Chinese author Mai Jia was born in 1964 in a small coastal village - just 40 kilometers from Hangzhou, but, he says, a far cry from that nearby imperial city in terms of civilization.

1964年，中国作家麦家出生在一个沿海村庄，那里距古都杭州只有40公里，但麦家说，他的家乡在文化上远不能和杭州相比。

What lends Mr. Mai's books their rare bite isn't his experience of village life, but his 17 years in the People's Liberation Army. He worked in a PLA intelligence unit before being transferred to write for the propaganda department.

麦家作品的罕见风格并非源于他的乡土生活，而是来自他在中国军队系统17年的经历。在被调往宣传部门以前，他曾在情报机构工作。

His seven fast-paced novels, all in the spy genre, often merge espionage elements with historical fiction and crime writing. The books' combination of gripping plots and nuanced, complex characters have won Mr. Mai (a pen name; his real name is Jiang Benhu) many fans. His novels have sold more than five million copies in China, and all have been made, or are being made, into films or television series. Mr. Mai often writes the scripts.

他的七本快节奏小说全都是间谍题材，常常把历史、罪案与间谍元素融为一体。扣人心弦的情节和微妙复杂的人物为麦家（原名蒋本浒）赢得众多拥趸。他的小说在中国销量超过五百万册，有些被改编成电影或电视剧。麦家还经常编写剧本。

Success has made Mr. Mai one of China's best-paid authors. In 2010, he received an advance of 7.5 million yuan ($1.2 million) for his three-part 'Whispers on the Wind.'

这使麦家成功跻身于中国收入最高的作家之列。2010年，他凭《风语》(Whispers on the Wind)三卷本拿到人民币750万元（合120万美元）的预付版税。

Now, for the first time, one of his novels has been translated into English. 'Decoded,' which came out in China in 2002, was published last month by Allen Lane.

现在，他的小说首次被译成英文。《解密》(Decoded)英文版上个月由艾伦•雷恩(Allen Lane)推出，这是一本2002年在中国出版的小说。

'Decoded' tells the story of Rong Jingzhen, a mathematician-turned-code-breaker who resides on the autism spectrum. He is recruited by Unit 701, the cryptography department of China's secret services, to crack two seemingly impossible codes dubbed Purple and Black. Woven into this tale of spies and state secrets is Rong's descent into madness.

《解密》讲述了患有自闭症的数学天才容金珍(Rong Jingzhen)在中国一个秘密情报机构成为一名破译员的故事。他被招募至中国保密机构的密码技术单位701，负责破译两个被称作紫密和黑密的看似不可能解开的密码，由间谍和国家机密编织的大网让他陷入了疯狂。

At its heart, 'Decoded,' rendered in lyrical prose and beautifully translated by Olivia Milburn, is about the fragile line between insanity and genius.

本质上，《解密》描述的是疯子与天才之间的模糊的界限。小说文字富有诗意，米欧敏(Olivia Milburn)的译文也相当优美。

Mr. Mai spoke to the Journal about censorship, his family struggles during the Cultural Revolution and dealing with rejection as a writer. Edited excerpts:

在接受《华尔街日报》(The Wall Street Journal)采访时，麦家谈到了审查制度，谈到了他的家人在文革期间所经受的磨难，以及他作为一个作家如何面对不受认可的情况。采访内容整理如下：

You once quoted Ernest Hemingway saying that an unhappy childhood is the best training for a writer. Did you have an unhappy childhood?

问：你曾经引用海明威(Ernest Hemingway)的话说，辛酸的童年是一个作家最好的培训。你的童年很不幸吗？

Yes, I had an unlucky childhood. My father was a rightist [condemned in Maoist China], my maternal grandfather a landlord and my paternal grandfather a Christian. The thing that made the most impression on me is that my father was criticized and denounced on the streets like a criminal. I dared not go out because I felt ashamed and I felt as if everybody would be looking at me with disdain.

答：是的，我有一个不幸的童年。我的父亲是“右派”（毛泽东时代被打倒的一群人），外公是地主，祖父是基督徒。让我印象最深的是父亲在街上被人批斗，像罪犯一样。我不敢出去，觉得羞耻，觉得每个人都会用轻蔑的眼神看我。

How did other children treat you?

问：别的孩子是怎样对待你的？

They all looked down on me and bullied me. Even my teachers humiliated me in public. I remember that on a snowy day the snowflakes drifted in through the window and fell on my neck. I unconsciously stood up to close the window. The teacher asked me if I was feeling cold. I said yes. He continued: 'With several black hats on your head, how come you are still feeling cold?' In that era, people like my father, maternal grandfather and paternal grandfather were all called 'someone wearing a black hat.' Sometimes I think that it is because of the trauma from my childhood that I have taken to writing.

答：他们都看不起我，欺负我。就连我的老师也公开羞辱我。我记得有一天下雪，雪花从窗口飘进来落在我脖子上。我下意识站起来关窗。老师问我是不是冷，我说是。他就说：“你头上戴着好几顶黑帽子还冷啊？”在那个时代，像我父亲、外公和祖父那样的人都成了“戴黑帽子的人”。有时候我觉得正是小时候的创伤让我走上了写作之路。

How did you begin to write?

