導讀（節選）
施益堅的太平天國
李弘祺
施益堅（Stephan Thome）博士是德國出名的小説家，已經出版了五本小説，其中三部曾經被著名的德文書出版獎提名並入圍，可見他在小説著作上的成就。這本書使用小説的方式來描述十九世紀中葉，非常複雜的中國内政及外交的演變：集中在太平天國、第二次鴉片戰爭以及這些歷史演變的重要人物：從洪秀全（以及洪仁玕）到曾國藩到英國外交代表額爾金（James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin；全名中譯為「第八代額爾金伯爵，同時也是第十二代金卡爾丁伯爵」）等等，都是我們耳熟能詳的歷史人物。因此它可以歸類爲「歷史小説」，而重要性就不僅止於文學，更在於作者所要演繹的歷史的本質和解釋。讀這本「小説」的人除了可以欣賞文字魔力的引人遐想之外，更能從它看到人類歷史的繽紛多彩。這本書在這兩點上都有出色的表現。再因爲它所觸及的「事件」和人物是我們大部分人所非常熟悉的，因此自然地會引起中譯本的讀者們的感動。他們可以經過認同，反思和印證書中的故事，產生一種情感的過濾和昇華。
本書從太平天國講起，到英法聯軍簽訂合約爲止。作者借用一個虛構的人物（菲利普）來交錯編織書中的情節。這個虛構的人是一個不很老實的基督徒：他喜歡浪跡天涯，不尊崇傳統，借用傳教士的身分，遠走中國，結果見證了太平天國的動亂，中英間的第二次鴉片戰爭。當然，這個人的所見所言就是作者的觀點和聲音。
作者借用的是歷史的想像，透過文字的精彩來表達他對這一段中國歷史的看法。首先，施益堅是一個研究中國思想的學者，擁有柏林自由大學的哲學博士學位。他熟悉中國的歷史和文化；這點在書中到處可見。我敢說華人對十九世紀中國史的瞭解如果僅限於大學的程度，那麽他們很可能還比不上施博士，因爲十九世紀的中外關係的歷史記載不只限於中文圖書，許多紀錄還存在於英、法、德，乃至於俄國的資料當中。因此一位能具備宏觀視野的歷史學者一定要能參考中外史料。施益堅在中文之外，還能參考上述語言所記錄的史料，因此他所掌握的視野遠遠勝過即使專門研究這一段歷史的中國史學家。這本「歷史小説」一定可以在研究這段歷史的衆多作品中占有一席之地。
太平天國的歷史定位在清朝滅亡以前當然是負面的，因此説不上有什麽合乎我們現代人所説的歷史敘述或客觀瞭解。清朝滅亡後，我們才進入一個可用批判眼光來探究它的時代。二十世紀大部分中國人對於太平天國的定位受孫中山先生的看法所左右，大多認爲它是一場民族革命，要推翻滿清外族的統治。雖然這樣的解釋在國民黨當政期間，沒有得到大力的鼓吹，但是基本上到抗戰前夕，一般受過教育的人對它抱持的是相對正面的印象。
第一個對太平天國做出有系統研究的無疑是簡又文。他的著作奠定了太平天國史的學術地位。他更是孫中山的看法最好的詮釋人。因爲他曾經在耶魯大學與芮瑪麗（Mary C. Wright） 及史景遷（Jonathan D. Spence) 交流論學，並在那裡出版得獎的《太平天國革命運動史》（The Taiping Revolutionary Movement, 1973），因此對西方學者如何透過中國人的眼光來看待太平天國有相當的影響，即使他的史學（基本上反對所謂的「農民革命」或「階級革命」說）缺乏一貫性也缺乏系統性。羅爾綱比簡年輕一些，對太平天國的研究也做出重要貢獻。他主張太平天國是一場「貧農革命」，反映了中共官式的立場；整體來説，他還是採取正面的、屬於民族主義的態度來處理太平天國的歷史。總的來説，中共對太平天國的態度顯得較為正面。
我認爲國民黨的態度模稜兩可，主要就是因爲如果過分地强調民族革命的色彩，那就會很難客觀解釋曾國藩的角色。爲什麽這麽説呢？這是因爲蔣介石要利用曾國藩的思想來充實中國民族思想的内容。蔣介石認爲曾國藩的「名教」思想比太平天國的基督教信仰更容易被中國人接受，於是國民黨的太平天國歷史變成了曾國藩（和湘軍）平定動亂，保護中國歷史文化的鬥爭。尤有進者，國民黨在台灣更需要用曾國藩的思想來提倡中國人的傳統價值，因此不能過分提倡太平天國批判或反對中國文化的主張。
