Chapter 13 Review and Prospect of "Modern Literature"

In 1960, we were all third-year students in the Foreign Languages ​​Department of National Taiwan University. A group of young people who didn't know the sky and the earth were full of unrealistic ideals. Because of similar interests and love of literature, we became friends.So it was my suggestion, and after a lot of response, I published "Modern Literature".When the publication was published, we sent the first issue to Professor Li Liewen, who said to us: "You are very brave!"Unexpectedly, "Modern Literature" has been in operation for 13 years, with a total of 51 issues. It has become a tree of literature and art that has been irrigated and blossomed with the painstaking efforts of many writers and friends, and finally withered due to economic malnutrition. Tree.For me personally, "Modern Literature" is a kind of cross for me. When I was young and ignorant, I was overwhelmed by my own strength. I only had a simple courage to take this heavy burden rashly. Over the years, the road has been bumpy and full of risks. , probably only fellow travelers who have run Tongren literary magazines in Taiwan can understand the meaning of it in detail.

The Department of Foreign Languages ​​and Literatures of National Taiwan University has always had a strong literary style, and the pioneer who opened up the style is our senior poet Yu Guangzhong, who was already well-known in the poetry circle at that time.Professor Xia Ji'an edited the "Literary Magazine" and trained many foreign language writers.Those who are higher than us are Ye Weilian, Cong, and Liu Shaoming.Later, Wang Zhenhe, Du Guoqing, Qian Shi (Zheng Hengxiong), Dan Ying, etc. took over from us.However, our class produced the most writers: Wang Wenxing, Ouyang Zi (Hong Zhihui), and Chen Ruoxi (Chen Xiumei) wrote novels, and Dai Tian (Dai Chengyi) and Lin Hu (Lin Yaofu) were poets.There are also many good translators such as Wang Yujing and Xie Dao'e, Li Oufan who became a scholar in the United States, and Xie Yangmeihui who became a sociologist.This group of people, together with several others, formed a small society called "South and North Society" (for details, see Ouyang Zi's "Reminiscences of the Year when "Modern Literature" was founded").We often go out to climb mountains and swim, sit on the top of the mountain by the sea, and talk about literature and life, as if we know everything in the world, and we have a point in our belly, and we have to say it out.All of them are ambitious and high-spirited. How can they know half of the ups and downs of life in the future? Chen Ruoxi always suffers from neuralgia, but she is always the first to go up the mountain first.Wang Wenxing often surprises everyone with his words, and when he speaks, he is different.Ouyang Zi didn't speak, but he saw everything.On a whim, everyone played the role of officers and soldiers catching robbers again.How could it be so naive? Probably at that time Taipei was still an agricultural society - the streets were full of bullock carts in the early morning, and there were many rice fields on Nanjing East Road. Nightclub was a mysterious and evil term, and there seemed to be only one or two.The Department of Foreign Languages ​​and Literatures of National Taiwan University was also tainted with a very strong agrarian society at that time: loose and leisurely, governing by doing nothing.The bells in our liberal arts college were always stopped, and the library administrator Lao Meng (Su Nianqiu) was often the only one left meditating, while all of us skipped class to publish "Modern Literature".Fortunately, the Department of Foreign Languages ​​is easy, otherwise how would there be so much time and energy to write articles and run magazines? Besides, everyone's homework is not bad, and the top few are all people from Nanbei News Agency.

