一部描写人与鲸鱼之间终生友情的图书《鲸鱼》，日前获得了BBC塞缪尔约翰逊奖。

由英国作家Philip Hoare所著，《鲸鱼》表现了作者对鲸鱼这种栖身海洋的哺乳动物一生的情感。作者环游世界，寻找鲸鱼的足迹，并把自己的发现与Herman Melville所著的《白鲸记》相比较。评委会主席是来自美国的记者Jacob Weisberg，他被作者对鲸鱼的感情所感染，同时表示书中的文字把该书提高到“文学的高度”。

作者Philip Hoare说：“鲸鱼神秘莫测，他们时时处在气候变化的威胁之下，承受着各种声音的污染，在1859年之前，鲸鱼的鱼油是地球上照明的主要能源，人类对鲸鱼的影响是巨大的，同样鲸鱼们也深深地影响着人类。”

塞缪尔约翰逊奖以英国18世纪的著名散文家塞缪尔约翰逊命名，面向所有英语写作的图书，主题涉及时政、历史、政治、科学、体育、旅游、自传和艺术等各项非文学领域。

Whale tale wins non-fiction prize

The story of a man's lifelong obsession with whales has won the £20,000 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction.

Leviathan, Or The Whale, traces British author Philip Hoare's fascination with the marine mammal, which he calls "a living thing past our comprehension".

As he travels the world in pursuit of the creature, he compares his findings to Herman Melville's Moby Dick. US journalist Jacob Weisberg, who led the panel, said Hoare's passion for his subject was infectious. The author's prose "rises to the condition of literature", he added.

In explaining his fascination, Mr Hoare said: "This wonderful mysterious creature so elusive." "They're so under threat from climate change, from noise pollution," he went on. "Until 1859 the whole world was lit by whale oil. The impact of man on whale is extraordinary but also the impact of whale on man."

Named in honour of the 18th Century essayist, the Samuel Johnson Prize is open to English-language books from any country in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts.

（Source: BBC News，英国使馆文化教育处提供）