The Snows of Kilimanjaro（英文版)

Read after I returned from the top of Kilimanjaro. Also viewed the movie.

On the snow capped mountains of Kilimanjaro, you only have one chance, either to conquer it or be conquered by it.He had been contemptuous of those who wrecked. You did not have to like it because you understood it. He could beat anything, he thought, because no thing could hurt him if he did not care.All right. Now he would not care for death. One thing he had always dreaded was the pain. He could stand pain as well as any man, until it went on too long, and wore him out, but here he had something that had hurt frightfully and just when he had felt it breaking him, the pain had stopped.Outside the tent the hyena made the same strange noise that had awakened her. But she did not hear him for the beating of her heart.

作家哈里在成名後傍上了富婆，長久的富足生活剝奪了他創作的動力，因此他計劃去非洲打獵，企圖重新振作自己的精神。可惜，他在打獵時受傷導致腿部感染壞疽，當死亡不可避免時，他終於爲自己不斷浪費寫作天賦的下半生感到懊悔。 死亡的前一天，過往的回憶不斷湧現。被炸出腸子、痛不欲生的軍官，被故意凍死在雪山裏的女俘虜。滑雪與賭博的日子。失去心愛女人後的悲痛，過度嫖娼後的空虛。童年祖父的木屋與獵槍。上吊自殺的旅館老闆以及在巴黎護牆廣場的生活——他正是在這個貧窮的街區開始自己的寫作生涯。 但這些真實而觸動的過往他都沒有寫，因爲他已經失去寫作的緊迫感，也失去將它們寫下來的勇氣了。 瀕死之時，哈里終於完成了對自己的審判，他在幻覺中坐上飛機前往乞力馬扎羅山的山頂。他的靈魂和那隻因攀登山峯而死的豹子一起，凝結在了乞力馬扎羅山的白雪之中。

可解讀的角度太多了 階級: 以作者來看，富裕階級的生活舒適，而貧窮階級的生活比較有趣也有情味，相對更有色彩。Harry回憶的是自己過去的各種冒險，而非違背內心感受娶了Hellen後的舒適和享受。 勇毅: 被認爲是男人的核心價值。即使死亡甚至超越死亡的痛苦都是可以承受的。 死亡: 死亡無形無色，只會在最後一刻悄悄侵襲你的身體，承擔你的重量。被救出時遇見的草原、森林、角馬和乞力馬扎羅山只是Harry的幻覺。 關於乞力馬紮羅死去的豹: 沒人知道他在尋找什麼，可能是攀登頂峯，可能是追尋獵物，也可能僅僅是想感受寒冷。自然的無所不包的遼闊與宏大以悲劇性將世界上最強大、堅毅的狩獵者變成一尊雕塑，以見證個體的渺小和生命的無常，但雕塑本身仍不失爲頌歌。他的生命故事存在於無數捕獵的驚險神話，也在最後凝固的堅冰——儘管最後他沒做任何事。

我覺得這本書比《太陽照常升起》要難讀得多，沒記錯的話，後者短句子多一些。

1. 渴望的生活和現實際遇之間的空缺 2. 我的人生都被戰爭給毀了 3. 死亡像黑影掠過

read fragmentedly with a smattering of it

Everything said is dreamily.

It’s actually a story about love, about a young love that drives you crazy, about a lifetime love that you can’t stand, about a pure love of the city of love, Paris.

Just picture Kilimanjaro under the snow, and you will somehow figure out the .essence of loneliness. Everything said is dreamily.