In the summer vacation of my sophomore year in 1959, I communicated several letters with Chen Ruoxi and Wang Yujing, proposing the idea of ​​starting "Modern Literature", which received enthusiastic support from the members of the South and North Society.So everyone split up, first of all, financial resources. I got a fund of 100,000 yuan, but I could only use interest, and my monthly income was limited. Bankruptcy, the entire army was wiped out, and the family was also implicated).Ouyang Zi is steady and careful, and presides over the internal affairs, and she is in charge of the cashier of the general affairs and the sending and receiving of subscribers.Chen Ruoxi is aggressive, doing diplomacy, drawing manuscripts, and wooing writers.Wang Wenxing has a lot of ideas, and he is the head of the editorial think tank of "Xianwen". The introduction of Kafka in the first issue was his idea, and the information was almost found by him. The cover was designed by Zhang Xianxu.We found two more senior students to join: Ye Weilian and Liu Shaoming.The launch speech was written by Liu Shaoming, and it was written sonorously.Ye Weilian's inaugural poem is "To My Children and Grandchildren", which is magnificent.We were just a group of students who were just starting to write, and there was no manuscript fee for "Xianwen", and it was difficult to get foreign manuscripts, so we were self-reliant, writing and translating.There were not enough manuscripts for the first issue, so I submitted two papers under a pseudonym.But there are also enthusiastic people who support us. The great poet Yu Guangzhong has been helping us since the first issue of "Sit and Watch the Clouds Rise".The other is Mr. He Xin, a well-known translator. Mr. He has formed an indissoluble bond with "Xianwen" from the very beginning. How much painstaking effort to translate.Our school sister Cong sent a masterpiece "Blind Hunting" from the United States.When foreign aid arrived, everyone was overjoyed.So I collected manuscripts and took them to the Taipei Printing Factory on Hankou Street for typesetting. Mr. Jiang, the manager of the printing factory, was from Shanghai, and his methods were tactful. Cope with it. The manuscript of "Present Text" was left in the printing factory, and it was too late to get on the machine. I went to negotiate every day, but I couldn't get it.At night, I simply sat in the printing factory and did not leave. Mr. Jiang was so pestered by me that he had no choice but to print "Xian Wen".On the day it was published on March 5, 1960, I ran to school with a large stack of the first issue of "Modern Literature" with a light blue cover, and the joy and excitement in my heart will never be forgotten in my life.

The magazine came out, but sales were a big problem.Who wants to read our magazine? Who is Kafka? It writes such weird things.Several poems and novels, the author's name is mostly unknown.Even if it is famous, I don’t understand it very well.We put up posters everywhere, but the students in Taiwan didn't respond very well, and the students in the class were not very enthusiastic. A few clients were caught by us trying to save face.We sent it to the professor, but most of them were noncommittal.But there are also enthusiastic ones, like Professor Zhang Xinyi, who spared no effort in introducing subscribers for us.Ms. Yin Zhang Lanxi, guarding in every possible way, pulling advertisements.Professor Li Liewen praised us very much. In fact, as long as people watch it, we are already very happy.The magazine is sent out by the World Heritage Provider.Every few days, I went to Hengyang Street and Chongqing South Road to browse the magazine stalls. "Is there any "Modern Literature"?" I was holding a copy of "Today's World" or "The Gleaners" in my hand and asked pretending to be casual.Many vendors shook their heads, never heard of this book.Some thought for a while, but pulled out a copy of "Modern Literature" from the bottom of a large stack of magazines. The cover was already dusty, and it was overshadowed by other best-selling magazines. "Do you want it?" the vendor asked me.I couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so I hurried away.There was also a surprise: "Modern literature? It's sold out." So I smiled and asked: "Is this magazine so popular? Who buys it?" "They are all students." Students are willing to spend money to buy "Modern Literature", hurry up and run the second issue.After the settlement of the first issue, only 600 to 700 copies were sold, and the money was lost, but the morale was very high, because we still had at least a few hundred readers.In fact, "Xian Wen" has never sold more than a thousand copies, and it always loses money.Therefore, the vendors are not very welcome, and they are placed in inconspicuous places.But there is a magazine seller who is a close friend of "Xian Wen", that is Mr. Zhou Mengdie, the poet of the Lonely Kingdom. His stall on Wuchang Street is often hung with "Modern Literature", an old magazine that we can't sell. Give it to him, and he always lays it out for us.Sometimes when I passed Wuchang Street, I saw the red and green "Xian Wen" sitting on the throne of the lonely country, and I was moved and proud.My friend poetess Danying said that she bought the whole set of "Xianwen" from Zhou Mengdie.

