Chapter 137 About "Life"

Correspondence with Yan Gang Comrade Yan Gang: When I received your letter of August 17, I was moving, and there was chaos inside and out.After reading your letter, I am very excited, which is mainly caused by your keen understanding of the world. It has been a year since the writing of this work, and your letter has reawakened the heavy thought process, emotional process and work process I have experienced before and after this work in the past few years; The deep memories of "old acquaintances"——When I sent him (her) to the readers, I just felt like Liu Liben married Qiaozhen. I just felt that a heavy heart was finally settled, and I took a long breath, and then it faded: Let people see and talk about the water splashed by a married woman.Now you have brought these characters under my eyes again, and my heart can't help but tremble for them again.

Yes, avoiding the simplicity of the characters and the shallowness of the theme is exactly what I have tried to pursue in this novel, and it is difficult for me to express the full meaning of this work.At that time, I just tried to truly and essentially reflect the part of the life content involved in the work.Of course, I realized that in order to fully express some important trends in the development of contemporary society in works, we should try our best to grasp life from all aspects of the whole, and through the shaping of characters (typicals), we should express the most important social trends of our time. The contradictions of reality, morality and psychology are interwoven into an artistic unity, which combines concreteness and regularity, enduring humanity and specific historical conditions, individuality and universal sociality—that is to say, it should be directed towards depth and Pursuit of breadth.

Obviously, it has not reached the depth and breadth it should have.My ability is not enough, I told you, I have been suffering for three years because of this small and medium thing - the misery is unspeakable!Frustration and disappointment throughout.Faced with a large number of complex and multiple intertwined relationships, they are helpless.At the same time, when the development clues of the theme are not deeply understood, it is also the time when the writer is overwhelmed with pain.As far as my experience is concerned, this process is mainly a process of fighting against my own superficiality and incompetence. The benefits depend on how cruel you can be to yourself.

Now let me talk to you about some random thoughts before writing this work. Our contemporary society is like a newly built three-dimensional intersection bridge in Beijing, with layers upon layers of complexity.But in the "intersection zone" between rural areas and cities (this word seems to be my "invention" - it was probably said at the meeting of writers in Xi'an area hosted by you and Comrade Hu Cai to discuss rural topics), it can be said to be a three-dimensional intersection Interchange bridge on the bridge.I have already said in another article that due to the development of modern productive forces and since the middle of the 1960s, a long-lasting crisis has occurred in the vast land of our country, touching every corner and every person. The great social turmoil caused by the city and the countryside, especially the mutual communication between the city and the countryside, is becoming more and more extensive, coupled with the improvement of the cultural level of the whole society, especially the popularization of primary education in the countryside and the large number of junior and senior high school graduates. Jumping in the queue and returning to the countryside to join the ranks of farmers, and the phenomenon of interpenetration between urban and rural areas in all aspects is very common.In this way, with the change and development of the city and the countryside itself, the impact of urban life on rural life, the impact of rural life on urban life, the pursuit of urbanization in rural life; the conflict between modern and ancient ways of life, civilization and backwardness , the conflict between modern ideology and traditional moral concepts, etc., constitute some extremely important aspects of contemporary life.All these contradictions are manifested in the political, economic, cultural, ideological, spiritual and moral aspects of our society, and they are so prominent and complicated.

In fact, such a "intersection zone" exists in countries all over the world, and it did not start from modern times.Starting from classical works, many great writers have already seen the prominent social significance of the conflicts in this area.It is in this zone that many tragedies of life are played out.Life in this region has been reflected in many canonical and modern works; its enduring appeal to writers is a testament to how rich this field of life is, and how great its social significance is.Of course, in contemporary Chinese society, the content and nature of the contradictions and conflicts in this field of life all have new features.

You know, I'm the son of a farmer by blood, I grew up in the countryside, and then I came out from there, first to the small cities, and then to the big cities to take part in the work.It can be said that I am basically familiar with the countryside, and I am trying to get familiar with the city.In contrast, what I am most familiar with is the "intersection zone" between the countryside and the city, because I have lived in this world for a long time, and now I often "go back and forth" between it.I once said that I am more familiar with people who have both "rural" and "urban" flavors, as well as urban and rural people who are related to such people in some ways.This is determined by my own life experience and reality.I am one of those people myself.Therefore, it is very natural for me to choose such a subject.The question is how to behave, and this is where I have briefly spoken of my troubles.

