偶遇小巷书店

文、图易明Yi Ming 译曹宇光Cao Yuguang

尼斯书店老板与顾客交流The Boss of the Bookstore Exchanged with Customer in Nice

我是个不怎么爱读书的人，工作关系，和书结下了些不解之缘。家里、办公室里，小书架已经堆满，清了再清，以至难于找到合适的地方安放新书。

万万没想到，如此情况下，一趟法国之行，我的不远万里，从法国尼斯带回北京的，竟然是十来斤书，而且是一点都看不懂的法文。

事情还要从同行欧老师说起。欧建平老师对书有种痴爱，十多天的行程中，哪怕能抽出半天自由时间，他都要找书店去逛逛。欧老师研究舞蹈，目标倒也明确，舞蹈的书，舞蹈的碟。他还有一个观点：书不可以谈价钱，书不可以用金钱来衡量。

逛书店不是我的兴趣。可刚到尼斯，和欧老师还不熟，当他提议一起逛书店时，我也不好拒绝。Fnac是尼斯最大的书店，一共四层，都是法文书籍，也卖一些电子产品。其中音像制品占据很大区域，配有体验耳机，看不懂文字，还可以听听碟子。

时间有些难熬。看欧老师那么认真，我不免惭愧，也装模作样找起书来，竟发现了几排中国现当代文学的法文翻译：老舍、莫言，都有成套译著，封面充满对中国的想象。余华、苏童、刘震云、阎连科、刘心武、毕飞宇、迟子建、李敬泽等当代作家作品也能看到，甚至还有近年新出的绘本《平美如棠》等。尼斯书店里中国小说的翻译作品不少，其后在巴黎的莎士比亚书店，在柏林的书店，都没有看到成排的中文外译本。

眼看已经过去两三个小时，中午12点了，可欧老师还不准备结束；一点多了，我的肚子开始咕噜咕噜叫，欧老师依然兴致盎然……大好的一天，看来要消磨在了书店里了。欧老师最终收获不小，我陪着他高兴。午饭么，书店餐饮区的法式长面包不错，饿的时候，吃什么都香。

已是傍晚，欧老师提议到尼斯老城走走。这个建议不错，想着可以从老城眺望美丽的天使湾。从住处步行到老城有一段距离，尼斯没有中国城市里的小区，一栋栋房子临街建着，小街小巷非常多。我们就在这些小巷子里很无方向感地走着，忽然欧老师眼前一亮，喊了声：书店！我也一惊，而后有些失落：看来遥望天使湾的美梦要成泡影。

其实就是街边一间很不起眼的店面，如果不是欧老师敏感，很容易错过。进到屋内，仅20平方米左右，三面贴墙的书架，一面临街的橱窗，中间桌子上摆的也都是书。老板是个法国中年人，金发卷曲，鼻梁高挺，戴着一副圆框眼镜。

架子上的书，很多是那种竹节样的书脊，有的还加了层保护膜，显得非常珍贵。竟是一个旧书店。伸手拿了一本“竹节书”：皮质封面，刷金书顶，出版于100多年前，纸张厚实，手感舒适，竟不觉得特别古旧。内页插图绘制精美，色彩如新，比很多新的出版物还要漂亮！而这样既古旧又精美的图书，在这个小书店中，竟然随手就能拿到。

是在国内逛书店、逛旧书摊太少了吗？对于图书，我有点“外貌协会”，看重“颜值”。如此精美的旧书，在国内从没遇到过。想来20世纪前后，欧洲列强国力强盛，出版比中国要发达得多，当时的中国饱受战乱之苦，出版自然难以匹敌欧洲。

将一册200年前的书拿在手中是怎样一种感觉？欧老师看看书，再看看我拿着书爱不释手的样子，感动得眼圈都红了。谁能想到，在这样一个路边小店，会遇到如此特别的旧书店，让人如获至宝。

