刘宇昆-刘慈欣与《三体》在华语星云奖上的盛典

在刚过去的这一周里，我经历了精彩绝伦的华语科幻星云奖盛会。除了与新老朋友见面、见证宝树的杰作《时间之墟》拿下星云奖之外，我也和刘慈欣的众多书迷一起参与了《三体》英文版的发布庆典。

我 很难描述刘慈欣的粉丝们有多么热情——无论他走到哪，粉丝们都嚷嚷着求签名，他在任何地方的讲话都座无虚席，很多没座位的粉丝挤满了走廊和空地。有数千人 去那儿见他。刘慈欣则对所有人都始终保持着客气谦和，回应着每一个求签名的呼声，对提出的问题也作了很多精彩的回答。这也是我和刘慈欣的首次真正见面，他 就像邮件中交流的那个他一样，满载着温暖与鼓舞人心的气质。

许多书迷都问到了我个人怎么看《三体》及其续集在美国的前景。英文版的出版对他们而言是很重大的，因为这是中国的硬科幻小说首次翻译并在美国出版。我说虽然我没法预言未来，但刘慈欣宏伟壮丽的努力结晶必将在西方找到属于它的读者们，就像在中国那样。

让 我很意外的是，华语星云奖的组织者们和刘慈欣为这部小说的翻译而给了我一个特别奖。我几乎被书迷们的喝彩与祝福声给压倒了——我想最后我的确是挤出了一些 能够称得上是感谢词的话，但应该不是很流畅吧。看到这么多的人被这部文学作品感动到如此程度，本身就有着不可思议的感染力…

 刘宇昆是一位科幻小说作家与翻译家；他的英文翻译版《三体》即将在11月11号由Tor出版社出版。他的作品在《奇幻与科幻》(F&SF)、《阿西莫夫》(Asimov’s)、《模拟》(Analog)、《惊奇地平线》(Strange Horizons)、《光速》(Lightspeed)和《克拉克世界》(Clarkesworld)等很多地方刊登。他的作品《瘟疫》(The Plague)与《重生》(Reborn)已在Tor.com出版。他的新小说《众王的优雅》(The Grace of Kings)，也是他“丝绸朋克”史诗奇幻系列的首作，将于2015年4月7日由Saga Press出版。

附原文：

Celebrating Cixin Liu and The Three-Body Problem at the Chinese Xingyun (Nebula) Awards

I had a wonderful time at the Chinese Xingyun (Nebula) Awards this past weekend. In addition to meeting many friends old and new and witnessingBao Shu win the novel Xingyun with his fabulous Ruins of Time, I also participated in the celebration of the publication of the English edition ofThe Three-Body Problem with Liu Cixin’s passionate fans.

It’s hard for me to convey the excitement of Liu’s fans—everywhere he went, they clamored for his autograph, and every time he spoke on a panel, the aisles and floor were filled with people spilling from the seats. Literally thousands were there to see him. Liu Cixin was unfailingly polite and gracious to everyone, accommodating every autographing request and giving brilliant answers to questions. It was also the first time that Liu Cixin and I met in person, and he was every bit as warm and inspiring in person as over email.

Many fans asked me for my opinion on the anticipated reception of The Three-Body Problem and its sequels in the U.S. The publication of the English edition is a big deal for them because it’s the first time a major hard sci-fi novel from the People’s Republic has been translated and published in the U.S. I told them that though I couldn’t predict the future, I thought Liu’s magnificent work would find its audience in the West just as it had done in China.

The Xingyun organizers and Liu Cixin surprised me by giving me a special award for my work in translating the novel. I was overwhelmed by the raucous applause and the passionate cheers from the fans—I think I managed in the end to mumble something on stage in thanks, but it wasn’t very coherent. It’s incredibly moving to see so many people moved by a work of art to such a degree. 

Ken Liu is a science fiction writer and translator; his English translation ofThe Three-Body Problem is available November 11 from Tor Books. His writing has appeared in F&SF, Asimov’s, Analog, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed, and Clarkesworld, among other places. His stories “The Plague” and “Reborn” have been published on Tor.com. His debut novel The Grace of Kings, the first volume in his silkpunk epic fantasy series, will be published by Saga Press on April 7, 2015.