Chapter 23 revolutionary literature

This year in the South, everyone called it "revolution", just as last year in the North, everyone called it "Tao Chi". And this "revolution" has also invaded the world of literature and art. Recently, there was an article in a Guangzhou daily that instructed us that we should learn from four revolutionary writers: Tang Nanzhao in Italy (2), Hopdemann in Germany (3), and Ibn Ibn Zha in Spain. Hereby (4), Wu Zhihui from China. Two imperialists, one a traitor to their own government, and one an initiator of the Kuomintang rescue(5), should all serve as teachers of revolutionary literature, so revolutionary literature is inexplicable, because it is really a difficult task.

Therefore, as a last resort, the world often mistakenly regards two kinds of literature as revolutionary literature: one is that under the cover of one side's command sword, it scolds its opponent; (6) One is that there are many "beat, hit", "kill, kill", or "blood, blood" written on the paper. If this is "revolutionary literature", then being a "revolutionary writer" is really the most enjoyable and safest thing to do. Cursing from under the command knife, from the referee's seat, and from the official newspaper, is really a great hero in the world, and the wonderful thing is that the scolded dare not speak.And some people say, how cowardly are you if you don't dare to speak?The second crime is that the opponent does not have the courage to "kill one's life and become a benevolent" (7), and this is more than enough to show the heroes of revolutionary writers.The only pity is that this literature is not a revolution against the tyrannical, but a revolution against the losers.

People in the Tang Dynasty knew for a long time that when they were poor, they wanted to write rich and noble poems, and they used more words such as "gold", "jade", "brocade" and "Qi", thinking that they were luxurious, but they didn't know how stupid they were.Those who really know how to write scenes of wealth and honor, there is a saying: "Songs return to the courtyard, lights go down to the stairs", (8) don't use those words at all. "Hit, hit," "kill, kill," certainly sounds heroic, but it's no more than a drum.Even if it is a drum, if there is no enemy army in front and no army behind us, it will be nothing more than a drum in the end.

I think the fundamental problem is that the author is a "revolutionary". If so, no matter what events are written or what materials are used, it is "revolutionary literature".What comes out of the fountain is water, and what comes out of the veins is blood. "Five words and eight rhymes" (9) can only deceive blind examiners. But "revolutionaries" are rare.During the October Revolution in Russia, there were indeed many literati who were willing to do their best for the revolution.But the wind of reality finally turned them at a loss.Notable examples are the suicide of the poet Ye Suining (10), and the novelist Sopoli (11), whose last words were: "I can't live any longer!"

Only those who have the courage to yell "I can't live on" in the era of revolution can do revolutionary literature. Ye Suining and Sopoli were finally not revolutionary writers.Why, because Russia is really revolutionary.Where revolutionary writers are surging, there is actually no revolution. ---------------------------------- (1) This article was originally published on October 21, 1927, in the fifth issue of Shanghai "People's Weekly". (2) Tang Nanzhe (G.D'Annunzio, 1863-1938), an Italian writer who translated D'Annunzio.He supported imperialist wars during the First World War, and later fanatically supported Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia, and was highly praised by the Fascist party.His creative tendency is mainly aestheticism, and he is the author of the script "Qi Jing Kang Tao" and the novel "Victory of Death" and so on.

(3) Hauptmann (G. Hauptmann, 1862-1946) German playwright. In his early years, he wrote "Before Sunrise" and "The Weaver" and other works with certain social significance.During the First World War, he tried his best to sponsor Kaiser Wilhelm II's military policy and rallied some German intellectuals to defend the atrocities committed by the German army in Belgium. (4) Ibanez (1867-1928) interpreted Ibanez, a Spanish writer and leader of the Spanish Republican Party.He was imprisoned twice by the Spanish government for opposing the Royalists.He was exiled again in 1923 and lived in France.His main works include the novels "The Farmhouse" and "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse".

(5) In 1927, following Chiang Kai-shek's will, Wu Zhihui submitted a document to the Central Supervisory Commission of the Kuomintang and launched a "party purge" in the name of "rescuing" the Kuomintang. (6) The “revolutionary literature” mentioned here refers to the counter-revolutionary fascist literature launched by some reactionary literati at that time.For example, the so-called "Revolutionary Literature Society" that appeared in Guangzhou in 1927 published the ten-day periodical "Doing This Way", and the "Revolutionary Literature Society Charter" published in the second place stated that "the society gathers purely Chinese Kuomintang members and advocates revolutionary literature... ... engaged in the party's revolutionary movement" and other words.

(7) "Killing one's body to become benevolent" comes from "The Analects of Confucius Wei Linggong": "The Master said: 'A man of lofty ideals and benevolence, there is no one who seeks to survive to harm benevolence, but one who kills himself to become benevolent.'" (8) "Songs return to the courtyard" two sentences, see The poem "Yan San" written by Bai Juyi in the Tang Dynasty.The second volume of Ouyang Xiu's "Return to the Field" in the Song Dynasty said: "Yan Yuan Xiangong likes to comment on poems. He tasted it and said: 'When I feel old, my waist is heavy, and when I am lazy, I sleep on the jade cool." .The one who speaks well is rich and honored. Everyone thinks that he knows the words.”

(9) "Fu De Revolution, Five Characters and Eight Rhymes" Most of the test post poems in the imperial examination era used ancient verses or idioms, with the word "Fu De" as the title.The Qing Dynasty also stipulated that each poem should be composed of five characters and eight rhymes, that is, one sentence with five characters, one poem with sixteen sentences, and one rhyme with two sentences.This refers to those works that have nothing but revolutionary slogans. (10) Ye Suining (C.A. EceZPZ, 1895-1925) interpreter Yesenin, Soviet poet.He is famous for his lyric poems describing rural pastoral life under the patriarchal clan system.During the October Revolution, he yearned for revolution and wrote some poems praising revolution, such as "Soviet Russia".But after the revolution, he fell into depression and committed suicide in December 1925.

(11) Sopoli (A.M. CohELM, 1888-1926) Soviet writer.He was close to the revolution after the October Revolution, but finally committed suicide because he was dissatisfied with the reality at the time.His main works include the novel "Dust" and the collection of short stories "When the Cherry Blooms", etc.