西方人對太平天國史的興趣則主要是在於洪秀全和洪仁玕的基督教信仰；即使到今天，也還有很多西方學者逃不離從宗教的本質來探討太平天國的束縛。2007年出版的《 太平天國：叛亂與對皇朝的褻瀆 》（Thomas H. Reilly: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Rebellion and the Blasphemy of Empire）也還對於太平天國的政治思想如何受到《希伯來聖經》（通常稱爲《舊約聖經》）「十誡」影響的研究，而2016年出版的《太平天國的神學，基督教在中國的地方化》（Carl S. Kilcourse: Taiping Theology: The Localization of Christianity in China, 1843-64）更直接討論基督教思想的中國化問題。在他們看來，太平天國的政治乃至於神學思想基本上還是能從基督教的觀點處理。不過，總體來説，自從施友忠和簡又文的書相繼出版之後，西方（特別是美國）學術界對太平天國的寫作從此可以擷取前此比較少人看到的中文資料，開拓了新頁。史景遷於1996年出版的《太平天國》） 可以説是一錘定音之作。它的重要性除了有系統地使用不少英國國會圖書館的外交檔案之外，更成功地對太平天國史做出全面性的解釋。
史景遷的中心課題就是想要瞭解洪秀全爲什麽會變成這麽一個動亂的領袖：他的思想、他的歷史背景，還有他令人着迷的毅力。史景遷指出這些東西不幸卻加增了中國的混亂和明顯的沉淪 ，而西方人因爲宗教緣故，不知不覺地捲進了這個他們完全不瞭解的紛爭。難怪史景遷會把英國最受尊敬的外交官額爾欽説成「不對的人」。西方的宗教和東方人對太平天國的錯誤──或至少是誇張的──瞭解，也造成了一種不可原諒的歷史錯誤。
史景遷文采出色，因此能用詩意的文字化解一般歷史敘述的乏味，使得太平天國的研究在西方又產生新一輪的興趣。施益堅所推崇的裴士鋒（Stephen R. Platt）就是一個例子。他寫的《天國之秋》（The Autumn of the Heavenly Kingdom, 2012）將太平天國所帶來的動亂和影響寫得非常徹底，可算是一種新的「戰史」。不過更重要的是他對於洪秀全的基督教信仰有了比較持平或寬容的認可，甚至於認爲西方記者把太平天國的基督教過分渲染醜化，致使洪仁玕近代化的憧憬沒有實現的機會。之所以如此，有兩點：一個是西方記者集中在上海，聼到的主要來自官方説法，因此產生「太平軍是一群燒殺擄掠、無惡不作的野蠻人」想法。其次是十九世紀中葉的基督教還是保持排斥非信徒的傳統，只要有絲毫與正統教義偏離的想法就被視爲異端。在裴士锋看來，這兩者都造成後人對太平天國極大的誤會。
施益堅對基督教的立場是開放的，他認同英國傳教士會的説法，主張拜上帝會的教義不外是所謂的「亞流派」（Arianism）的想法。因此他和裴士鋒一樣，明顯對太平天國的宗教觀有相當的同情，這就好像近年來西方基督教會不再隨便指摘在中國產生的靈恩教會是異端一樣，兩人對於過往基督教會鄙視太平天國的態度並不認同。更進一步來説，施益堅也不認爲西方人對太平天國的「拜上帝會」有真正的興趣。他們不支持洪秀全，一言以蔽之，就是經濟的利害關係。施益堅在小説中借用額爾金的話說出英國攻打北京，並放棄支持太平天國的主要原因是經濟和貿易的考慮。額爾金作爲英國的貴族，擔負重要的外交任務（他的弟弟當時也帶兵在北京），他的考量當然是英國國家的長遠利益。
