Chapter 15 Preface to Helan Mountain Literature Series

Friends in Shizuishan City published the "Helan Mountain Literature Series".Now, it is not easy for writers to compile and publish pure literature works.Zheng Zheng wrote in a letter saying, "As for the funding problem, we (the Federation of Literary and Art Circles) will try to solve the editorial management fee, and the printing fee will be solved by the writer himself." Looking through the bibliography he sent, there are novels, poems and essays. The first feeling is that it is rich in content. And the lineup is neat.Afterwards, the voices and smiles of the authors of the first nine volumes appeared in front of my eyes, each with a persistent pursuit.Really, I know all nine writers, and I have introduced Liu Yuehua to readers more than once.Several of my friends are not professional writers, and each has their own hardships. They must not only pay a lot of labor for their daily livelihood, but also devote their efforts to the hobbies of life.Today, in order to dedicate my hard work to the world, I still have to "find my own way". Just from this point of view, I am in awe.Therefore, it is indeed an honor for these friends to ask me to write the preface.

I think the preciousness of this series lies in the fact that every book in it is the crystallization of the author's persistent pursuit, rather than a report of "completed tasks".The system of professional writers in our country has always been regarded as a manifestation of the "superiority of socialism". In fact, this system, like many systems that we considered "superior" in the past, has played a very adverse role in China's progress.On the one hand, it separates those who most need to be closely connected with the people from the people in the form of division of labor and distribution;In this way, there is a danger of drying up the material of writers' life, and it may also cause writers to develop a kind of professional boredom in writing.

The writers of the "Helan Mountain Literature Series" all came from real life, and they are still trudging today.They don't care about being divorced from life or the masses. They live in the world as ordinary people, directly feel the ups and downs of ordinary people, and know the spiritual requirements of readers best.I think the latter point is important.In a market economy, the spiritual requirements of readers are actually the needs of the cultural market.Nowadays, some professional writers often complain that literature has lost its "sensational effect", that readers have lost interest in "serious literature", and that bookstores' subscriptions for literature books cannot reach the number of printed books; He created it for the next generation or several generations... They haven't realized that there is something wrong with Chinese literature itself in recent years.In the market, if the goods cannot be sold, is it the customer's responsibility?

The complaints issued by writers are actually the result of some writers being divorced from readers, from life, and from the needs of reality.Needless to say, in recent years, Chinese literature has lost the high-spirited momentum under the guidance of "practice is the only criterion for testing truth" in the late 1970s and early 1980s.Chinese writers have made great contributions to criticizing the ultra-left line and exposing the past era, thereby emancipating the mind and promoting reform and opening up.What a nostalgic era that was!The masses of the people regarded the writers as their political, emotional and ideal spokespersons, and almost every published work was passed on from family to family, resulting in the effect of expensive paper in Luoyang, even though some works were not yet artistically mature at that time.Today, the works of writers should be said to have greatly improved in art, but on the contrary, why is it difficult to sell books?

Shizuishan is a new industrial city, but there are many people interested in literary creation.I entered Ningxia's literary and art circles in 1980. It can be said that I saw with my own eyes how the writers included in the "Helan Mountain Literature Series" grew up in the new era.However, today, some people seem to want readers to forget the literature of the new era. For example, a newspaper published a bibliography recommending "one hundred good books" to young people across the country. In the literature category, there are only three works of literature in the new era: "Dream in a Wheelchair", "The Fall of Nanjing", "Red Ribbon on Earth".I also admit that these three books are "good books", but it is not surprising that novels that expose and criticize the ultra-left line and the so-called "Cultural Revolution" are not on the list, and it is precisely the greatest significance of literature in the new era. Yuz.At the same time, among the films designated as the "One Hundred Patriotic Films" widely publicized to primary and middle school students, except for "Zhou Enlai" and a few films that have a little trace of the "Cultural Revolution", most of the films do not reflect that China is still There is a 20-year painful history, as if the absurdity from "anti-rightist" to "Cultural Revolution" does not exist in China.However, in this severe situation where some people are trying their best to obliterate the achievements of literature and art since the new era, when it is difficult to publish and sell books, and when some professional writers have divorced from the market demand, in the new era, The literary friends in Shizuishan City, who grew up in the middle school, are still tirelessly and willingly creating works in loneliness, and "personally find a way" to collect and publish their hard work and dedicate them to readers. Apart from admiration, what emotion can I express? ?

China still has a long, long road to modernization, and the writers in Shizuishan City have a long, long road to make readers across the country recognize them.I'm watching, I'm waiting...