看我恋恋不舍的样子，欧老师建议，再好的书，和兴趣、研究没关系，买回去放书柜也就没用了。得知我是学文学的，店老板很快推荐了本巴尔扎克的《欧也妮·葛朗台》，还有拉封丹的寓言集及故事诗，法国作家的法文原版。虽然看不懂，可是又有什么关系呢？《欧也妮·葛朗台》的故事已经烂熟于心了，看到其中精美的插图，就能回忆起小说中的情节；拉封丹的寓言很多是家喻户晓，这本旧书，几乎为每个故事都配了插图；而拉封丹的故事集，虽然内容不甚明了，但其中的彩色插画，笔法简洁优美，有一种浓浓的法国中世纪风情，这样一册一百多年前的毛边书拿在手中，怎么都不忍放下。

夜幕还未降临，时间已到了晚上八点多，该打烊了。在这一二十平方米的小空间，不知不觉竟逗留了两个多小时。离开书店时，老板送了我们一张尼斯老书店地图。在这个不大的城市中，竟然分布着17家旧书店。只是，时间太有限，无法一一探访。略感欣慰的是，临走问起老板，尼斯的旧书店哪家最好？老板推了推眼镜自信地说，我的这个。

博尔赫斯说，天堂应该是图书馆的样子。但图书馆又是什么样子呢？“颜值”与书的质量虽然不能划等号，但至少体现了对知识的尊重程度。现在有太多急功近利粗制滥造之作，这样的书，值得进入天堂一样的图书馆吗？

尼斯街边旧书店Old Bookstore in Nice

Though I am not a bookworm, my profession in literature made me totally engrossed in books. My collection of books has filled my study, and office, and my tiny bookcases have been full to such utmost that it is exceedingly hard for me to find a suitable place to put my new books, even after several rounds of clearance.

However, after my journey to France, what I took great trouble to bring back to Beijing from Nice, thousands of miles away,was just dozens of kilos of French books in French language that is totally strange to me.

This story had something to do with my companion OU Jianping who has a fascination with books. Within an itinerary abroad of over ten days, he would spare at least half a day to have a look at the local bookstores. As a researcher of dance, he aimed at nothing but books and DVDs about dancing. To him, price and money never indicate the genuine value of any books.

Though it is never my hobby to stroll in bookstores, I still couldn’t say no to such suggestion from OU, a new companion at the beginning of this journey, when we just arrived upon just arrival in Nice. FNAC, a four-storeyed building is the largest bookstore in Nice, full of French books and electronic products.There was quite a large area for audio-video products and many earphones connected withto CD players there enabled just right those illiterate of French like me to enjoy music.

With the passage of time, I came to realize that even music could hardly ease my embarrassment in this bookstore. At the sight of OU’s devotioned reading in a corner, I couldn’t help feeling a bit ashamed and then made up my mind to pretend to have a careful look at those books as well. Then I found a couple of shelves with French -version of Chinese Modern and Contemporary Literature. The books by MO Yan and LAO She were compiled in sets of French translation and their covers were full of imagination about China. I even found French translation of the books by such contemporary Chinese writers as YU Hua, SU Tong, LIU Zhenyun, YAN Lianke, LIU Xinwu,BI Feiyu, CHI Zijian and LI Jingze as well as the web fiction Shanghai Baby that aroused a huge fashion over a decade ago and the latest picture book Our Story of Pingzhu and Meitang.Even in Shakespeare Bookstore in Paris and that in Berlin afterwards, I failed to witness as many foreign versions of Chinese literature on shelves as in this FNAC in Nice.

Couple of hours passed by and it was already at noon. that OUu never showed any sign of ending my waiting. Another hour passed and my stomach began to pur, but OU was still indulging himself in reading. Then I had to admit that both of us would spent the whole day in reading in this bookstore. OU’s final harvest turned out to be quite huge, and but the pleasure I had was just witnessing his pleasure. As for lunch, the typical croissants in the dining area of the bookstore were welcome as delicacy, for we were both starving.