在施益堅的眼光中，額爾金伯爵雖然對中國文化缺乏認識，但卻是一個值得尊敬的英國紳士（雖然系出蘇格蘭）。施益堅把他描寫成一個懷疑亞羅號船上並沒有真的懸掛英國國旗，並且為英國出兵感到羞恥的人。他也不再提額爾金縱容士兵進入圓明園搶劫的這個説法。最後這點現今一般認爲是法國官方的決定。有的史家更根據王闓運、李慈銘的記載，指出其實中國人比法國人還早進去破壞，因爲咸豐皇帝逃亡之後，守衛人員散逃，於是附近的窮旗人就進去擄掠。法國軍隊還是在獲得長官許可後才跟隨進去，已經比難民晚了一步。無論如何，法國人放火，畢竟不是光彩的事。施益堅也提到，即便西方人也對法國軍隊的行爲做出激烈的批判。
施益堅技巧地引述了額爾金的父親在希臘的醜事來襯托圓明園的破壞。額爾金的父親就是早年把雅典衆神廟的大理石浮雕拆下並運回英國的人。這些大理石雕刻品占有大英博物館非常重要的地位，去參觀的人絕對不會錯過它們，但也是現代英國人感到心理上非常矛盾或曖昧的「收藏」而希臘政府積極追討希望可以要回去的寶藏。所以拜倫對他父親的指責自然地在額爾金心中不斷地激引他作爲一個文明人的深沉反思，在夢中迴響。當他想起雨果的指摘，内心不禁有萬分複雜或羞慚的思緒。
施益堅在書中幾度透過反省的語氣來探討十九世紀的「進步」觀念。本來小説裡面並不適合討論這類思想的問題，但是額爾金不是一般人，他生活的世界不是世俗賺錢糊口的世界，他要的是文化藝術的熏陶，嚮往的是一種克服或超越物質的境界。在他看來，這才是所謂的進步。所以他會説出這樣的話：「不要將進步理解成軍事力量的增加。當一個國家能不再只是斤斤計較物質的條件時，國家才會强大」。用黑格爾的話來説，中國缺乏那種追求心靈自由的「精神理念」。
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Stephan Thome (born July 23, 1972, in Biedenkopf; real name Stephan Schmidt) is a German philosopher and writer. He gained recognition in 2009 with his successful debut novel, Grenzgang (Border Crossing).[1][2]
Life
Stephan Thome graduated from the Lahntal School in Biedenkopf. After completing his civilian service at a social psychiatric facility in Marburg,[3] Thome studied philosophy, religious studies, and sinology at the Free University of Berlin. His travels took him to China, Taiwan, and Japan, among other places.[4] In 2004, he completed his studies at the Free University of Berlin with his dissertation, Intercultural Hermeneutics and the Challenge of the Foreign, which was published a year later under his birth name, Stephan Schmidt, in German bookstores under the title The Challenge of the Foreign: Intercultural Hermeneutics and Confucian Thought. The Scientific Book Society awarded him a doctoral scholarship for this work.