Although the sources of manuscripts were difficult and financial resources were limited, each of the six issues of the bimonthly "Xianwen" in the first year was published on schedule.On the anniversary, there was a big celebration at my house.In addition to friends from the literary and art circles, we also invited painters from the May Painting Society.Gu Fusheng, Zhuang, and Han Xiangning all designed the cover and drew illustrations for "Xianwen".Teacher Zhang Xinyi and Ms. Yin Zhang Lanxi also came to join us. Everyone was really happy and full of confidence in the future of "Xian Wen".And we were about to graduate at that time. Looking back, everyone felt that the four years of college were too fast and felt like a waste of time.For me personally, the most meaningful thing about college life is, of course, founding this money-losing magazine.The parents at home are very supportive, thinking that "making friends through literature".Indeed, one of the biggest gains I gained from running this magazine is that I met a group of literary friends, which enriched my life and knowledge a lot.

In the ninth issue, "Xianwen" encountered its first economic crisis.The wrought ironworks I used for usury fell down. Half of the "Xianwen" fund was removed. This urgent matter is no small matter.During that period of time, I was like an ant on a hot pot every day, burning inside.Although the amount was small, I was a penniless student at that time, and my classmates were even more useless.Parents have so many troubles, how dare they bother them.I went to the ironworks several times, and I was also among the creditors to collect debts from the ironworks.I don't know if others got their money back. I have kept that IOU for several years.Sometimes I take it out and stare at it in a daze, thinking to myself: This iron factory is really hateful, and I am embarrassed to swallow this cultural money.But the magazine still has to go on.Fortunately, we got to know Mr. Richard Macarthy, the director of the US Information Service stationed in Taiwan at that time.He is a caring person, loves literature, and knowing our plight, he agreed to buy two issues of "Xianwen".So the tenth and eleventh issues were born amidst the ups and downs.At the same time, the boys of "Xianwen" also joined the camp, and the burden of editing fell on the female generals of "Xianwen". "Xian Wen" female general, heroine, Ouyang Zi sits at National Taiwan University, works as a teaching assistant, and is alone.Chen Ruoxi still handles her diplomacy when she is working abroad.Our juniors, Zheng Hengxiong, Du Guoqing, Wang Zhenhe also officially joined, becoming the second generation of "Xianwen".I couldn’t help in the military camp, only manuscript aid. In such a tense life, I managed to cobble together two novels: and "Graduation" (later changed to "The Moonlight of That Night"), which were squeezed out desperately.When the female generals go abroad, there will be no ministers in the court, and the personnel crisis of "Xianwen" will come again.The 15th issue cannot be released for half a year, and the situation is precarious.Until we finished our training and went abroad to study in the United States, the formative period of "Xian Wen" finally ended, and it was changed to a quarterly magazine, ushering in a new era.

