YOU COULD call it a re-appearing act(重新现身的表演). After he died on Halloween in 1926, Harry Houdini’s spirit supposedly returned. In Santa Monica his spectre(幽灵；鬼魂) was seen making a dramatic escape from handcuffs; in Chicago people saw the magician’s spirit swagger(大摇大摆地走) into a séance(降神会). His widow, Bess, dismissed such claims: if Houdini wanted to reach out from beyond the grave, he would use their secret code. Bess waited to hear from Houdini for ten years before declaring that “spirit communication in any form is impossible.”(贝丝等了十年，最终宣布任何形式的灵魂沟通都是不可能的。)
你可以称之为一场“重新现身”的表演。1926年万圣节去世后，哈里·胡迪尼的灵魂据称曾重返人间。在圣莫尼卡，有人看见他的幽灵戏剧性地挣脱手铐；在芝加哥，人们看见这位魔术师的灵魂大摇大摆地走进一场降神会。他的遗孀贝丝对这些说法不屑一顾：如果胡迪尼想从坟墓那头联系她，他会使用他们之间的秘密暗号。贝丝等了十年，最终宣布“任何形式的灵魂沟通都是不可能的”。
This year fans are conjuring up(召唤；使浮现) Houdini again. On October 31st, to mark the centenary(一百周年纪念) of his death, many will gather in dimly lit rooms to summon his spirit. In Europe and America magic shows will recreate his most daring tricks. There are new exhibitions: “Houdini’s Library” at the Harry Ransom Centre(哈里·兰塞姆中心) in Austin, for example, shows he was a bibliophile(藏书家；爱书者) as well as a showman. A new docuseries(纪录片剧集), “Houdini: Back from the Dead”, uses AI to render(渲染；呈现) the magician and have him narrate his life. A council of magic enthusiasts has even planned HOUDINI100™(胡迪尼百年纪念活动), a four-day commemoration in Budapest that includes a lock-picking contest and a trip “to meet Houdini, the local celebrity rabbit”.
今年，粉丝们再次“召唤”胡迪尼。10月31日，为纪念他逝世一百周年，许多人将聚集在昏暗的房间里召唤他的灵魂。欧美各地将有魔术表演重现他最惊险的戏法。新展览也纷纷登场：例如奥斯汀哈里·兰塞姆中心的“胡迪尼图书馆”展览表明，他不仅是表演家，还是藏书家。新纪录片《胡迪尼：死而复生》利用人工智能渲染出这位魔术师，让他讲述自己的一生。一个魔术爱好者委员会甚至策划了HOUDINI100™——在布达佩斯举行为期四天的纪念活动，包括开锁比赛和“拜访当地名人兔子胡迪尼”之旅。
The fanfare(大张旗鼓；号角齐鸣) is for good reason: Houdini is probably the most celebrated illusionist(魔术师；幻术师) of all time. His name haunts(萦绕；常出现于) dictionaries (the noun “houdini” is “a person or animal that is very good at escaping”) and pop songs (“catch me or I go Houdini,” trills(用颤音唱) Dua Lipa in one song). Houdini is famous in part because he was the “master of mystery”. But also because he was, as John Cox, a Houdini expert, puts it, “a master at understanding how to promote himself”.(但也因为——正如胡迪尼专家约翰·考克斯所说——他是“一位深谙自我推销之道的大师”。) Just as you can study Houdini’s performances to understand magic, you can study his career to understand fame.(正如你可以研究胡迪尼的表演来理解魔术，你也可以研究他的职业生涯来理解名气。)
如此大张旗鼓是有充分理由的：胡迪尼大概是有史以来最负盛名的魔术师。他的名字萦绕在词典中（名词“houdini”意为“极擅长逃脱的人或动物”）和流行歌曲里（杜阿·利帕在一首歌中唱道：“抓住我，否则我就胡迪尼般消失”）。胡迪尼出名，部分因为他是“神秘大师”，但也因为——正如胡迪尼专家约翰·考克斯所说——他是“一位深谙自我推销之道的大师”。正如你可以研究胡迪尼的表演来理解魔术，你也可以研究他的职业生涯来理解名气。