具体描述
The witty, incisive and frank memoirs from the legend of Newsnight and long-standing quiz master of University Challenge. Filled with views, opinions and stories from 4 decades in front of the camera.
Jeremy Paxman is Britain’s bravest, most incisive political interviewer. The no-nonsense star of BBC Newsnight, Paxman is a supreme inquisitor, a master at skewering mammoth egos with his relentless grilling. Few figures in public life have escaped. From John Major to Theresa May, from Tony Blair to Ed Miliband, Paxman had them quaking in their boots.
His working life has been defined by questions. ‘Why is this lying bastard lying to me?’ was at the front of his mind as he conducted every interview. But it wasn’t just politicians. Paxman’s interviews with Dizzee Rascal, David Bowie, Russell Brand, Vivienne Westwood are legendary. He discussed belief with religious leaders and philosophers, economics with CEOs and bankers, books with writers and art and theatre with artists. After 22 years on University Challenge, Paxman is also the longest-serving active quizmaster on British television.
Now, in these long-awaited memoirs, he spills the beans behind four decades in front of the camera. He offers reflections and stories from a career that has taken him as a reporter to many of the world’s war zones and trouble spots – Central America, Beirut, Belfast, to the studios of Tonight, Panorama, Breakfast Time, the Six O’clock News. Filled with candid stories about the great, the good and the rotters that have crossed his path, his memoirs are as magnetic to read as Paxman is to watch.
Candid, uncompromising, compassionate, reflective and astute, he writes of the principles that have governed his professional life, the inner workings of the BBC, the role of journalists in political debate, the scandals and rows he’s been part of, the books he has written and the series he has made. In a book that tells some terrific stories and laughs at much of the silliness in the world, A Life in Questions charts the life of the greatest political interviewer of our time.
作者简介
Jeremy Paxman was born in 1950 and studied English Literature at Cambridge. Unable to get another job, he became a BBC reporter and then a studio presenter. Over a quarter-century on Newsnight, he revolutionised the cosy relationship between interviewer and politician and, more than any other interviewer, took the side of the viewer against the guest. He is also quizmaster on University Challenge, has written and presented television series such as Empire, The Victorians, Great Britain's Great War, and is the author of numerous articles for many publications . He has also written many books including the best-selling The English, On Royalty and Friends in High Places. In his spare time, he enjoys fly-fishing.