Before I go abroad, I solemnly entrust "Xianwen" to three gentlemen, Yu Guangzhong, He Xin, and Yao Yiwei.Yu and He have always had a deep relationship with "Xianwen", and Mr. Yao is a new force, and his contribution to "Xianwen" is indestructible, and it is worthy of special mention.In addition to writing his own manuscripts—his famous "The Mystery of Art" appeared one by one in "Xianwen"—he also brought in the manuscripts of many outstanding writers: such as Chen Yingzhen, Shi Shuqing, Li Ang and so on.With these three and the second generation of "Xianwen", the editorial crisis can be regarded as resolved.As for the source of income, after going abroad, I will support it alone.My family gave me a tuition fee, and I applied for a full-year scholarship at the University of Iowa.So I set aside part of the tuition fee and sent back a check every month, turning it into black and white.In foreign countries, this is the thing I worry about the most. I can’t describe it enough: Is the manuscript ready? Have you got a good novel? Will it be out of date? Will the printing fee be enough?Being in the United States, with my heart in Taiwan, is for it.During this period, "Xianwen" began to take off and gradually matured.On the one hand, it is the growth of the basic writers of "Xianwen", and on the other hand, Yu, He, and Yao have improved the content and raised the level of creation in terms of editing.At this time, there are so many masterpieces.According to Mimi (Mrs. Yu Guangzhong), the three wives also helped out by writing envelopes and delivering magazines. Du Guoqing, the second generation of "Xianwen", rode bicycles and ran to the printing factory. Everyone was full of energy.Every time I received "Xian Wen" from Taipei in Iowa, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night, and I wished I could read the whole book in one sitting.When I read Chen Yingzhen's novel, I was moved and saddened indescribably. Who is the author of "Gecko", I inquired.It turned out to be a little girl who was still studying in middle school. I was very surprised.Shi Shuqing was very imposing when he first wrote, and he really became a family of his own in the future.Shi's family is prosperous in literature and geomantic omen, and his younger sister Li Ang comes from behind, with a special style.

Since then, the editorial staff of "Xianwen" has undergone several major changes. Wang Wenxing, Yu Guangzhong, and Ke Qingming all took turns as the editor-in-chief and executive editor.These editors have worked so hard, it is hard to describe them all.Only fools run literary magazines, and only fools take the thankless editorial job for no salary. The reason why "Xianwen" has been able to survive for thirteen years is first of all due to the martyr spirit of these editors. In addition to the above-mentioned few, the teaching assistants Wang Qiugui and Zhang Hui of the Department of Foreign Languages ​​of National Taiwan University, as well as the teachers and students of the Department of Chinese Has made great efforts.In addition, the writers at that time were very loyal to "Xianwen", they didn't ask for manuscript fees, and they didn't care about fame and fortune. They all had love and expectations for "Xianwen", and hoped that this literary magazine could survive.In seven years, Mr. Yu Jizhong of "China Times" heard that "Xianwen" was in financial difficulties, and generously donated paper for one year to make "Xianwen" overcome the crisis.However, in Taiwan, where industry and commerce are taking off, an ideal magazine for colleagues in an agricultural society cannot survive.The "Literary Quarterly" and "Pure Literature" that were struggling at the same time as us all fell down heroically one by one. The economic crisis of "Xian Wen" has turned red again.In 1973, due to the global inflation, the price of paper and printing in Taiwan soared.My teaching salary in the United States, no matter how I save it, I can't save this expense.I have a middle school friend, Wang Guoxiang, who is also a loyal reader of "Xianwen". Knowing my plight, he donates 120 U.S. dollars from his research fee every month, but the combined money of the two people is still useless. After the eleventh issue, I had no choice but to write to the editor at the time, Ke Qingming, announcing that "Xian Wen" would temporarily suspend publication.In Ke Qingming's letter, he quoted Bai Juyi's poem at the end: "The wild fire is endless, and the spring breeze blows again." "Manjianghong" was taught to me by my father when I was young, and it was the only song he could sing, and he often led us to sing it.Wherever I heard the song afterwards, I couldn't help feeling impassioned.

Looking at the 51st issue of "Modern Literature" and reviewing the gains and losses, we admit that "Xianwen" has many shortcomings: the editorial staff has changed a lot, the editorial policy is unstable, and the publication is often not published on schedule. Mature articles are also published.However, "Xianwen" has no funds, and editors are all obliged to do so.Apart from admiration for the editors, I never dare to be demanding. "Xianwen" has no manuscript fee, and the articles are all based on human favors. Probably only in our Chinese society, which values ​​righteousness over profit, this kind of thing can happen.Therefore, apart from the inherent limitations, I definitely believe that "Modern Literature" made an indelible contribution to the Chinese literary world in the 1960s.

