1. The Casual Vacancy is not Harry Potter: Words featured in Rowling’s post-Potter effort include “cleavage,” “balls” and “vagina.” 1. 《临时空缺》不是《哈利波特》:罗琳以前形容哈利波特的努力的有特色词语包括“cleavage”、 “balls””和“vagina”。 2. The original title of The Casual Vacancy was Responsible: Rowling tells The New Yorker that “this is a book about responsibility” — both in a minor and a macro sense. However, she came across the real title when she got her hands on a copy of the standard British handbook for local administrators. “I needed it to check certain abstruse points. And in there I came across the phrase ‘a casual vacancy.’ Meaning, when a seat falls vacant through death or scandal. And immediately I knew that that was the title.” 2. 《临时空缺》原标题是《责任》:罗琳告诉《纽约客》不论是在微观还是宏观层面这都是一本关于责任的书。然而,当她接触到一本英国当地管理员标准手册时她想到了真正的标题,“我需要用它来检查某些深奥点。在那里,我看到了词组“临时空缺”,意为在死亡或丑闻时,职位空缺。我马上知道这就是标题。” 3. In 2003, Rowling’s father auctioned off a signed copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that he received for Father’s Day: It read “Lots of love from your first born,” and featured a drawing of a hand reaching for a gnome. The edition fetched $48,000. Rowling has not spoken to him since. 3. 2003年,罗琳父亲拍卖了他在父亲节上收到的《哈利波特与火焰杯》的签名本:书上面写着“来自你第一个孩子的很多爱”以及一张侏儒手形的特色图片。该版本卖了4千美元。自那之后罗琳没和他说过话。 4. Dudley has two children: Rowling knows a lot about the Harry Potter world that was never published in the books. 4. Dudley有两个孩子:关于哈利波特的世界罗琳知道很多从来没有出版在书中的东西。 5. She has no interest in her business empire: “It’s a real bore,” she tells The Guardian. ”Should I be more diplomatic? Oh, I don’t care. No, there is literally nothing on the business side that I wouldn’t sacrifice in a heartbeat to have an extra couple of hours’ writing.” 5. 她对她的商业帝国没有一点兴趣:“这真烦人,”她告诉《卫报》。 “我应该更有社交策略?哦,我不在乎。生意上的事几乎没有值得我浪费生命中额外几小时的写作时间的。” 6. Ian Rankin’s new novel was pushed back to avoid The Casual Vacancy: But he’s just as excited about the new Rowling book as anyone else. 6. 伊恩兰金的新小说被推迟以避免和《临时空缺》冲突:但他和其他人一样兴奋罗琳的新书。 7. Rowling has used a disguise in public only once: When she went to buy her wedding dress. “I just wanted to be able to get married to Neil without any rubbish happening,” she tells The Guardian. But Rowling refuses to reveal what this disguise was in case she needs to use it again. 7. 罗琳只有一次在公共场合乔装过:当她去买婚纱时, “我只是想在嫁给尼尔时没有任何乱七八糟的事发生,”她告诉《卫报》。但是罗琳拒绝透露当时她乔装成什么样子以防她再次需要乔装。
8. She is forbidden from reading E L James’ Fifty Shades of Grey: Rowling says she promised her editor that she wouldn’t. However, she insists that she doesn’t feel like she’s missing out. 8. 她被禁止阅读EL詹姆斯的《50度灰》:罗琳说她答应了她的编辑她不会读的。不过,她坚持认为她不觉得自己错过了。 9. She considered using a pseudonym to release her new book: “But in some ways I think it’s braver to do it like this,” she tells The Guardian. “And, to an extent, you know what? The worst that can happen is that everyone says, ‘Well, that was dreadful, she should have stuck to writing for kids’ and I can take that. So, yeah, I’ll put it out there, and if everyone says, ‘Well, that’s shockingly bad — back to wizards with you’, then obviously I won’t be throwing a party. But I will live. I will live.” 9. 她考虑过用化名出版她的新书:“但是,在某些方面我认为这样做是更加勇敢的,”她告诉《卫报》。 “而且,在一定程度上,你知道是什么吗?最糟的情况是每个人都说:“嗯,那太可怕了,她应该坚持为孩子们写作”,我可以接受。所以,是的,我会把它写在这,如果大家都说,好吧,这是令人震惊的糟糕——精灵与你同在”,那么很明显我不会开派对庆祝。但我会挺过来。我会挺过来。” 10. She doesn’t care what the critics think of The Casual Vacancy: “I just needed to write this book. I like it a lot, I’m proud of it, and that counts for me.” 10. 她不在乎批评家如何评价《临时空缺》:“我只是需要去写这本书。我很喜欢它,我对它很骄傲,对我来说那才是最重要的。” 11. Rowling credits her first daughter with helping her finish Harry Potter when she was depressed: “It was Jessica — I have to credit her with so much — that gave me the impetus to go and say to a doctor, ‘I think I’m not quite right, and I need some help here.’ Having done that made a massive difference.” 11. 罗琳把功劳归于她的第一个女儿,因为在她抑郁时帮助她完成《哈利波特》:“是杰西卡——我不得不把功劳归于她——她给了我动力去看医生,‘我觉得我不一定对,这里我需要一些帮助’,做完心理治疗之后才会有如此大的不同。” 12. Rowling is adamant that sex and unicorns don’t mix: “The thing about fantasy — there are certain things you just don’t do in fantasy. You don’t have sex near unicorns. It’s an ironclad rule. It’s tacky.” After years of fantasy, she was ready for a little sex. 12. 罗琳坚持性和独角兽不要混为一谈:“关于幻想——有一些确定的事情你在想象时你只是不会去做。你不会在独角兽旁边做爱。这是一个铁的规律。这很俗。”在多年的童话之后,她准备好写一点点性爱了。