From 2005 to mid-2011, Thome lived in Taipei for the first time, where he was a DFG (German Research Foundation) fellow at the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy at the Academia Sinica. He conducted research on 20th-century Confucian philosophy[2] and
translated, among other works, Chun-chieh Huang's Confucianism: Continuity and Development into German.[5]In 2009, Thome made his highly acclaimed debut as a novelist with Grenzgang (Border Crossing). The novel takes its title from the eponymous folk festival in Thome's hometown of Biedenkopf, which is depicted as "Bergenstadt" in the novel. Following the rhythm of the Grenzgang festival, which takes place every seven years, Thome's narrative jumps through time, focusing on his two main characters: a divorced housewife and mother and a high school teacher, whose life plans prove unsustainable.
The German literary press unanimously praised Grenzgang. Literary critic Volker Hage praised the author as a "master of dialogue" and the book as a "mature debut," the likes of which had not been seen in German literature for a long time.[4] Tilman Krause described Thome as a "great master of emotional nuances."[6] Sandra Kegel was impressed by the novel's realistic portrayal with its pessimistic undertone: "[...] it is astonishing how precisely he [Thome] not only captures the Upper Hessian landscape and the character of its people, but also occasionally incorporates the specific idiom of the North Hessians," said Kegel.[7] The WDR acquired the film rights to the novel, and the TV production company Teamworx commissioned the film adaptation in autumn 2012, starring Claudia Michelsen and Lars Eidinger; filming took place primarily on location in Biedenkopf. Brigitte Maria Bertele's film premiered on November 27, 2013, during prime time[8][9][10] and won the Grimme Prize in 2014.
His second work of fiction, a social novel titled *Fliehkräfte* (Centrifugal Forces), was published in September 2012.[11] *Fliehkräfte* was shortlisted for the German Book Prize in September 2012. His novel *Gegenspiel* (Counterplay) was published in January 2015.[12] It again tells the story of a couple drifting apart, a German middle-class drama in which subtle nuances are crucial to the plot. While his previous novels can be considered to be written from a male perspective, this one focuses on the female perspective.[13] His fourth novel, *Gott der Barbaren* (God of the Barbarians), published in September 2018, was also shortlisted for the German Book Prize. The book is set against the backdrop of the Taiping Rebellion in China from the mid-19th century onward. His fifth novel, Plum Rain, was published in 2021 and deals with a family history set in the 20th century on the island of Taiwan.
To prepare and work on his novels, Thome maintains several residences; for example, in addition to Germany, he has recently lived in Lisbon and, for the second time, in Taipei.[14]
In the spring of 2022, he married; his wife is Taiwanese. After Thome was unable to enter Taiwan in 2021 due to travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he planned to live there permanently again from December 2022.[15] Thome now lives in Taiwan again.[16][17]Under his real name, Stephan Schmidt, Thome published his first crime novel in 2024, the political thriller The Games about a murdered IOC official in China and contract workers from Mozambique in the GDR.[18]
Thome is one of the 370 co-founders of PEN Berlin.[19]
Thome is one of the 370 co-founders of PEN Berlin.[19] Works
2005: The Challenge of the Foreign: Intercultural Hermeneutics and Confucian Thought. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt (1st ed.), ISBN 3-534-18927-2.
2009: Border Crossing, ISBN 978-3-518-42116-1; Audiobook, read by Matthias Brandt and Nina Hoger: Griot Hörbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-941234-18-5.
2012: Centrifugal Forces, Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-518-42325-7; Audiobook, read by Burghart Klaußner: Der Audio Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-86231-247-4.
2015:
2012: Centrifugal Forces, Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-518-42325-7; Audiobook, read by Burghart Klaußner: Der Audio Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-86231-247-4.
2015: Counterplay, Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-518-42465-0.
2018: God of the Barbarians, Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-518-42825-2; Audiobook, read by Johannes Steck: Griot Hörbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, ISBN 978-3-95998-022-7.
2021: Plum Rain, Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-518-43011-8.
2021: A User's Guide to Taiwan, Piper Verlag, Munich, ISBN 978-3-492-27745-7.