It was almost twilight when we left this bookstore, and OU advised to have a walk into the old town of Nice. Anticipating remote observation of the beautiful Angel Bay from the old town, I accepted this good advice. Within a short distance from our hotel to the old town, buildings were standing along the street one after another, and as there was no such enclosed neighborhood community as in China’s cities, there appeared to be so many tiny streets and lanes. Without a certain direction,we just roamed among those lanes before Ou shouted out“’Bookstore!’” as if happening to find treasure. At this sound,I was first bit surprised and then immediately disappointed,because my expectation to appreciate the beauty of Angel Bay was about to end.

As a matter of fact, it 'turned out to be quite an unattractive store that average people would easily neglect except such sensitive keen bookworms as OU. Within an area of only 20 square meters, three shelves of books stood against walls of each side and the remaining side was a window that faced to the street. Some books were piled on a table in the center of the room. The bossowner of the bookstore was a middle-age Frenchman with curling blonde hair, high-bridged nose and a pair of round-frame glasses. Many books on the shelves were blessed with thread-bond spine that resembled bamboo joint,and some were added with a protective film that indicated their precious quality. In this old bookstore, I randomly took out a “bamboo-joint” book: with furred cover, gold-glided top, published over a century ago, and the thick paper felt so good. The internal illustration was exquisite and its color was still fresh, both of which were far more beautiful than many latest publications. However, to my amazement, almost every old book in this store was in such time-honored and delicatelyfurnished fashion.

For books, I am always easily attracted by its external decoration and design, but such exquisite old books were hardly seen in my experience back in China. To explore the cause of this phenomenonfind out the reason, I initially owed it to my seldom visit to domestic bookstores or flea markets at home. When I reviewed the history around the 20thcentury when European powers were at their prime time while China was undergoing hardship and warfare, it is easy to conclude that the level of European publication then was so advanced that their Chinese counterpart could hardly compete.

What kind of feeling is it whento hold in hand a book that was published two centuries ago? Taking a look at this time-honored book and gazing at my excitement with it, OU was greatly touched to tears because it was totally a big happy surprise for both of us to encounter such a special old bookstore unexpectedly.

一百年前出版的书A Book Published One Hundred Years Ago

Despite my great amazement in the first book at hand, I finally gave up the book, as OU held that any book would be only a brick on a shelf so long as if it had nothing at all to do with the collector’s interests and profession. Learning that my profession was literature, the owner of the bookstore quickly recommended a book of Eugénie Grandet by Balzac as well as fables and poetry by Jean de la Fontaine, both in the original versions of French literature. My illiteracy of French language never hindered a bit of my interests as those frequent familiar and exquisite illustrations in both publications reminded me of those familiar plots and stories acquainted by almost every household. As for the poetry of tales whose contents were a bit foreign to me, the colorful illustration with simple yet fine description endowed the book with a distinct expression of Medieval French age. Such a classical book with a history of more than a century was indeed a delight for which I never wanted to bid goodbye.

Though darkness was far from falling, it was already 8 pm and the bookstore was about to close. We spent already over two hours within such a tiny space and before we left, the owner of the bookstore gifted us with a map of old bookstores in Nice.Beyond our imagination, there existed 17 old bookstores in this small city and it was our pity not be able to visit them one by one in our limited itinerary. To our joy and reassurance, when asked which old bookstore was the best in Nice, the owner slightly pushed his glasses and uttered in self-confidence, “Of course, mine!”.

As Borges said, paradise should look like a library. Then what does a true library look like? What a book looks like never equals to its quality, but it at least reflects the publisher’s respect for knowledge. Currently there are so many shoddy publications in pursuit of quick success or profit, and we can’t help wondering if those books are qualified into the library of paradise.尼斯FNAC书店的CD体验区CD Appreciation Section of FNAC Bookstore in Nice