First, it is an introduction to Western literature.Because our own knowledge is limited, we can only do translation and introduction work, but this superficial introduction was very important and instructive for Taiwan's literary world at that time.Because modern Western literature was quite unknown in Taiwan at that time, translations by such Western writers as Kafka, Joyce, Thomas Mann, and Faulkner were unique.We have translated all of Joyce's classic short stories "Dubliners".Afterwards, all publishing houses, newspapers and magazines translated the works of these great masters, but "Xian Wen" was actually one of the founders who began to inspire readers' interest in Western modern literature.There are also many excellent works in the translation.He Xin, Zhu Limin, Zhu Naichang, etc. are famous translators for poetry, short stories, dramas, and essays. In addition, the great achievements of teaching assistants in the Department of Foreign Languages ​​of National Taiwan University cannot be ignored, especially Zhang Hui. The amount of space in "Xianwen" is considerable.

Of course, the greatest achievement of "Xianwen" lies in its creation.A total of 206 novels have been published, with 70 writers.The well-known Taiwanese novelists who emerged in the 1960s have a relationship with "Modern Literature", whether deep or shallow.Apart from the basic authors of "Xian Wen", such as Wang Wenxing, Ouyang Zi, Chen Ruoxi, and myself, there are Cong, Wang Zhenhe, Shi Shuqing, Chen Yingzhen, Qi Dengsheng, Jing Jing, Yu Lihua, Li Ang, Lin Huaimin, Huang Chunming, Qianshi, Lin Donghua, Wenjin, Wang Tuo, Cai Wenfu, Wang Jingxi, Ziyu, Li Yongping, Zhu Xining, Sima Zhongyuan and Duan Caihua have already become famous.These writers either started from "Xianwen", or published excellent works in "Xianwen".There are even some, although they have no literary titles and have only submitted one or two articles in "Xianwen", some of their works are not inferior to those of famous writers. It is a pity that these writers did not continue to create, and their potential has already been significantly improved. Otherwise, many new forces will be added to Taiwan's literary world.The ones that come to mind at random are: Xi Song, Dongfang Bai, Yao Shuhua, Zhang Yi, Li Yang, Ma Jianjun, etc. The achievements of modern poems in "Modern Literature" are also impressive. There are more than 200 poems, including all famous Taiwanese poets.The masters of major poetry clubs such as Blue Star, Genesis, Li, and Zodiac all appeared in "Xianwen", and there are many rising stars who have no party or affiliation. The special contribution of "Xian Wen" to Taiwan's poetry circle is the "Modern Poetry Review Special Issue" edited by the poet Yang Mu for the forty-six issues. It made a large-scale retrospective exhibition on the development and growth of modern poetry in Taiwan in the past two decades.This inclusive retrospective of modern poetry seemed to be the first of its kind in Taiwan at the time.Yang Mu spent a lot of time editing this special issue, which is worthy of praise. "Xian Wen" published relatively few papers by domestic critics, but famous critics Xia Zhiqing, Yan Yuanshu, Yao Yiwei, and Lin Yiliang all had wonderful works published in "Xian Wen".Professor Xia Zhiqing sympathized and encouraged "Xianwen" from the beginning to the end, and cared for it.He mentioned in a paper: "Modern Literature has cultivated the best writers of Taiwan's younger generation." Secondly, another important work of "Xian Wen" is the study of Chinese classical literature, which is thanks to the teachers and students of the Chinese Department of National Taiwan University. Ke Qingming, the later executive editor of "Xianwen", was a teaching assistant in the Chinese Department of National Taiwan University at the time, drafting manuscripts for teachers and students of the Chinese Department. He had the spirit of the Crusades. From the pre-Qin period to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, a comprehensive study was made on the development of Chinese classical novels. Chinese classical novels are so valued in Taiwan academic circles, and the special issue of "Xian Wen" is the first of its kind.It is particularly worth mentioning here that Professor Xia Zhiqing's English-language masterpiece "Chinese Classical Novels" was almost completely translated and published in "Xianwen". This literary criticism has long been popular in Western Sinology