At present, the world of literary creation in our country is undoubtedly much wider, and serious writers are striving to pursue it.But as you pointed out, the situation is somewhat "turbulent", and the most common "epidemics" are two kinds: making fashionable goods or shocking "bombs", not strictly starting from life, with "new" stimuli For the purpose; the other is to close your eyes and not face the reality of life and art. Anyway, the past is the magic weapon of eternal glory, and the new ones are rebellious and should be defeated. The old rooster crows, and there is always one sound!And the worst thing is not only here, the worst thing is when the above two things accuse each other, scold each other and fight in a melee.It seems to force all writers to choose between them, or else, you risk becoming a "forgotten corner."

Real literature, realist literature has nothing to do with either of these phenomena.However, in China, it is not easy to eliminate the interference of these phenomena in the soul and work of writers.To pursue one's own path in such "cracks" calmly requires a strong spiritual strength and a pious attitude towards the cause.In China, there are two senior writers who had a great impact on me in terms of creation and cooperation. One is the late Comrade Liu Qing, and the other is the living Comrade Qin Zhaoyang. Understand and have a respectable seriousness.They all taught me directly.It's just that I often show frizzy problems from time to time, which often makes me sad.As far as I am concerned, on the one hand, my writing is to exercise my ability and endurance to walk my own path in the "cracks"; immature homework.

In the final analysis, if a writer cannot deeply understand life, he will not express life deeply.It is not enough for a writer to have lives; he must have a deep understanding of these lives.Only in this way can it be possible to flexibly expand and contract among a large number of multiple, intertwined and complex character relationships; can it be possible to have a deep knowledge and understanding of the theme required by the work; Even if you have a certain understanding and understanding of life, you may still produce so-called works of naked news nature; such works and the characters in the works, even if they reflect the current politics and policies in the most timely manner, can only It can be like what Marx said when he blamed Lassalle's tragedy: "Schiller's transformation of the individual into a mere megaphone of the spirit of the times."

Unknowingly, I have written a lot. As for, I really don’t want to say anything more. From the letters that readers wrote to me, I strongly realize that the wisdom of contemporary readers and their level of understanding and appreciation of works have raised many questions for writers. To meet the high requirements, we must come up with more mature works in order to adapt to our times and the cause of the people.I don't have much confidence myself, but I always want to try.You have shown a passionate interest in my creations since we have known each other. I not only want you to encourage me, but also to criticize me - the latter aspect is more important than the former!

