Cảm ơn talawas đã cho đăng bản dịch Việt ngữ bài viết của Margaret Atwood.
Một bạn đọc tạp chí Guardian đạ có bức thư ngắn thú vị về bài viết, tôi xin chép ra đây:

Wednesday June 18, 2003
The Guardian
Margaret Atwood (Orwell and me, G2, June 16) makes a typical error with regard to Orwell’s dystopia, 1984. It wouldn’t be much of a book if it was a mere satire of Stalinist Russia. Orwell was clear that it wasn’t and in the novel the party holds and uses power for reasons and in ways quite different to the Bolsheviks, as O’Brian explains to Winston. If it is anything, 1984 is about how it is possible to make people believe things that are not true in a world permanently geared for conflict. The message is thus applicable to both totalitarian regimes and parliamentary democracies. The TV coverage of Saddam was eerily like the two-minute hate sessions. Hate Saddam, and in the double-think, forget the US’s previous financial and military aid to Iraq between 1980-88. Orwell’s message is we must critically examine what political leaders and their ideologists tell us. Critical thinking is important for keeping a free, democratic society.
Graham Taylor
Brabrand, Denmark

Thân mến

TB: Về câu thứ tư trong bản dịch (“Đó là những giây phút lăn ra quanh nhà”) nguyên văn Anh ngữ chỉ là: “It was laying around the house”, trong đó “it” là quyển sách, vì ngay sau đó là câu “and I mistook it for a book about talking animals”. Đây là một điểm nhỏ, tuy nhiên, chính nó đã gợi tò mò cho tôi tìm đọc nguyên bản.

* Câu “It was lying around the house” vừa được dịch lại, cảm ơn sự lưu ý của anh Nguyễn Hoàng! BBT talawas