circles. It is a well-known classic, which makes Westerners look at Chinese classical novels with admiration. In fact, the manuscripts for the fifty-two issues were all collected and dispatched at that time, but due to funding problems, they were never published.In order to write this memoir, I dug out some materials about "Xianwen" from the box. There is a yellowed photo, which was taken by the editors of "Xianwen" when it was first published. People: Dai Tian, ​​Fang Weihua, Lin Hu, Li Oufan, Ye Weilian, Wang Wenxing, Chen Ciyun, Chen Ruoxi, Ouyang Zi, Liu Shaoming, myself and Zhang Xianxu.At that time, everyone was in their twenties, and each face was full of confidence and expectation.Confidence, because the newborn calf is ignorant; expectation, because I feel that there is still a long way to go in life, and I can show my skills and do a lot.I look at the date printed under the photo: May 9, 1960.Doing the math, it has been seventeen years, and our group has entered the middle age of mourning and joy.Looking at this old photo, I can't help but feel a lot of emotions.Who could have predicted the fate of each of us? Zhang Xianxu, who designed the cover of "Xianwen", died first, and he died a miserable death.Zhang Xianxu is talented and his translations are really good, but he is introverted and too sensitive.Chen Ruoxi is brave and likes to take risks, so her life has been full of adventures and dangers. After returning to the mainland for seven years, she went through all kinds of hardships, and her whole family came out again.This is Chen Ruoxi, who can do what ordinary people can't.Last year, she gave a speech at the University of California. When we met, it was like a lifetime ago, and she still walked like that.Wang Wenxing, Lin Hu, and Chen Ciyun all educated the next generation at their alma mater and became the backbone of the Foreign Languages ​​Department of National Taiwan University.Ye Weilian, Liu Shaoming, and Li Oufan teach in American universities, and each has achieved something. They are rising stars in the American Sinology circle.Fang Weihua once taught at Zhengzhou University and is now a father.I haven’t seen Dai Tian, ​​a poet, for many years. When he came to Hong Kong last year, he invited me to dinner, and the two of us were very drunk, because we all had the emotion of “together, what night, let’s share this candlelight”.Seventeen years ago, Dai Tian came to my house, cooking wine and discussing poetry, drunk, not knowing that the East is white, and the feelings of youth are different after all.Seventeen years, the burden of time is quite heavy.In the United States, apart from writing, Ouyang Zi had a husband and a child, and a happy family. However, he suffered from a severe eye disease, retinal peeling, major surgery on both eyes, and vision loss.In 1974, I went to Texas to visit her. At the same time, we both felt that the pressure of time was becoming more and more urgent, so we felt that we should hurry up and do something meaningful.With superhuman courage, Ouyangzi completed her collection of essays in a state of blurred vision, and then edited this "Selected Works of Modern Literary Fiction" alone in one go.Ouyang Zi really spent a lot of effort in compiling this collection. She carefully read all the more than 200 novels in "Xian Wen", and after careful consideration, she selected 33 masterpieces, and made short comments on each of them. Her short comments point out the essence of the novel in just a few words, which is of great help to readers, and her catalog at the back of the book is particularly detailed and complete. The title of the novels submitted under my name will be very convenient for those who study the novels and writers of "Xianwen" in the future.The rigor and conscientiousness of her editorial attitude is exemplary. Re-reading the novels in this anthology confirmed my views on "Xianwen". The greatest contribution of "Xianwen" lies in discovering and cultivating the young generation of novelists in Taiwan.Most of the thirty-three novels in this anthology are outstanding, and can be called excellent examples of Taiwanese short stories in the 1960s.Some of them have already become famous or become famous in the future, but the novels they voted on "Xianwen" are often their best works.For example, Zhu Xining's "Iron Slurry", I think it is the best of all his short stories. It has a grand theme: the conflict between traditional Chinese society and