Chapter 40 realize that i am myself

——"John Christophe" Embedded in the Rings of Life When I was 16 to 20 years old, my favorite writer was Romain Rolland of France, and my favorite book was his masterpiece "John Christophe", and the translator Fu Lei who also liked this novel .It is not accurate enough to say that I like it. When I read that book, I was moved and enlightened. My 16 to 20 years old are from 1958 to 1962.It was an era that emphasized collectivism and criticized individualism.Romain Rolland's "John Christopher" is a work that promotes individualism.There are special historical reasons for such works to be publicly published in China at such a historical stage, and for young people like me to see them.One of the reasons is that the writer Romain Rolland was politically left-leaning. He opposed the First World War and was full of goodwill towards the Soviet Union, a rising country that emerged through revolution. One of the Western writers visited by the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union also reciprocated, and has always regarded him as a progressive writer in the West. The interpretation of "John Christophe" also tried to emphasize the hypocrisy and corruption of its criticism of Western society and culture. The individualism of the protagonist is divided into two, pointing out that it is not advisable to separate himself from the struggle of the masses, but he also affirms the value of his refusal to join forces; the second reason is the left-wing culture in China before 1949 and the culture from 1949 to 1960. New Chinese culture follows the example of the Soviet Union in its attitude towards Western literature. For example, the Soviet Union fully affirmed the Irish female writer Voynich, and we translated it from Russian and published it in large quantities. In fact, in the entire West, this It’s just an unknown popular political novel. Romain Rolland is a writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. His reputation in the West is beyond the reach of Voynich’s generation. The Soviet Union strongly affirms it, and we are of course more happy to recommend it; the third reason The earliest motivation for Chinese left-wing literati to participate in the revolution is often the pursuit of individual liberation. They did not foresee that after joining the revolutionary ranks, they would eventually advance to the life of the revolutionary individual. They once confidently wrote "John Christophe" It is regarded as a textbook against the hypocrisy and corruption of the bourgeoisie. After 1949, many of them entered the leadership of the cultural circle, which made this book popular for a time. Young people like me (in fact, I first read this book in 1958) When I was a teenager) it was easy to get it from the library and Xinhua Bookstore.

From 1956 to 1957, there were already articles in the newspapers criticizing "John Christophe", sternly pointing out that what it preaches is pure bourgeois individualism, which is in conflict with the proletarian collectivism we emphasize, but those Criticism is basically justified.Later, the differences between the Chinese and Soviet parties gradually became public, and then came the Cultural Revolution. The big-character poster-style criticism was outrageous and ignorant of logic, and even the writing of Romain Rolland was wiped out. Fu Lei also died in that catastrophe. .After the reform and opening up, Fu's translation of "John Christophe" was republished, and I excitedly bought a new one. I was 37 years old at the time, and I was still fascinated when I read it, but it also added a lot of vicissitudes.

Today's young people seem to seldom read this mighty novel by Romain Rolland.A female white-collar worker asked me to give her a "quick study" of the content of this book. I tried to make an "instant noodle"-style "summary" for her, but she said to me after a few bites: "Ah, so the protagonist Taking Beethoven as the prototype, it is too classical, and such a person bears too heavy social and historical responsibilities. Reading it will make my brain hurt. It is better to read some relaxed adult comics, which are more conducive to my survival in the fierce environment. Lubricate the soul while competing." I didn't discuss it with her, but I realized more deeply that, just like "one emperor and one courtier", it can be said that "one generation of readers and one generation of books".

Regardless of what others say, as far as I am concerned, Romain Rolland's "John Christophe" has been embedded in the rings of my life, and it is difficult to get rid of it.There is no need to eliminate that, with regard to this book, I do not want to discuss it in the framework of individualism and collectivism.The book was digested by me and blended into my life.I am grateful for it because it made me understand that after all, I am an independent self. Of course, I must work hard to fit in the group, try my best to make myself beneficial to the group and others, and have a sense of social responsibility. Independent thinking, integrity of personality, freedom of will, especially the accumulation of conscience deep in the heart, are the basis for engaging in groups and communicating with others.This deep-rooted sense of "personality" does not need to be called "ism", but it is the most precious, unsellable, and hard to give up in life.