英国作家朱利安·巴恩斯在其新作《生命的层级》中,以对妻子的悼念为主线,进行了对“爱”这一主题的深层解读。巴恩斯一方面为爱描绘了从云端到地面再到墓穴之中这一空间的路线图,消解了爱的意义,另一方面又在哀悼和冥思之中重新确立了对爱的信仰。爱注定是缺损的、痛苦的,但它却是我们唯一的希望。哀悼在个人与个人之间、历史与个人之间、死亡与存在之间建立起意义的纽带,证实了爱的存在和价值。《生命的层级》表现出巴恩斯深切的人文主义关怀和对终极意义的探究和思考。 In his new book Layers of Life, British writer Julian Barnes carried out a deep reading of the theme of love in his memory of his wife. Barnes, on the one hand, delineated the road map of love to the space from the cloud to the ground and then to the grave, which defied the meaning of love and on the other hand re-established the faith in love in the process of mourning and meditation. Love is doomed to be defect, painful, but it is our only hope. Mourning builds a meaningful bond between individuals and individuals, between history and between individuals, and between death and existence, confirming the existence and value of love. The “hierarchy of life” shows Barnes’ profound humanistic concern and exploration and reflection on the ultimate meaning.