modern civilization; the form is complete: it expresses the meaning of the theme seamlessly with symbolic techniques and clean and rigorous words. .This is really a masterpiece of Chinese short stories.Another example is Chen Yingzhen's famous book "The General Family", just as Ouyang Zi commented: "This is a touching masterpiece." brilliant.This one should be his masterpiece.Another example is Huang Chunming's "Gan Geng Bo's Twilight". Although this is the only article he submitted to "Xianwen", this touching novel, in terms of artistic form, I think is his most complete one. Redundant language, form and content complement each other.There are also several articles that have special significance in the history of Taiwan's novel development.Cong's "Blind Hunting" is undoubtedly the first novel about the basic existential dilemma of human beings produced by Taiwanese Chinese writers influenced by Western existentialism.Wang Zhenhe's "Ghost? North Wind? Man" is his debut in the literary world and the first article he submitted to "Xianwen".Before Wang Zhenhe, of course, there were also many works by provincial writers describing the rural colors of Taiwan.But Wang Zhenhe received a post-war education, and he is proficient in the use of Mandarin.The use of Taiwanese dialect and the insertion of Taiwanese folk customs in his novels are a kind of realism he deliberately manages. His style of rural realism will inspire the so-called Taiwanese local literature that will become popular in the future. "Ghost? North Wind? Man" is a pioneer.But "Xian Wen" is an anthology of novels. Another and more important significance is that it collects many excellent works by writers who are not well-known.Because well-known writers have their own anthologies, and their works will not be lost. However, for lesser-known writers, if they are not selected into the anthology, they may be buried. In the history of Chinese literature, it will be a great loss, because they These works are really well written, and they are not inferior to those of famous writers.For example, Xi Song's "Nezha in the Gods List", from the traditional Chinese mythology, explores the basic dilemma of life that the soul and the body cannot coexist. Ouyang Zi believes: "The expression method and the theme meaning are amazingly original." Another example Li Yang's "A Day in the Life of Professor Tan" is, in my opinion, the best novel about intellectuals in Taiwan's academic institutions.Dongfang Bai's "□□" discusses the redemption of human sin and punishment, which is profound and thought-provoking.Yao Shuhua's "The Heavenly Girl Scattering Flowers" depicts the insurmountable barriers between social classes, which is very touching.Looking at the 33 works in the anthology, the themes are rich and varied. Some study the decline of traditional Chinese culture, such as "Iron Slurry" and "A Dream in the Garden"; some describe Taiwan's local customs, such as "Ghost? ? People, Chen Ruoxi's "Xin Zhuang", Lin Huaimin's "Farewell", Yan's "Dust"; there are those who portray the pain and loneliness in the human heart, such as Crystal's "Ling Chi of Love", Ouyang Zi's "The Last Lesson" "; there are those who study the basic predicament of human existence, such as "Blind Hunting", "Nezha in the Gods List", Shi Shuqing's "Upside-down Ladder"; there are life inspiration stories (initiation stories), such as Wang Wenxing's "Lack"; there are praises Human dignity, such as "The General's Clan" and "Gan Geng Bo's Twilight"; there are also stories about overseas Chinese, such as Yu Lihua's "The Appearance of the Meeting Site" and Ji Zheng's "Pseudo-Spring".The writing skills of the thirty-three writers also have their own special styles. Some use allegorical symbols, some use stream-of-consciousness psychoanalysis, some are simple and realistic, and some are magnificent. , the result is a kind of literature that integrates ancient and modern Chinese and foreign countries. This is the reality of Taiwan in the 1960s. It not only inherited China’s 5,000-year-old cultural heritage vertically, but also was violently impacted by European winds and American rains horizontally. We are now living in an era of unprecedented drastic changes in China's cultural traditions for thousands of years, and these writers who grew up in Taiwan are also witnesses of this era of turmoil.Witnessing such a changeable autumn between the old and the new, these writers feel heavy and anxious in their