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《格列佛游记》几乎人人听说过，但很多人只记得格列佛在小人国的故事。1726 年 10 月 28 日，这本书在伦敦出版时，封面上甚至没有作者的名字。文章先交代 300 周年这个时间点，再解释斯威夫特为何匿名出版，接着借都柏林圣三一学院的展览说明：除了小人国，格列佛还去过巨人国和由马统治的国度，这本书三百年来不断被重印、改写和改编。随后文章指出，它其实未必是“儿童故事”，最后介绍斯威夫特长眠的圣帕特里克大教堂里的儿童合唱首演和塔楼投影，以“曾经隐去作者姓名的书，迎来非常公开的生日”收束。阅读时可留意 so、however、though 等词如何连接原因、转折和对比。

正文

On 28 October 1726, a new book appeared in London with a long title and no writer‘s name on it. It told the story of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship’s surgeon who visits strange lands full of tiny people, giants and talking horses. This Wednesday marks exactly 300 years since that first publication, and Gulliver’s Travels is being celebrated in Dublin and on British radio.

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1726 年 10 月 28 日，一本新书在伦敦出版，书名很长，却没有署作者的名字。它讲述了船上外科医生莱缪尔·格列佛的故事：他到访了一些奇异的国度，那里有极小的人、巨人和会说话的马。这个星期三正好是这本书首次出版 300 周年，都柏林和英国广播节目都在纪念《格列佛游记》。

The real writer was Jonathan Swift, who was the Dean of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. A new BBC Radio 4 series presented by Ian Hislop explains why his name was missing. Swift was becoming known for defending Ireland against what he saw as unfair treatment by the British government, and satire about people in power could bring trouble. So the publication was carefully planned. The plan even included an invented cousin for Gulliver.

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真正的作者是乔纳森·斯威夫特，他当时是都柏林圣帕特里克大教堂的教长。英国广播公司第四电台由伊恩·希斯洛普主持的一档新系列节目解释了他为什么没有署名：斯威夫特当时因维护爱尔兰、反对他眼中英国政府的不公正对待而逐渐出名，而讽刺当权者的作品可能会带来麻烦。因此，这本书的出版经过了精心安排，计划中甚至为格列佛虚构了一位表亲。

Many readers know only the first voyage, to Lilliput, where Gulliver is a giant among very small people. That part is familiar because of children’s books, films and comic books. However, an exhibition at Trinity College Dublin, called Gulliver at 300, takes visitors on all of his journeys. They also travel to Brobdingnag, where Gulliver is the tiny one, and to a country ruled by horses.

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许多读者只知道格列佛的第一次航行——到小人国利立浦特，在那里他是一群小人中的巨人。这部分故事之所以为人熟知，是因为儿童读物、电影和漫画书。不过，都柏林圣三一学院一个名为“格列佛 300 年”的展览带领参观者走完他的全部旅程。他们还会来到巨人国布罗卜丁奈格（在那里格列佛成了小个子），以及一个由马统治的国度。

The exhibition is in the Long Room of the university‘s Old Library, and it shows how the book has been reprinted and retold across three centuries. Visitors can see some of the earliest editions, modern pop-up books and comics, cheap little booklets and expensive copies. One small, shortened version, printed in Dublin in 1761, is the only known copy left. According to Trinity, the book has never been out of print, and it has been adapted in many languages for adults and children. The display runs until the end of December.

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展览设在这所大学老图书馆的长厅，展示了这本书在三个世纪里如何被一再重印和改写。参观者可以看到一些最早的版本、现代立体书和漫画、廉价的小册子和昂贵的版本。其中一本 1761 年在都柏林印刷的小型删节本，是已知仅存的一册。据圣三一学院介绍，这本书从未绝版，并以多种语言被改编，供成人和儿童阅读。展览将持续到 12 月底。

Not everyone agrees that it is really a children’s story. The first episode of the BBC series is called “Unsuitable for Children”, and later episodes look at how Swift wrote about politics and science. Trinity is also marking the anniversary on Wednesday evening with a free public talk about satire, knowledge, power and democracy.

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不过，并不是每个人都认为它真的是一个儿童故事。英国广播公司这档系列节目的第一集就叫《不适合儿童》，之后几集则探讨斯威夫特如何书写政治和科学。圣三一学院还将在星期三晚上举办一场免费公开讲座，讨论讽刺、知识、权力与民主，以纪念这个周年。

At Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, where Swift is buried, the celebration will be more playful. A choir of children from across Dublin will give the first performance of The Man Mountain, a new piece by composer Seán Doherty. Winning pictures from a children’s art competition will also be shown on the cathedral‘s tower. For a book that once hid its writer‘s name, it is a very public birthday.

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在斯威夫特长眠的圣帕特里克大教堂，纪念活动会更轻松有趣。一支由都柏林各地儿童组成的合唱团将首演作曲家肖恩·多赫蒂的新作品《人山》。一项儿童艺术比赛的获奖画作也将投影在大教堂的塔楼上。对于一本曾经隐去作者姓名的书来说，这是一场非常公开的生日庆祝。

新闻来源

• Trinity College Dublin · From Lilliput to the Long Room: Trinity celebrates 300 years of Gulliver’s Travels (15 Oct 2026)
• BBC Radio 4 · Three Hundred Years of Gulliver’s Travels (26–30 Oct 2026)
• BBC Radio 4 · Sedition and Satire (27 Oct 2026)
• Saint Patrick’s Cathedral · Gulliver’s Travels: 300th Anniversary Celebration (28 Oct 2026)
• Saint Patrick’s Cathedral · Gulliver’s Travels: 300th Anniversary Art Competition

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