问：你是怎样开始写作的？

I started by keeping diaries. Few children from the countryside kept diaries. There is no such habit and education. I was morbidly different. It was, as it were, a kind of disease, because I did it for nothing but a physiological need. Human beings have an inborn desire for communication and expression, but due to the low social status of my family, nobody would make friends with me. Diaries became my bosom friends with whom I could talk. It dispelled the loneliness and boredom of a young boy and let him fall in love with words.

答：开始是写日记。乡下孩子很少写日记，因为没有那样的习惯和教育。但我是个异类，也可以说是一种病态，因为我写日记完全没有目的，只是出于生理需要。人天生就有交流和表达的愿望，但我的家庭成分太差，没人愿意跟我交朋友。日记就成了我可以与之交流的密友。是它赶走了一个年轻男孩内心的孤独和烦恼，让他爱上了文字。

You served in the army for 17 years. How much military life has gone into your novels?

问：你在部队工作17年。军旅生活对你的小说有多大影响？

I learned little in the army from the traditional military perspective. I didn't even touch the most ordinary rifle, though I was in the army for years. I only fired six pistol bullets. After graduation, I worked in a technical armed force for a short time. Maybe you hope that I can tell you what kind of armed force it was. I am sorry, I cannot tell you because it involves state secrets. Each country has its own secret - the world isn't so peaceful and loving as we expect.

答：如果从传统军事的角度看，我学到的很少。虽然我在部队多年，但我连最普通的步枪都没摸过。我只用手枪打过六发子弹。毕业后，我在一个技术类的武装部队短期工作过。可能你想知道是什么样的武装部队，但很遗憾，我不能告诉你，因为这牵扯到国家机密。每个国家都有自己的秘密，世界并不像我们期望的那样和平友爱。

What did your parents think about you giving up a stable job in the army to become a writer full-time?

问：你放弃了军队的稳定工作，成了专职作家，你的父母怎么看？

I was 33 and my parents were over 70 when I left the army. I showed filial obedience to them, but I trusted my judgment. I didn't talk to them before I made the decision and I didn't ask how they felt after my decision. Five years ago, my mother saw me walking along with the mayor on TV. She asked me euphemistically, 'Since the mayor is so kind to you, can you ask him to offer you an official position like the head of a township?' My answer was, 'No, I cannot.'

答：我33岁退伍转业，那时候我父母都70多岁了。我向他们尽孝，但我也坚持自己的判断。做出这个决定事先没和他们商量，事后也没问过他们的感受。五年前，我母亲在电视上看到我和市长走在一起。她委婉地问我，市长对你那么好，能不能给你个镇长之类的职务？我说不能。

Who are your favorite spy writers?

问：你最喜欢的谍战作家是谁？

I don't read spy novels in my spare time. I don't think I am a spy writer. Spies are an occupational identity in my novel. What I focus on is the inward world of these people - their loneliness, fear and changes in humanity under a special system.

答：业余时间我不读谍战小说。我也不认为自己是谍战作家。在我的小说里，间谍只是一个职业。我关注的是这些人的内心世界，他们的孤独、恐惧和在一个特殊系统下的人性转变。

You deal with sensitive issues in your writing. How has censorship affected your novels?

问：你的创作涉及到一些敏感问题。审查制度对你的小说有哪些影响？

Because of their topics, my works have to pass strict censorship. I can do nothing about it. Every country has its own taboos, especially in affairs concerning state security. 'Decoded' was rejected 17 times. After publication, it was accused of revealing state secrets and banned. However, I firmly believe that 'Decoded' doesn't involve any problems of revealing state secrets because what I wrote is about the spirit of human beings and their inward world and fate. Finally, after much argument, the ban on sales was lifted. This isn't a limit on my writing, but a test, I think. A truly creative writer will not be restricted.

答：因为小说的主题，我的作品必须经过严格的审查。对此我无能为力。每个国家都有自己的禁忌，特别是关系到国家安全。《解密》被退稿17次，出版后还被指责泄露国家机密而不准再版。但我坚信《解密》不涉及任何泄露国家机密的问题，因为我写的是关于人类的精神世界，是人的内心和命运。最后经过多方协商，禁令被消除了。我认为，这对我的写作不是一种限制，而是一种考验。一个真正有创造力的作家是不会被束缚的。

What's next?

问：你接下来有什么打算？

The problem is that I don't know what else I can do besides writing novels. I am not interested in the real world. I prefer to live in a virtual country, and that is the world of novels. I think I will write more novels in the future. I am addicted to the occupation just like drug addicts are addicted to drugs: filling my life in a fictional manner.

答：我不知道自己除了写小说还能做什么。我对现实世界不感兴趣，更愿意活在虚拟世界里，也就是小说的世界。我想我会写更多的小说。我痴迷于这项工作，就像瘾君子痴迷于毒品一样：用虚拟的方式填充我的生活。