inhabited.“The third was: .Correction to despatch 23-105: One survivor of Envoylocated.“Chapter 3CAPTAIN WILLEM VAN TROMP was a man of humanity and good sense.He radioed ahead: .My passenger must not, repeat, must not be subjected tothe strain of a public reception. Provid

42、e low-gee shuttle, stretcher andambulance service, and anned guard.“He sent his ships surgeon Dr. Nelson along to make sure that ValentineMichael Smith was installed in a suite in Bethesda Medical Center,transferred gently into a hydraulic bed, and protected from outside contact bymarine guards. Van

43、 Tromp himself went to an extraordinary session of theFederation High Council.At the moment when Valentine Michael Smith was being lifted into bed, theHigh Minister for Science was saying testily, .Granted, Captain, that yourauthority as military commander of what was nevertheless primarily ascienti

44、fic expedition gives you the right to order unusual medical service toprotect a person temporarily in your charge, I do not see why you nowpresume to interfere with the proper functions of my department. Why, Smithis a veritable treasure trove of scientific information!“.Yes. I suppose he is, sir.“.

45、Then why-. The science minister broke off and turned to the High Ministerfor Peace and Military Security. .David? This matter is obviously now in myjurisdiction. Will you issue the necessary instructions to your people? Afterall, one cant keep persons of the caliber of Professor Kennedy and DoctorOk

46、ajima, to mention just two, cooling their heels indefinitely. They wontstand for it.“The peace minister did not answer but glanced inquiringly at Captain vanTromp. The captain shook his head. .No, sir.“.Why not?“ demanded the science minister. .You have admitted that heisnt sick.“.Give the captain a

47、 chance to explain, Pierre,“ the peace minister advised.Well, Captain?“.Smith isnt sick, sir,“ Captain van Tromp said to the peace minister, .but heisnt well, either. He has never before been in a one-gravity field. He nowweighs more than two and one half times what he is used to and his musclesaren

48、t up to it. Hes not used to Earth-normal air pressure. Hes not used toanything and the strain is likely to be too much for him. Hells bells,gentlemen, Im dog tired myself just from being at one-gee again-and I wasborn on this planet.“The science minister looked contemptuous. .If acceleration fatigue

49、 is all thatis worrying you, let me assure you, my dear Captain, that we had anticipatedthat. His respiration and heart action will be watched carefully. We are notentirely without imagination and forethought. After all, Ive been out myself. Iknow how it feels. This man Smith must-.Captain van Tromp decided that it was time to throw a tantrum. He couldexcuse it by his own fatigue-ve