Chapter 29 Letter to Zhou Yang[1]

(April 2, 1944) Comrade Zhou Yang: This article [2] read, well written.You have given a concise historical account of several major issues in literary and artistic theory, so as to prove that our current policy is correct. This is very beneficial, and it is also a lesson for me.It’s just that it doesn’t feel right to put my speech[3] in the forests of Ma, En, Lie, and S…, and my words cannot be worthy of it.In addition, on the tenth page, "art should unite the feelings, thoughts, and wills of the masses" [4], it seems that not only is it meant to "concentrate" when creating, but also to use these creations to the masses, so that those who are economically The "feelings, thoughts, and wills of the masses" that have been dispersed due to personal, political, regional, and ethnic reasons (socialist countries have no political reasons, but other reasons remain) can be "united" through the spread of literature and art , or the main meaning of Lenin's words here is to popularize work.Then "raise them up" on that basis.Whether it can be explained in this way, please think it over again, or discuss it with comrades who understand Russian and make a decision.The rest have no comments.

salute! Mao Zedong It was published on April 2 based on "Selected Letters of Mao Zedong" published by People's Publishing House in 1983. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] Zhou Yang, was the president of Yan'an University and the dean of Yan'an Lu Xun Academy of Arts and Letters at that time. [2] Refers to the editorial preface written by Zhou Yang for "Marxism and Literature and Art", which was later published in "Liberation Daily" on April 8, 1944. The book "Marxism and Literature and Art" is a selection of the expositions on literature and art by Marx, Engels, Plekhanov, Lenin, Stalin, Gorky, Lu Xun and Mao Zedong.

[3] Refers to Mao Zedong's "Speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art" in May 1942, see the third volume of "Selected Works of Mao Zedong". [4] This is a passage quoted by Lenin to Zetkin in Zhou Yang's editor's preface to "Marxism and Literature and Art".The translation Zhou Yang used at that time was: "Art belongs to the people. Its deepest root should come from the bottom of the working masses. It should be understood and loved by these masses. It should bring these masses In 1957, the Chinese translation of Zetkin's "Reminiscence of Lenin" published by the People's Publishing House reads: "Art belongs to the people. It must have its deepest roots at the bottom of the broad working masses. It must be known and loved by these masses. It must unite the feelings, thoughts, and will of these masses and elevate them."