hearts.Seeking from within, they want to explore the basic meaning of life. Our traditional values ​​can no longer be used as a reference for their belief in life. They have to rebuild their own culture alone on the ruins of tradition. Therefore, the general writing style of this group of writers is introspective, exploring, and analytical; however, their attitude is serious and concerned, and they have a seriousness towards society and individuals in society. This kind of concern is not necessarily the enthusiasm for social reform of the writers in the "May Fourth" era, but a kind of sympathy and pity for the people - this, I think, is the most important feature of the works in this anthology. A valuable quality and an essential element of all great literature.In this anthology we cannot find a single cynical satire on life, nor a single biting invective.After all, these writers have been baptized in the Confucian tradition, and their articles are gentle and honest.In the 1960s, looking back at mainland China, it was a series of tragedies for literati. Lao She sank himself in a lake, Fu Lei committed suicide, Ba Jin was forced to kneel and break glass, Ding Ling was exiled to Heilongjiang, and Shen Congwen wasted away in the Palace Museum, silent like cicadas. Mainland literature was blank.Therefore, Taiwan's first-line literary incense has the significance of the era of rising and falling. "Modern Literature" ceased publication in 1973, and it has been in existence for three and a half years. During this period, I always felt that something was missing, that a corner of my life seemed to be missing, and it could not be made up.Sometimes I am dreaming: Where can I make a fortune, then I can pay the highest salary and hire an editor to be dedicated to "Xianwen"; "There is not a single typo; the price is set at the cheapest, so that every poor student has a copy.However, I don't give up, I always hope that the spring breeze will blow and the weeds will come back to life.In fact, the basic writers of "Xianwen" all have the same love for literature as they did back then.Wang Wenxing's writing has always had the spirit of religious penance, and the publication of "Family Change" the year before last caused a sensation in the literary world.Ouyangzi continued to write, and "Autumn Leaves" collected many excellent works of psychological novels.Chen Ruoxi went around a long way, but still couldn't escape the clutches of her muse, so she resumed writing, and "Magistrate Yin" was like a bomb, which made overseas leftist intellectuals flustered.As for myself, I haven't stopped writing, it's just that I have no success, and I have published a book, a novel, and I have been grinding until now.It stands to reason that we have much more experience in life, and it should be the right time to start a literary magazine now. When I returned to Taiwan last year, Shen Dengen, the person in charge of Yuanjing Publishing House, came to me. "Vision" is willing to support the resumption of "Xianwen".I discussed with several veterans of "Xianwen" in Taiwan, and everyone was very excited.Shi Shuqing invited us to her house for dinner. There were many former writers and editors of "Xianwen" present, who were drinking heavily. When it was mentioned that "Xianwen" was republished, everyone toasted to support it. Mr. Yao Yiwei was so happy that he sang, "We I have never seen him so youthful, so radiant.And myself, I feel like every cell of me is starting to rejuvenate. After resuming the publication of "Xianwen", we still have only one expectation: to publish valuable and good literature, and to discover and train outstanding young writers.I believe there are far more outstanding writers in Taiwan than we did back then. "Xian Wen" will inherit our past tradition of inclusiveness, and welcome writers who are interested in literature to work together, come to discuss, and come to carry on the torch of "Xian Wen", run to the altar of Chinese literature, and ignite a flower Literary spark. There is a passage in the introduction of "Xianwen", which I quote as the end of this article: We hope that there will be no lack of good articles published in "Modern Literature", which is our highest ideal.We don't want to spend time on the dialectical "Writing to Convey Tao" or "Art for Art's sake", but we believe that a successful work of art, even if it is not aspired to "convey Tao", has reached the goal of "containing Tao". The purpose of "Tao"...