摘要：《我的天才女友》（My Brilliant Friend）是意大利作家埃莱娜·费兰特（Elena Ferrante）"那不勒斯四部曲"的开篇之作。这部小说以回忆录的形式，讲述了20世纪50年代意大利那不勒斯贫民区两个女孩——埃莱娜（Elena）和莉拉（Lila

《我的天才女友》（My Brilliant Friend）是意大利作家埃莱娜·费兰特（Elena Ferrante）"那不勒斯四部曲"的开篇之作。这部小说以回忆录的形式，讲述了20世纪50年代意大利那不勒斯贫民区两个女孩——埃莱娜（Elena）和莉拉（Lila）——从童年到青春期的复杂友谊与成长挣扎。

This morning Rino telephoned. I thought he wanted money again and I was ready to say no. But that was not the reason for the phone call: his mother was gone.

“Since when?”

“Since two weeks ago.”

“And you’re calling me now?”

My tone must have seemed hostile, even though I wasn’t angry or offended; there was just a touch of sarcasm. He tried to respond but he did so in an awkward, muddled way, half in dialect, half in Italian. He said he was sure that his mother was wandering around Naples as usual.

“Even at night?”

“You know how she is.”

“I do, but does two weeks of absence seem normal?”

“Yes. You haven’t seen her for a while, Elena, she’s gotten worse: she’s never sleepy, she comes in, goes out, does what she likes.”

Anyway, in the end he had started to get worried. He had asked everyone, made the rounds of the hospitals: he had even gone to the police. Nothing, his mother wasn’t anywhere. What a good son: a large man, forty years old, who hadn’t worked in his life, just a smalltime crook and spendthrift. I could imagine how carefully he had done his searching. Not at all. He had no brain, and in his heart he had only himself.

“She’s not with you?” he asked suddenly.

His mother? Here in Turin? He knew the situation perfectly well, he was speaking only to speak. Yes, he liked to travel, he had come to my house at least a dozen times, without being invited. His mother, whom I would have welcomed with pleasure, had never left Naples in her life. I answered:

“No, she’s not with me.”

“You’re sure?”

“Rino, please, I told you she’s not here.”

“Then where has she gone?”

He began to cry and I let him act out his desperation, sobs that began fake and became real. When he stopped I said:

“Please, for once behave as she would like: don’t look for her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. It’s pointless. Learn to stand on your own two feet and don’t call me again, either.”

I hung up.

今天早上里诺打来了电话。我以为他又要钱，正准备拒绝。但那通电话另有原因：他的母亲失踪了。

"什么时候的事？"

"两周前。"

"你现在才告诉我？"

我的语气可能显得不太友善，虽然我并没有生气或觉得被冒犯，只是带了一丝讥讽。他试图解释，却说得磕磕绊绊，方言和意大利语混作一团。他说原本确信母亲像往常一样在那不勒斯街头游荡。

"连晚上也不回家？"

"你知道她的脾气。"

"我知道，但连续两周不见人影正常吗？"

"是啊。你很久没见她了，埃莱娜，她情况更糟了：整天不睡觉，进进出出，随心所欲。"

总之最后他还是开始担心了。他问遍了所有人，跑遍了各家医院，甚至去了警局。毫无线索，母亲就像人间蒸发。好一个孝子：这个四十岁的大男人，一辈子没正经工作过，不过是个小偷小摸的败家子。我能想象他所谓的"寻找"有多敷衍。根本就没用心。他既没脑子，心里也只装着自己。

"她没去你那儿？"他突然问道。

他母亲？来都灵？他明明清楚状况，这纯属没话找话。是啊，他倒是喜欢旅行，不请自来我家至少十几次。而他那位母亲——我本会热情接待的——这辈子从未离开过那不勒斯。我答道：

"没有，她不在我这儿。"

"你确定？"

"里诺，拜托，我说了她不在这里。"

"那她能去哪儿？"

他开始啜泣，我任他表演那份绝望，假惺惺的呜咽渐渐变得真切。等他平息后我说：

"拜托，这次就按她希望的方式做吧：别找了。"

"什么意思？"

"字面意思。找也没用。学着自力更生，以后也别再打给我。"

我挂断了电话。

1. 重点学习的单词和短语

(1) smalltime crook（小混混，小偷小摸的人）

例句: He was never a serious criminal, just a smalltime crook who stole wallets and phones.

他算不上真正的罪犯，只是个偷钱包和手机的小混混。

(2) spendthrift（挥霍无度的人，败家子）

例句: His brother is a spendthrift who wastes all his money on gambling.

他哥哥是个败家子，把钱全挥霍在赌博上。

(3) make the rounds（四处打听，到处走访）

例句: After her cat went missing, she made the rounds of the neighborhood asking for help.

她的猫走丢后，她在附近四处打听求助。

(4) act out（表演，装模作样）

例句: He wasn’t really sad; he was just acting out his emotions for sympathy.

他并不是真的难过，只是在装可怜博同情。

(5) stand on one’s own two feet（自立，独立）

例句: It’s time for you to stand on your own two feet instead of relying on your parents.

你该学会自立了，别再依赖父母。

(6) hang up（挂断电话）

例句: She was so angry that she hung up without saying goodbye.

她气得连再见都没说就直接挂断了电话。

2. 学习常用句表达

(1) You know how she is.（你知道她的性格/脾气。）

例句:

- A: "Why does your mom always argue with everyone?"

- B: "You know how she is. She just likes to debate."

- A: "你妈为什么总爱跟人吵架？"

- B: "你知道她的脾气，她就是喜欢争论。"

(2) Just what I said.（就是我说的那样。）

- 例句:

- A: "Do you really mean we should stop looking for her?"

- B: "Just what I said. It’s hopeless."

- A: "你是说我们真的不该再找她了？"

- B: "就是我说的那样，没希望了。"

3. 语法重点

并列句（Compound Sentence） 由两个独立分句（independent clauses）通过 and 连接，表达相关但不同的信息。 常用于强调两个并列的事实或状态。

He had no brain, and in his heart he had only himself.（他既没脑子，心里也只装着自己。）

例句:

She was smart, and she knew how to use her intelligence wisely.

（她很聪明，而且她知道如何善用自己的智慧。）

He never studied, and he always failed his exams.

（他从不学习，所以考试总是不及格。）

这部小说不仅是女性成长的史诗，更是语言学习的宝藏。正如埃莱娜和莉拉在书本中寻找出路，我们也能在费兰特的文字里，找到英语表达的"天才"之道。

来源：李子园外语