Chapter 46 postscript

one Is it a realistic novel, a political novel, or a realistic novel about politics. two It is a novel of nearly 700,000 words. After discussing with the editor, in order to keep down the book price, it was decided to include the novel of nearly 700,000 words into one book.Since it is a realistic novel about politics, you are facing ordinary readers, grassroots readers, wage readers, or readers with relatively low income, because only these readers will really pay attention to politics and reality. three Many friends, including some friends who have been teaching in universities, said that current universities and college students do not care much about politics and care about reality.At least a large part no longer cares about politics and cares about reality.And think this is a normal phenomenon, beneficial phenomenon.I don't understand the current universities and college students, and I don't know whether this phenomenon is really a normal and beneficial phenomenon.I have given presentations at many universities, and judging from the on-site responses, I have not clearly felt this phenomenon.Moreover, what makes me feel conflicted is, should universities and college students care about politics and reality?Is it okay to not care about reality?Can it be done?Will it work?Is this really normal?Is it really beneficial?Where is normal?Where is it beneficial?

Four More than twenty years have passed in a flash.Putting things right, reform and opening up, the planned economy has gradually transformed into a market economy, and the private economy has become more and more equal to the state-owned economy. Earth-shaking changes have taken place in this ancient land of China, and an economic miracle that has attracted worldwide attention has been achieved. While the market is booming and the economy is developing, due to the imperfection of the system and the legal system, there have also been a series of shocking corruption phenomena, ugly phenomena, and ideological and moral declines that endanger the interests of the country and the people. The issue of state-owned assets for the interests of citizens, the issue of unfair distribution, the issue of the gap between the rich and the poor, the issue of laid-off workers, the issue of employment, the issue of agriculture, rural areas, etc., are all social issues closely related to politics.However, in the face of the complicated social reality and political status quo, the intellectual circles of academia only talk about economics and not politics with one voice.Or only care about economics and rarely care about politics.So much so that the indifference of politics by universities and college students is regarded as a beneficial phenomenon, a normal phenomenon.The same is true in the literary world. Facing the great changes in society, literature is getting farther and farther away from politics and reality.Even works with realistic themes only care about the economy and topics closely related to the economy, but rarely care about politics, and even show a kind of open alienation and indifference to politics.

Fives Therefore, when literature develops to today, facing today's social and political reality, people's understanding of literature is completely different from the past, especially those who start reading from family to school, from school to family, from the age of seven or eight. Those academic, cultural, and intellectual scholars and university teachers who are still studying at the age of 30 who have been studying for a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate, and then go abroad to study, have a completely different concept of literature from the past.They already have a whole new set of political ideas, social ideas, and literary ideas.Including the new generation of writers and theorists born out of them, they are indeed well-learned and full of knowledge, especially those who are extremely familiar with Western theories and concepts.However, they became more and more alienated and indifferent to what happened on the land under their feet.Apart from using Western concepts or knowledge from books to mechanically apply today's reality, they are not really familiar with the working people living at the bottom of society, and they are not really familiar with today's political operations that are undergoing great changes. learn.What the common people are thinking, what is happening among the common people, what social and political changes are taking place, and what changes are taking place between people, they don't really know, they even know the current political structure and political model very little.In fact, this kind of situation does not only happen to the new generation of writers, even among the older and middle-aged writers, there are similar situations.

If you don't understand politics and society, you will naturally be unable to describe politics and society.The result of the vicious circle can only be farther and farther away from politics and reality.What is frightening is that there are always some people who repeatedly point out that this phenomenon is the progress of society, and the marginalization of literature brought about by it is also regarded as a historical necessity.Therefore, literature's indifference to politics and reality, as well as the indifference of politics and reality in universities and college students, have become normal and beneficial phenomena.

six What is politics?Can man, as the sum of social relations, be divorced from politics?Can literature as human studies stay away from politics?These topics have been discussed in academia, intellectual circles, and literary circles until today, and it seems that there is still no conclusion. As far as literature is concerned, can there really be no politics?And when it comes to realistic literature in China today, can it really be separated from politics? As a novelist, is it possible to write a work of paradise without any social and political background?Even if it can be written, is this imaginary paradise itself still a political idea?Life and death, love and hate, the four eternal themes, which one can be separated from the social and political background?Someone wrote the love that happened during the Cultural Revolution so lingering, warm and spotless. Is it possible?Is it real?Also, is there politics?Did Borges have politics?Does the Nobel Prize in Literature have politics?