2024: Narrow Waters, Dangerous Current: On the Conflict in the Taiwan Strait, Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-518-43204-4.
as Stephan Schmidt:
2024: The Games, DuMont, Cologne, ISBN 978-3-8321-6807-0; Audiobook, read by Torben Kessler: Der Audio Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-7424-3149-3.
Awards
2009: Finalist for the German Book Prize (shortlist) with Border Crossing
2009: aspekte Literature Prize for Border Crossing.
2012: German Book Prize finalist (shortlist) for *Fliehkräfte* (Centrifugal Forces)
2014: Berlin Art Prize in the Literature category
2014: George Konell Prize
2018: German Book Prize finalist (shortlist) for *Gott der Barbaren* (God of the Barbarians)
Web links
Commons: Stephan Thome – Collection of images
Profile at suhrkamp.de
"Stephan Thome on life as it is" – Review by Elmar Krekeler at welt.de, September 26, 2009
"Seven Years in Bergenstadt." In: *Tagesspiegel*. August 16, 2009 (Online). – Review by Ulrich Rüdenauer
“You’re lucky until it runs out” – Review by Sandra Kegel of Centrifugal Forces in the FAZ, September 7, 2012
Literature by and about Stephan Thome in the German National Library catalog
Portrait: Stephan Thome, Goethe-Institut China online magazine, May 2012
Taiwan expert Stephan Thome: “Every character is a small window into Chinese culture.” Deutschlandfunk Kultur: In Conversation. Hosted by Ulrike Timm. Length 34:09 minutes. Broadcast from November 17, 2021.
References
cf. Kaminski, Astrid: “In Search of Partial Success.” In: Berliner Zeitung, October 8, 2009, Issue 234, p. 36
cf. Busse, Mark-Christian von: “20 Titles for the Final: The Best Novel of the Year Is Being Searched For” (page no longer available, noted in April 2016. Search in web archives) at hna.de, August 21, 2009 (accessed September 17, 2009)
Stephan Thome. In: Suhrkamp.de. Accessed January 20, 2014.
Volker Hage: Every Seven Years. In: Der Spiegel. No. 34, 2009, p. 136 (online – August 17, 2009).
See "Book Presentation" (archived November 21, 2009) at transcript-verlag.de (accessed October 18, 2009).
See Krause, Tilman: "Give the Book Prize to Stephan Thome." In: Die Welt No. 219, September 19, 2009 ("Literary World"), p. 29 (here referenced by the online version, accessed November 7, 2012).
Sandra Kegel: Beware, the provinces are everywhere. In: FAZ.NET, August 28, 2009, accessed September 16, 2009.
Badouin, Uwe: "Border Crossing Soon on TV"; Oberhessische Presse, August 22, 2012 (accessed November 7, 2012).
Bader, Mareike: "Final Scene Filming for Border Crossing"; Oberhessische Presse, October 18, 2012 (accessed November 7, 2012)
Border Crossing. In: presse.wdr.de. Program Directorate First German Television/Press and Information, 2013, accessed October 7, 2023.
Book Prize nominee Thome: When the Bonn sun sinks into the sea in the west. Der Spiegel, September 13, 2012
Counterplay at Suhrkamp
Dietmar Jacobsen: Nothing worse threatens than everyday life, review on literaturkritik.de, February 16, 2015, accessed August 5, 2019
Lenz, Guntram: “A woman under the influence strikes back”; Wetzlarer Neue Zeitung/Dill-Post, March 29, 2015 (accessed March 30, 2015)
Taiwan expert Stephan Thome: "Every character is a small window into Chinese culture." Deutschlandfunk Kultur: In Conversation
Broadcast on September 25, 2024: Claudia Christophersen: Stephan Thome: "Narrow Waters, Dangerous Current" by NDR, accessed August 15, 2025
Report from April 10, 2025 in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, accessed August 15, 2025
The games at Der Audio Verlag.
Co-founders. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022; accessed July 18, 2022.
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