Thursday, February 8, 2018

Idiocy, Ltd.: 白痴有限公司 Launch Party




THANK YOU all for coming to the book launch for 白痴有限公司! I was so glad to see you--many people I haven't seen in a long time. I only wish I'd had more time to talk to you during the party. I was busy signing books for the three hours.

台灣是我最愛的國家。你們台灣學生朋友們是我最愛的人。沒錯。

Thanks to Toasteria Cafe 永康 Yong Kang staff for coming, some of you, and for doing such a great job. Hope you guys who weren't working had a good time. Special thanks to 林小虎 and Vivian Ruan. Great job!

對於這本書感興趣的其他人: 白痴有限公司 is in Taiwan's book stores: http://www.eslite.com/product.aspx?pgid=1001254072653973

--枚德林/Eric Mader

[The book launch party for 白痴有限公司, the Chinese translation of Idiocy, Ltd. published by 逗點文創結社, was on January 31, 2018, at Toasteria Cafe Yong-Kang. The English original is available through Amazon. Above photo with the great people at Toasteria!]

PHOTOS / READER COMMENTS

With Yumin Lai and others

Yumin writes: 我和孩子的英文老師枚德林Eric Mader, 是個風趣但是教學卻嚴謹的美國人;他學的是英法比較文學,卻因為娶了台灣人而在台灣停留了二十年;這本以富有童趣的文筆寫成的諷喻小品集,除了令人莞爾,其實也隱含了不少對當今社會現象的洞察與規勸,有點像東方朔的風格。它原本是英文的,如今有了譯筆精湛的中文版,在這懶得出門的濕冷天,閲讀Eric老師的冷笑話再適合不過了,也推薦給大家!

With Annie Chang

Annie writes: 我從小學三年級就認識的英文老師 Eric Mader, 將他的書翻譯成中文付梓了。

這年代出書其實門檻沒那麼高,但我必須用「付梓」這個字眼來描述【白癡有限公司】的出版發行,因為這是我看了本書第一部分,那些有點文青但又富含文化底蘊、針砭時事發人省思的屁話之後,覺得最符合本書風格的用字。

以前Eric帶我念青年版的 The Odyssey, 希臘神話、希臘悲劇Oedipus Tyrannus、舊約創世紀,可以說是引領我學習西方文化的入門,雖然很多生澀的單字我可能離開課堂就忘了(也太快),但 Eric教學的時候常常有很生動的比喻跟演出,還有很多發人大笑的白板畫,一直都讓我難以忘懷。在閱讀這本書的時候,那些插畫還有跟Eric敘事的風格一模一樣的畫面就躍然眼前,讓我欲罷不能,一口氣就讀完接近三分之一。

我很榮幸在Eric眾多的學生中,成為他印象深刻的一個,失聯多年後,我們在2011年在東區的星巴克重逢;我還邀請Eric參加我的婚宴。

這是我親愛的英文老師也是永遠的朋友出版的第一本中文書,推薦給大家。

Eric: Thank you so much, Annie. I'm so happy to have run into you in that Starbucks, because I remembered very well teaching you as a little girl--and who wouldn't remember? You've always had such clear vision and so much personality, the only kid who'd come into the classroom early, then sit down RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and start talking, almost like one adult to another: complaints about life, questions about this and that, and then you'd be doing it all while drawing doodles. So I knew this girl was something special.

I'm really moved by your reaction to the book and will certainly save it. I've been lucky to have such a classy friend. Hope you and that witty guy you married keep getting the most of out of life.

With students Howard, Jessica and others

Jessica writes: 兩年了 大家還是很鬧 他還是很搞笑
他的文字也還是遠比許多無病呻吟的情感有溫度的多
看過他好多文章 這次他出書了 認真覺得好開心

To me, you are the best (funny) teacher.
Thanks for every one of your crazy classes!!!

Eric: Great photo with you guys! Thanks for coming and thanks for posting it. Because I want to remember you all when I'm . . . old. It has been great fun for me teaching you, and, for you in the Friday class, reading your writing! Because it's always sharp, and often hilarious. Even that Allen MF 2 guy, when he's not falling asleep, writes some really funny stuff!

加油 Howard, Jessica, AMF2, Hank, Ylang, Andy and Charlie.

With Aven Kao


With Williams Adilehou and Eileen Chen


With Nick Huang and Julia Chen

Nick writes: 我之前是Eric的學生,而我讀這本書的原則是:
「幹你娘看爆」


沒錯,就是幹你娘看爆。

什麼?讀後感?我說,

喜歡The Simpsons或South Park美式笑點的你不能不去一趟納普勒斯的恐怖再教育中心;身為台灣人的你不能不為台灣奧巴桑的迷人行徑瘋狂;身為基督徒的你不能不知道為什麼文生會在創世紀裡被罰站兩次;身為地球人的你不能不了解貓貓的來由及Hello Kitty的陰謀。

吃飯時間快到了,我要去抓蝴蝶了,伏爾泰在等著我餵他/牠吃蝴蝶翅膀呢!

