Chapter 1 Growing Up
第一章 成长
Stanley Lieber was born on December 28, 1922, in New York City.
1922年12月28日，Stanley Lieber出生在纽约市。
His father, Jack, and mother, Celia, were immigrants from Romania who lived in a tiny apartment. Like millions of people, they had come to the United States with dreams of a better life. They wanted to start a family and buy a house.
他爸爸Jack和妈妈Celia是罗马尼亚移民，蜗居在一间小公寓里。和数百万人一样，他们怀着过更好生活的梦想来到美国，他们想在这成家并买房子。
Jack got a job cutting fabric at a dress factory. He was paid very little and worked long hours. Celia stayed home and took care of Stan. By the time Stanley was six, the Great Depression had begun. Millions of people lost their jobs, including Stan’s father.
Jack在一家服装厂找了份裁剪布料的工作，工资很低，工作时间也很长。Celia留在家里照顾Stanley。Stanley六岁时，大萧条（1929~1939年期间）已经开始了，他父亲在内的数百万人因而失业。
Now the family struggled to pay bills. Jack and Celia began to argue. Stan worried whenever his parents argued. He loved his parents and didn’t want them to fight.
彼时，这个家庭连日常账单也支付困难，Jakc开始和Celia闹矛盾。每当父母吵架时，Stan都很忧心。他爱他的父母，不想看到他们吵架。
The Lieber family moved to an even smaller apartment. Jack and Celia had to sleep on a cot in the living room. There was only one tiny window, and it faced a brick wall.
（生活所迫）Stanley一家不得不搬到一个更小的公寓。Jack和Celia不得不睡在客厅的小床。房间里只有一扇小窗户，窗户对面是一堵砖墙。
Stan’s mother wanted him to finish school quickly so he could go to work to help the family. She pushed Stan to study hard, and he did. He ended up skipping a few grades, which meant that he was always the youngest in his class. He sometimes struggled to make friends.
Stan（Stanley的昵称）的妈妈（即Celia）希望他快点完成学业，这样他就可以打工帮补家里（开支）。她督促Stan努力学习，他做到了，最后跳了几个年级，这意味着他总是班里年纪最小的，不过有时很难交到朋友。
THE GREAT DEPRESSION
大萧条
The great depression started on October 29, 1929, when the stock market crashed, causing many banks and industries to shut down. It was the worst economic crisis of modern times. Unemployment peaked in 1933, when one-quarter of all Americans were out of work and could not find jobs.
大萧条始于1929年10月29日，当时股市崩盘，导致许多银行和行业倒闭。这是现代最严重的经济危机。失业率在1933年达到顶峰，当时四分之一的美国人失业且找不到工作。
President Herbert Hoover’s name became linked to the hardships that many people faced. “Hoovervilles”—towns made up of tents and shacks built by people who had no other place to live—popped up everywhere. Soup was called “hoover stew.”
胡佛（Herbert Hoover）总统的名字与许多人所面临的困难联系在一起。“胡佛村”（由无家可归的人们建造的帐篷和棚屋组成的城镇）遍地都是。人们做的汤，被称为“胡佛炖肉”。
The great depression lasted nearly ten years. It affected not only the united states but countries all around the world.
大萧条持续了近十年。它不仅影响了美国，还影响到世界各国。
胡佛村 图片来源：dan-e-burr.com
Stan’s favorite teacher was Leon B. Ginsberg, Jr. Mr. Ginsberg had a great sense of humor and always told a funny story to make his point. Stan learned that people remember stories if they are told with a sense of humor.
Stan最喜欢的老师是小利昂·金斯伯格（Leon B. Ginsberg）。Ginsberg先生很有幽默感，总是用有趣的故事来证明他的观点。Stan了解到，如果用幽默的方式讲故事的话，人们就会记住这些故事。
As a boy, Stan loved to write. He also loved to read—even if it was just the label of a ketchup bottle on the kitchen table! In fact, Stan always had a book or magazine with him at meals. The Hardy Boys was one of his favorite book series. Two adventurous brothers, Frank and Joe Hardy, were the heroes of the books. Stan also loved to draw. He wasn’t the best artist, but that didn’t matter. Drawing helped Stan tell his stories.