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让我感到惊喜的是，这本书的“情感温度”把握得恰到好处。尽管它探讨的主题无疑是宏大且具有思辨性的，但作者始终没有忘记将人类最基本的情感体验融入其中。我并不是说它充满了煽情或过度渲染，恰恰相反，它通过对某些微小、却又普遍存在的内心挣扎的细腻捕捉，成功地建立起了一种强烈的共鸣。在那些严肃的论述之间，偶尔会闪现出作者个人经历的碎片，这些碎片不是为了炫耀，而是作为一种锚点，将抽象的理论稳稳地固定在真实的生活土壤上。这种理性与感性的平衡，让这本书读起来既有智识上的高度，又不失人性的温度，让人感到被深刻地理解和陪伴，而不是被高高在上地教导。这使得它超越了一般的理论著作，具备了更广阔的生命力。
从文学性的角度来看，这本书的语言风格是极其独特且富有辨识度的。它摒弃了许多常见的修饰和华丽的辞藻，转而采用了一种近乎于精准切割的白描手法。这种语言，坦诚得近乎残酷，直接触及事物的本质，不绕弯子，不加粉饰。然而，在这份直白之下，却蕴含着一种极度克制的诗意。我能感受到作者在遣词造句上的精挑细选，每一个词汇都像是经过了无数次打磨的宝石，被放置在最能发挥其效力的位置。这种独特的文风，使得阅读的过程充满了挑战，但同时也是一种极大的享受——因为它迫使你暂时放下习惯性的阅读模式，调动起更深层次的理解力和共情力去解码文字背后的深意。我甚至会时不时地停下来，回味某个短句，那种简洁的力量是惊人的。
这本书真正厉害的地方在于它所构建的那个内在的世界观的严密性。我很少看到一部作品能够将如此庞杂的思考体系梳理得如此井井有条，却又丝毫没有让人感到枯燥的说教感。作者仿佛有一把精密的尺子，丈量着每一个概念之间的逻辑关系，确保没有一丝一毫的松动。但这并非是冷冰冰的学术论证，而是通过一系列生动、甚至有些跳跃的案例和场景来完成的阐释。每次当我感觉自己快要被那些深奥的思辨带偏时，总能被一个恰到好处的比喻或是一个出乎意料的视角猛地拉回来，意识到所有的看似分散的线索，其实都指向同一个核心的结构。这种内在的结构美，让我在阅读时产生了一种近乎于解谜的快感，每一次的“恍然大悟”都巩固了对作者观点的认同。
这本书的装帧设计真是让人眼前一亮，那种低调的奢华感一下子就抓住了我的注意力。内页的纸张选择也非常讲究，触感温润细腻，每一次翻页都像是在进行一场私密的对话。从排版来看，作者对留白的处理简直是教科书级别的，疏密有致，使得阅读过程中的视觉疲劳降到了最低。我尤其欣赏它在章节过渡时所采用的那些极简主义的视觉元素，不喧宾夺主，却又恰到好处地烘托了内容的深邃。初次捧读时，我甚至舍不得快速翻阅，生怕破坏了这种精心营造的阅读仪式感。这本书仿佛不仅仅是一本书，更像是一个艺术品，摆在书架上本身就是一种审美的享受。这种对形式美的极致追求，让我对即将展开的文字内容充满了更高的期待，感觉作者在每一个细节上都倾注了非同一般的心血和匠人精神。
读完这本书的初稿（或者说初次通读），我有一种非常强烈的感受，那就是作者的叙事节奏掌控得炉火纯青。他似乎非常清楚什么时候该疾驰，什么时候该驻足。有些段落，文字如泉涌般倾泻而出，充满了强烈的冲击力和画面感，让人几乎要屏住呼吸去追逐那些飞速跳跃的思绪；而另一些关键节点，笔锋却戛然而止，留下了大片的空白，那种留白并非是内容的缺失，而更像是一种深沉的呼吸，邀请读者自己进入那片未被言说的空间进行沉淀和反刍。这种张弛有度的叙事技巧，使得全书的阅读体验非常富有层次感和动态美。它不像有些作品那样一味地追求密度，而是懂得如何用“空”来衬托“实”，让最重要的观点在恰当的时机以最饱满的力量击中人心，这一点非常高明。
Who would've expected pastoral peace during turbulent years through the eyes of an eyrie of a man. Britain ARE blessed with interesting and talented people. Good writing as well.
书如其人，充满高冷的幽默，颇有英伦新中产的气质。最后对脱欧的简单讨论，大概映射出了这个国家里这个阶层的普遍态度：不加掩饰地反感布鲁赛尔的官僚政治、不好意思完全承认对帝国往昔荣光的留恋、不由自主地投下反对脱欧的选票后又不明不白地发现自己和自己的国家被推入了不尴不尬的境地。
Who would've expected pastoral peace during turbulent years through the eyes of an eyrie of a man. Britain ARE blessed with interesting and talented people. Good writing as well.
书如其人，充满高冷的幽默，颇有英伦新中产的气质。最后对脱欧的简单讨论，大概映射出了这个国家里这个阶层的普遍态度：不加掩饰地反感布鲁赛尔的官僚政治、不好意思完全承认对帝国往昔荣光的留恋、不由自主地投下反对脱欧的选票后又不明不白地发现自己和自己的国家被推入了不尴不尬的境地。
书如其人，充满高冷的幽默，颇有英伦新中产的气质。最后对脱欧的简单讨论，大概映射出了这个国家里这个阶层的普遍态度：不加掩饰地反感布鲁赛尔的官僚政治、不好意思完全承认对帝国往昔荣光的留恋、不由自主地投下反对脱欧的选票后又不明不白地发现自己和自己的国家被推入了不尴不尬的境地。