#這批很純

#不管他嗑了什麼都給我來一點

以下神秘連結點開有驚喜:

books.com

http://www.eslite.com/product.aspx?pgid=1001254072653973

https://www.kingstone.com.tw/book/book_page.asp?kmcode=2018740959593

Eric: Hah! Many thanks for the good word, Nick. I'm glad you're getting some laughs from the book. Of course your commentary made me laugh too.

BTW, for others who see this post, those two in the photo, Nick and Julia, were part of the longest-running class I ever taught. Some of the students in that class, like Nick, I began to teach when they were about 11. And continued teaching them for ten years! We started with basic verbs, and ended with George Saunders and Shakespeare. It was great fun.

With Lisa, who helped me out getting books to people

Lisa writes: Love my crazy teacher Eric Mader and all his wonderful thoughts.

希望大家都買五本,一本自己留著讀,一本收藏用,兩本推廣用,一本放神桌拜拜。

With (from right) Michael Thomsen, Serina Tsai and Marcus Thomsen

Serina writes: 大概是八年前,有一天我突然想說,來跟住在我家對面的鄰居~Eric老師上英文課。這樣以後出國的時候不用依賴別人,已經會寫、會看,就是不太能說的我,於是展開了社會人士學習之旅。


說英語,其實沒有那麼難,如果你找到好的老師。雖然現在已經沒有上課了,但是當時Eric真的給我很大的啟發跟幫助!

等我沒那麼忙的時候,希望自己可以繼續上課。

今日是他的新書發表會,看到擠滿的人潮,跟大排長龍的簽書書迷,就知道,他絕對是個好老師.........在各方面!!!

Congratulations to my dear English teacher.

Eric: You're too good to me, Serina. And me too, I'm very glad I finally got to know you: a sharp woman with a brilliant attitude toward life. Also I've met some great people through you, so I'm lucky there too. Of course I'll always be very willing to work on any English with you, though you don't much need it anymore, given you've learned so quickly.

Much appreciate you guys coming. Hope you enjoy the book!

With Frank

With Daniel and Michelle Fang and the Chen sisters

Tony and Coco

With Hana "Banana" and Orion

My colleague Erica and the inimitable Duku


長頸鹿一旦搭上電扶梯,永無止盡的災難就開始了。   

沒有最白痴,只有更白痴!
  動物人類手牽手,獻上高智商北七寓言——
  一本以「卡夫卡式荒謬」與國際接軌的白痴故事集。   

什麼叫「白痴的言行」?怎樣算「白痴」?
  「只要能辨明一個人究竟是如何耍白痴、可以多白痴──只要能看出此人臻至這種白痴狀態的方式和程度,並釐清這個方式和程度與此人可能自詡為聰明之處緊密交織、環環相扣的關係,便蔚為一項難得的殊榮了。」——枚德林   

當世界的癲狂成為日常,唯一看見真相的只有外表看似英文教師,實際上是人間格物者的枚德林。
  四十則帶著關懷卻引人發噱的小品,十二則獨特視角的臺北紀錄,為這過於嚴肅又常笑得毫無理由的海島,提供了另一個看待世界的方式。   

P.S. 書裡的長頸鹿會抽菸,小朋友不要學。
  P.S. 書裡的插圖也很有事,是作者親筆畫的喔!

好評推薦   

「枚德林始終雋永奇特,自成異格。其文思與意趣上下縱橫,源源不絕。謎般笑點或爆點,為閱讀人帶來層層挑戰。妙筆所到,處處生花。絕對值得歷險尋寶。」——Bradley Winterton,《台北時報》資深書評家   

「無論是抽著菸的長頸鹿,佛羅里達州式的思想改造營,或是台北市裡一整群難得一見的怪胎,枚德林純熟老練的筆法,穩健適切地表現了以下技藝:譏嘲針砭;善意嘲諷;矇哄幽眛詭奇—近似波赫士,卡夫卡以及其他大師筆力,卻全然發輝屬己精神。荒謬感冷不防蹦出,上窮碧落無法無天;上下文的語境指涉瞬變,看似傾軋,精彩得令讀者難以招架。潛在的批判貫穿《白痴有限公司》全書,展現深度人文關懷。這是一本會讓你吃驚大笑的書,但,最重要的是,腦力激盪之餘,促人認真思考。」——Duncan Chesney, 美國學者,現當代文學評論家,國立臺灣大學外國語文學系暨研究所教授。   

「在《白痴有限公司》為我們打開的世界,藝術的遊玩與嚴謹感動了讀者,眼界及耳域都因此更加開濶,覺察字句的音樂與興味。」——John Poch, 美國詩人,著有《Dolls》以及《Two Men Fighting with a Knife》等數本詩集。

At Eslite (誠品), Kingstone, and online.

For more reviews, new books, follow my author page on Facebook: Eric Mader 枚德林

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