以男孩来说，Stan热爱写作外，还爱阅读，即使那只是放在厨房桌子上番茄酱瓶上的标签！事实上，Stan吃饭时总是带着一本书或杂志。《哈迪男孩》（《The Hardy Boys》）是他最喜欢的系列书之一。说的是两个爱冒险的兄弟，Frank和Joe Hardy，是书里的英雄。Stan也爱画画。他不是最好的艺术家，但这无关紧要。绘画能帮助Stan讲他的故事。
《The Hardy Boys》（《哈迪男孩》） 图片来源：barnesandnoble.com
During the summers, many New York boys went to camps outside the city. But the Liebers couldn’t afford to send Stan away to camp. Instead, Stan stayed home and read. Stan’s mother even bought him a stand to keep his books upright on the table while he ate.
夏天时，许多纽约男孩去城外露营。但是Stan一家没钱把他送去露营。相反，Stan窝在家里看书。Stan的妈妈甚至给他买了一个架子，让他吃饭时把书竖直放在桌上。
Whenever he could afford a ticket, Stan loved to go to the movies. There were five theaters to choose from near his apartment. They showed movies like Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, and King Kong. Stan daydreamed of being like Errol Flynn, the handsome actor who starred as Robin Hood.
只要买得起票，Stan就喜欢去看电影。在他的公寓附近有五家剧院可供选择，影院放映像《科学怪人》、《福尔摩斯》和《金刚》这样的电影。Stan梦想成为埃罗尔·弗林（Errol Flynn，饰演罗宾汉）这样的英俊男演员。
Stan小时候的偶像Errol Flynn(埃罗尔·弗林) 图片来源：silverscreensuppers.com
When Stan was nine, his brother, Larry, was born. As Stan got older, the family really needed him to pitch in and get a job.
Stan九岁时，他弟弟Larry出生了。Stan慢慢长大了，家里真的需要他帮忙找份工作糊口。
YOUNG STAN’S FAVORITE AUTHORS
年少Stan最喜欢的作家
H. G. Wells (1866-1946) grew up in England and was known as “the Father of science fiction.” His most famous book, the War of the Worlds , was about the world being taken over by aliens. Wells wrote it long before people had cars, or could even imagine building rockets for space travel.
H·G·威尔斯(1866-1946)在英国长大，被称为“科幻小说之父”。他最著名的书《世界大战》讲述了外星人占领地球的故事。威尔斯写这本书的时候，人们还没发明汽车，甚至还无法想象建造用于太空旅行的火箭。
H.G.Wells 图片来源：npg.org.uk
作品《世界大战》 图片来源：rmg.co.uk
Mark Twain (1835-1910) was an American from missouri. His books about tom sawyer and Huckleberry finn were written the way people actually spoke. He also wrote about how white people were prejudiced against blacks. This was revolutionary at the time.
马克·吐温(1835-1910)，来自密苏里州的美国人。他写的关于汤姆·索亚和哈克贝利·费恩的书是按照人们实际说话的方式写的。他还写了白人是如何歧视黑人的。这在当时是革命性的。
Mark Twain 马克·吐温
《汤姆·索亚历险记》 图片来源：Bustle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was from scotland and created the amazing detective Sherlock Holmes. Holmes smoked a pipe and solved mysteries with his best friend, Dr. Watson.
阿瑟·柯南·道尔爵士(1859-1930)，来自苏格兰的，他创造了大名鼎鼎的侦探夏洛克·福尔摩斯。抽着烟斗的福尔摩斯，和他最好的朋友华生医生一起解决各种奇案。
《福尔摩斯探案集》作者 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 图片来源：arthurconandoylecentre.com
Stan was not afraid of hard work. He took any job he could get. He wrote for a news company. He delivered sandwiches. And he worked in the office of a company that made pants.
Stan不怕艰苦的工作。他接受了任何他能找到的工作：为新闻公司撰稿、送三明治外卖、在一家生产裤子的公司工作。
Even as he worked to help his family, Stan kept writing. And he was getting good at it. A local newspaper sponsored a writing contest. Stan won so many times, the newspaper asked him to stop entering! They wanted someone else to have a chance to win. But the newspaper editor also praised Stan and urged him to do something with his talent. That kind of encouragement meant a lot. Stan would never forget it.
即使在帮补家计的同时，Stan也坚持写作，而且他写得越来越好。Stan赢了很多次当地一家报纸赞助的写作比赛，连报社都让他别再参赛了！报社希望其他人也有机会获胜。不过报社编辑也表扬了Stan，并鼓励他发挥自己的才能。这种鼓励意义重大。Stan永远不会忘记。
年轻时的Stan Lee
声明：本文来源于Grosset & Dunlap出品的《Who Was》系列丛书，如有不妥，请联系作者立即删除。
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