Chapter 19 Book lover Xie Danru

Book lover Xie Danru When Mr. Qu Qiubai was in Shanghai, apart from living in the home of Mr. Lu Xun, he lived in the home of Mr. Xie Danru for a period of time. Xie Danru's home is in Nanshi, Shanghai.At that time, under the dense hawks and dogs in Shanghai, Mr. Qu Qiubai's safety could be in question at any time.He doesn't live in the concession, but he wants to live in Nanshi.This choice is not only bold enough, but also very wise.Because Tan Ru's family is rich, he has his own house in Nanshi, with books on all four walls, and he is quiet and quiet, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. figure.Therefore, Mr. Qu Qiubai lived in his home. Although the location was in Nanshi, which was within the scope of the Chinese government at that time, it was safer than the foreign concessions.

Tan Ru not only concealed Mr. Qu Qiubai, but also had a batch of very important revolutionary documents collected by him, so he was able to escape the catastrophe.After liberation, it was returned to the relevant parties intact and was once praised. Dan Ru served as the curator of Shanghai Lu Xun Memorial Hall after liberation.In 1957, I passed through Shanghai and went to New Village on the mainland to find him.We were friends in our youth, and we used to meet each other day and night. At this time, we separated for twenty years. Once we met, the years are merciless, and we have changed each other. We are almost unrecognizable, but after a closer look, we immediately laughed at each other. , overjoyed, did not think there is still a chance to meet.Tan Ru's health was very poor at that time, and she said that she had a serious stomach problem.Therefore, when I visited Lu Xun's former residence later, I had to run upstairs and downstairs for a while. In order not to work hard for him, I specially thanked him for his company.

Dan Ru is a book lover.Since a new literary publication was published, no matter it was a publication or a single volume, he must buy two volumes of each type, one volume to read casually, and the other volume to be kept away.It was expensive, of course, but he happened to have the means at the time.He also liked to buy western books, both old and new, especially old ones, so there was no one in the second-hand bookstore in Shanghai who didn't know him at that time. This is how our friendship was established.Of course, he is a shareholder of the publishing department of the Creation Society and a supporter of the Correspondence Library.He always has a share in all activities related to "books".So do I.

In the bookstores in Shanghai that sold old foreign books at that time, if there was a good book on the shelf and someone bought it, there was no need to ask. If it didn’t belong to Yang, it would belong to Mo. go. For a period of time, he himself opened an old bookstore specializing in foreign books at the old target intersection in Hongkou. From love running second-hand bookstores to opening a second-hand bookstore by himself, Dan Ru's book addiction is as deep as you can imagine. Danru's home on Zixia Road, South City, Shanghai, where Mr. Qu Qiubai once lived, was destroyed by Japanese artillery during the "August 13" Anti-Japanese War.I wonder if his collection of books was rescued?It's a pity that when I saw him again in Shanghai, I never asked him about it.

He bought newly published books, just like regular periodicals, and bought double copies of each type as usual, and he always bought new publications. This continued for more than ten years.These ten years, from 1925 to 1937, were the period when Shanghai's new literature and art publishing industry was most prosperous, and it was also the era of revolutionary climax.The monographs and periodicals such as the one purchased are very complete, so they are of great reference value.In particular, he bought and collected the most complete progressive publications published in various places at that time.It didn't feel like much at the time, but after a long time, it became a very valuable document that is hard to find.Therefore, if his book collection had not been salvaged, not to mention the loss in money, the loss in reference value of literature would have been impossible to estimate.

I seem to have read in the newspapers a few years ago that he once donated a batch of progressive publications that he collected in the early days that were secretly issued to the country.It would have been a blessing among misfortunes that some part of his library had been saved from war. Of course, he also has a lot of Western books, but in terms of literature value, of course, it cannot compare with his complete set of periodicals and new literature and art books. As for my own library, it was completely lost in that war.I left Shanghai in the spring of 1938 and went to Guangzhou via Hong Kong. I left alone, and I hardly brought a book with me.A few months later, my family also fled to Hong Kong. They just brought me dozens of books that I often refer to or newly bought on my desk, and left the rest in Shanghai.

The dozens of books brought to Hong Kong are all Western books, and most of them are about bibliography.I came to Hong Kong from Guangzhou to pick up my family and children, settled them down, and when I went back to Guangzhou, I selected a dozen of these dozens of books and took them to Guangzhou.Later, the Japanese army landed at Dapeng Bay, and Guangzhou fell instantly. These dozens of books, together with all my clothes, were lost in Guangzhou. All my book collections left in Shanghai were completely lost later.I still don't know much about the process of being separated.In short, the relatives we entrusted to take care of when we left Shanghai, they also left later and entrusted them to others.In that turbulent era, with so many changes of hands, the whereabouts are unquestionable.Later, many friends bought my books in Shanghai second-hand bookstores and book stalls, and it can be seen that they have been scattered in pieces and cannot be traced.