Of course, being inseparable from politics and paying attention to politics are fundamentally two different things, and paying attention to politics and describing politics are also fundamentally two different things.It must be a fallacy to ask all writers to pay attention to politics and reality.But all writers stay away from politics and reality, and that is also doomed to be a misfortune for literature. seven Paying attention to politics and reality is to pay attention to the broadest social public interests.Therefore, paying attention to politics and reality requires that contemporary literary creation should have reader awareness and market awareness.From a planned economy to a market economy, twenty years of reform and opening up have made contemporary writers, especially those who have lived from the era of planned economy, at a loss for a long time.Facing the rapidly changing market, writers used to have various beliefs and adherences, as well as various viewpoints and positions.It is self-evident that the marketization and secularization of literature have a negative impact on literature, but rejecting the market and escaping from the market are also disasters for literature.

Once upon a time, the collective persistence and struggle of writers created a huge gap in the literature market. In this huge gap, fish and dragons were mixed, and turbidity was rolling.When those who do not belong to the real writers but pour into this market in the name of writers, the so-called literature produced in this huge market gap, and the rotten and poisonous gas produced by those so-called literature makes the real The writers were stunned and weeping.Faced with such a situation, real writers should be soberly aware that rejecting the marketization of literature is by no means, and by no means, equal to rejecting literature from the market.When literature loses its market, it means losing its readers, losing its ground, and in the end, it means losing its real literature.

The market is the biggest politics.I agree with this view. Eight The reform has developed to a newer and deeper level.The structural adjustment brought about by the reform is actually a realignment of interests.Reform is passing the mark! In such an era of reform, literature should not be absent, nor can it be absent! Facing those real reformers and pioneers, facing those people with lofty ideals who are desperate for the interests of the country and the nation, we must have our unhesitating support and solidarity; Our undisguised anger and courage; in the face of social injustice and injustice, we must have our clear-cut appeal and cry!Literature lacks attention to politics and reality. In a sense, it means that literature has lost its sense of justice and right and wrong. Our contemporary literary creation should have a group of authors who pay attention to politics and reality, or Our writers should use part of their energy to pay attention to politics and reality, to show the strength of personality in the real society, and to show the proper critical spirit. This is not only the responsibility of literature, but also a response to the crisis in social development. warning.When intellectuals no longer fight for the truth, they lose the value of existence; when intellectuals hide in silence and no longer engage in cultural and ideological criticism and exploration, it is difficult for the spirit of democracy to exist.In the same way, in today's society where great social changes are taking place, the silence and absence of writers will inevitably seriously damage the image of contemporary literature and contemporary writers in the minds of the public, and will inevitably have a huge negative effect on the development and prosperity of literature. influences.

Writers are witnesses of the times, and should also be supporters and promoters of the progress of the times. Nine What I have said before, I want to say again now.As a member of the group of people who are connected with each other due to common material conditions in the real society, giving up attention to social reality is tantamount to giving up attention to the interests of the people and their own interests.Modern politics is the product of freedom and democracy. Freedom of thought and political democracy are an inseparable whole. Indifference to politics is also indifference to freedom of thought and scientific democracy.

ten In the earth-shaking and ever-changing tide of reform, can you really put a peaceful desk in your heart?Can young students really be so pragmatic and sophisticated?Is it really possible to keep your ears shut?When you were in your junior year, you may have already faced the pressure of employment and the confusion of job hunting. How can you not care about politics or reality? eleven Whether it is a realistic novel, a political novel, or a realistic novel that focuses on politics, it is still a novel after all. is a real novel. twelve It is the work I have been writing for the longest time.I love it, and I hope readers will.