English Original
Yang Jiang and her husband Qian Zhongshu are highly respected figures in academia, renowned for works like Fortress Besieged and Baptism. However, their family life remained largely private. The cultural world mourned deeply when Mr. Qian passed away in 1998.
Less known is that their only daughter, Qian Yuan, had preceded them in death by a year. Bereft of both her lifelong companion and her only child, the solitude of Ms. Yang's later years is profound. Four years after her husband's departure, the 92-year-old Yang Jiang penned a memoir, We Three, chronicling the 63-year journey of their unique family. Originally scheduled for May publication by SDX Joint Publishing Company, the book's release was delayed due to the SARS outbreak.
The memoir is in two parts. In the first, with her characteristic wisdom and unique style, Yang Jiang uses a dream narrative to depict the emotional experience of the family's final years together. The second part offers a moving, straightforward account of their little-known trials from 1935—when the couple studied in England and welcomed their daughter at Oxford—until Qian Zhongshu's death in 1998. Their journey spanned half the globe and a tumultuous half-century marked by war, illness, political upheaval, and parting. Through every storm, they found solace in each other, their family a steadfast sanctuary. Yang Jiang's book is a profound exploration of the meaning of home and enduring love.
First published in July 2003, We Three has been widely praised by critics and readers alike. Yang Jiang is a celebrated writer, critic, translator, and scholar. Her husband, Qian Zhongshu, was an influential scholar famed for his novel Fortress Besieged. Yang reportedly wrote the book to fulfill a wish of their cherished daughter, Qian Yuan, who died of cancer in 1997.
The book tells the family's story in a unique style. The opening sections describe an extended dream where the scene of final separation is depicted with poignant naturalness. Beneath the calm narration lies immense inner sorrow. Life, Yang Jiang suggests after her dramatic experiences, is like a dream. The memoir records over six decades of family life, marked at times by poverty, political oppression, and even envy-driven vilification.
For many, Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang represent the pinnacle of modern Chinese literary achievement. Their daughter, Qian Yuan, was less publicly known. This book offers an intimate look into their lives, revealing authentic and detailed aspects.
He Yan, a reader and senior at Shanghai International Studies University, is most struck by the book's realism: "The descriptions are detailed and the story vividly presented. I can imagine their simple, happy days abroad, the hardships they endured, and almost feel their heartbreak at being separated by death."
Luo Ping, a professor in the English Department at Shanghai International Studies University, finds the book a fascinating glimpse into Yang Jiang's life: "We not only enjoy her simple, plain narration, which radiates strong emotion, but also appreciate her mode of thinking and attitude toward life."
A gentle sadness permeates the book. Through Yang Jiang's recollection of sixty years, we see a portrait of a family supporting and comforting one another through all difficulties.
Here is a taste of the dreamlike beginning of We Three:
One night, I dreamed. I was taking a walk with Zhongshu. We chatted all the way, eventually losing track of where we had been. The sun had set. Dusk was gathering, stretching far into the distance. Suddenly, Zhongshu disappeared. I looked for him everywhere, but there was no trace. I called out; no one answered. I was left alone in the desolate outskirts, not knowing where Zhongshu had gone. I cried his name, his full name. The shout was swallowed by the wilderness, with not even an echo in return. The utter silence deepened the shades of night and my loneliness. Ahead, the darkness thickened. Under my feet was a sandy path, flanked by woods and a flowing stream. I couldn't tell how wide the stream was. Looking back, there seemed to be houses in the distance. Yet no light was visible; it must have been far away…
中文翻译
杨绛与丈夫钱钟书是学界备受尊敬的人物，因《围城》、《洗澡》等作品而声名远播。然而，他们的家庭生活却鲜为人知。1998年钱先生的逝世令文化界深感悲痛。
更不为人知的是，他们唯一的女儿钱瑗已于前一年先于父母离世。接连失去一生的伴侣和唯一的孩子，杨先生晚年的孤寂心境常人难以体会。在丈夫离去四年后，92岁高龄的杨绛撰写了回忆录《我们仨》，记录了这个特殊家庭63年的风雨历程。本书原定由生活·读书·新知三联书店于五月出版，因非典疫情推迟至稍晚时候。
本书分为两部分。第一部分，杨绛以其一贯的慧心与独特笔法，以梦境形式讲述了家庭最后几年相依为命的情感体验。第二部分则以平实感人的文字，记录了自1935年夫妇二人赴英留学、在牛津喜得爱女，直至1998年钱钟书逝世期间，这个家庭鲜为人知的坎坷历程。他们的足迹跨越半个地球，穿越战火、疾病、政治风暴与生离死别的动荡半个世纪。无论风雨如何，他们始终相濡以沫，美好的家庭成为最安全的庇护所。杨绛在书中对家庭意义与永恒挚情进行了深刻的阐释。
《我们仨》于2003年7月首次出版，广受文学评论家和普通读者的好评。作者杨绛是著名的作家、评论家、翻译家和学者。她的丈夫钱钟书同样是一位有影响力的学者，以其小说《围城》闻名。据悉，杨绛写作此书是为了完成爱女钱瑗（于1997年因癌症去世）的遗愿。
本书以独特的风格讲述家庭故事。开篇部分描述了一个漫长的梦境，最终离别的场景被自然而深刻地描绘出来。平静的叙述之下，隐藏着作者巨大的内心痛苦。历经沧桑的杨绛告诉我们，人生如梦。这本回忆录记录了跨越六十多年的家庭生活，其间不时遭受贫困、政治压迫，甚至一些心怀嫉妒者的诽谤。
对许多读者而言，钱钟书和杨绛夫妇代表了现代中国文学的卓越成就。他们的女儿钱瑗则较少为公众所知。这本书为读者提供了一个深入了解他们生活的有趣视角，揭示了许多真实而细致的生活侧面。
本书读者、上海外国语大学大四学生何燕表示，最吸引她的是本书的现实主义品质：“描述非常细致，故事呈现得栩栩如生。我能想象他们在国外留学时简单而快乐的日子，以及他们所经历的艰辛，我几乎能感受到他们面对生死离别时心碎的悲伤。”
上海外国语大学英语语言文学系教授罗平认为，这本书为了解杨绛的生活提供了一个迷人的视角：“我们不仅欣赏她简洁平实却情感充沛的叙述，也欣赏她的思维方式和处世态度。”
一种温柔的悲伤贯穿全书。通过杨绛对过去六十年生活的回忆，我们看到了一幅全家人在任何困难境遇下都相互扶持、彼此安慰的画卷。
以下是《我们仨》如梦似幻的开篇片段：
有一晚，我做了一个梦。我和钟书一同散步，说说笑笑，走到了不知什么地方。太阳已经下山，黄昏薄暮，苍苍茫茫中，忽然钟书不见了。我四顾寻找，不见他的影踪。我喊他，没人应。只我一人，站在荒郊野地里，钟书不知到哪里去了。我大声呼喊，连名带姓地喊。喊声落在旷野里，好像给吞吃了似的，没留下一点依稀仿佛的音响。彻底的寂静，给沉沉夜色增添了分量，也加深了我的孤凄。往前看去，是一层深似一层的昏暗。我脚下是一条沙土路，旁边有林木，有潺潺流水，看不清楚溪流有多么宽广。向后看去，好像是连片的屋宇房舍，是有人烟的去处，但不见灯火，想必相离很远了。