Xi'an is surprisingly cool this year, almost a "cold summer".Have you had a chance to visit your hometown recently? To respect! Lu Yao Comrade Lu Yao: Short message received, I'm happy for you. You brought good news, and your news aroused all kinds of thoughts in me.Few novels in recent times have been as gripping and inspiring as this.You are very young and have little experience in the world; I didn't expect you to have such a profound observation of today's complicated life.On the road of creation, you are also very young and inexperienced. Unexpectedly, you took a leap and left the award-winning novella "A Thrilling Scene" far behind.As an enterprising person in the literary world, your image is the image of young Shaanxi writers. Some comrades said that this is a romance novel, but in a strict sense, I think it is not, or not at all.Some comrades said that this is a novel that exposes the dark side of life. Judging from the author's high level of intention, I think it is not, or not entirely.Some comrades said that Gao Jialin, the protagonist of the work, is a newcomer to rural socialism; some comrades said that he is a typical individual struggler.Some comrades said that Gao Jialin forgets the old when he sees the new, and dislikes the old when he sees the new and good;According to my experience, the characters written by the writers are so complex that the critics will argue and disagree, which often proves that the characters are real and not artificial. What kind of character is Gao Jialin?He is a fledgling young man who is complicated enough to be quite real.Huang Yaping, his admirer and city girl, felt that this young man was like Paul Korchagin and Julien Sorel, a duality of self-consciousness and recklessness, hero and coward, strong and weak .The complexity and duality of personality is a vivid reflection and profound expression of the complexity and fluidity of life and society.From the speculation and observation of the overall structure, Gao Jialin is undoubtedly exploring the road of a socialist newcomer, and it can be seen that he puts this kind of search for a newcomer in life into a rather arduous test. Accidental chance dominates the destiny of life.The plot is full of ups and downs, the story has ups and downs, the road of life is rough and difficult, and Gao Jialin keeps turning somersaults.On the issue of job hunting, Gao Jialin went from being squeezed out to getting a job, and then being squeezed out again from the job. This is today's life, a short section of today's life that you cleverly intercepted.This passage is well chosen and has all the worldly wisdom.The trilogy of Gao Jialin's career led to the trilogy of his love relationship with Qiaozhen, the trilogy of his relationship with Yaping, and the trilogy of his relationship with his elders and villagers. In the face of a life problem, it elicits a profound description of a realistic relationship.This point is brilliant.Yes, the accidental opportunity of the trilogy makes it difficult for a promising young man to make a difference, and the gain and loss of honor and disgrace seem to be in the palm of his hand. But what about chance?Is there something like Jaai Occasionally?What is this thing?You, the author, have a feeling for this question, but don't express it clearly; I, the reader, feel the same, but it's hard to express it.You throw a young man with ambitions and problems into the quagmire of unhealthy winds, so that he can't extricate himself, which leads to a series of thought-provoking stories.You are very sensitive, you are keenly aware of new things, and you are trying to make yourself deeply understand these new things.Do you have a deep understanding?Have you mastered the fate of your characters?You don't pretend to be an educator, just let your protagonist express himself truthfully on the road of life-struggle and struggle, bump into a wall and bump into a wall, struggle and struggle, and finally, wake up and wake up, and finally, appreciate at the height of outlook on life The true meaning of life.However, you haven't finished writing, and you haven't written about awakening. Although the work has revealed the true feelings and deep meaning, it can be an independent article, but after all, it is not finished. You are giving the reader a difficult problem. The process of readers solving problems is the process of art appreciation.A brilliant writer always leaves room to inspire readers to devote themselves to it, hold them firmly, and create their own typical images together with the writer with their incomparably rich ingenuity. The description of love is very moving.What a lovely woman you have found! I mean Qiaozhen.Although she is rustic but not vulgar, she is reasonable without knowing the book, and she inserts herself without being self-deprecating.He loved Gao Jialin like an idiot, but he never begged for love. She never lost her dignity from beginning to end.She can die for him, but it must be based on the love of the other party.She hated Gao Jialin, but it was more resentment than anger. She was not like some rural girls who, after falling out of love, swallowed their anger and were willing to admit defeat in the face of fate;On the contrary, she felt the importance of cultural knowledge for ordinary peasant women from the broken love, and instead, she secretly helped Jialin as a married woman without any attempt to retaliate.Qiaozhen's cuteness is enough to sublimate the readers' spirit.Compared with Gao Jialin, this is a rich and uncomplicated soul.Compared with Cuicui in the movie "Nostalgia" and Xiuzhi in "The Wrangler", Qiaozhen is not inferior at all, and even more emotional. Qiaozhen and Jialin are both your discovery and your creation. In the final analysis, it is a work that explores the road of "life" for young people in the new period of building the four modernizations, at the intersection of rural areas and cities.At present, there are more and more novels discussing "life", most of which are good, but there are also novels that lead "life" to religion, "life" to nothingness, "life" to self, and "life" lead to the struggle for survival.Under such turbulent circumstances, and under the current situation that China's revolutionary realism is being "challenged" and impacted, how can the birth of the Communist Party of China not make people very happy? When some literary and art workers disregard the reality of life, disregarding the typical methods of art, and disregarding the special role of literature and art in the construction of spiritual civilization, they are flashy and gaudy, and they blatantly engage in pseudo-literature, "privacy literature", "sex literature" At the time, a young writer who was not noticed by people was bored for three years, started writing several times, gave up several times, and finally contributed this novel of 120,000 to 30,000 words in the first half of 1982 in obscurity. Elaborate work, such a serious and down-to-earth attitude, doesn't it make people happy? I've become a volunteer salesman, and lately I've been promoting it whenever I get the chance; promoting how good it is and how well adapted it is for TV and film adaptations; promoting realism as timeless; promoting realism as old and useless.Of course I don’t think that realism should not develop, expand, or absorb techniques and techniques including Western modernism, such as inner monologue, flow of consciousness, intuition and impression, symbol and absurdity, superimposition, time-space intersection, multi-perspective , polyphonic streets and more.Of course, I don't think that only realism can describe the appearance and psychology of the Chinese nation, reflect the revolution and construction of Chinese socialism, and only respect Confucianism.We've learned our lesson, we're not that narrow-minded. In all fairness, realism needs to be fleshed out and developed.Because the times have been enriched and developed.You insist on realism and revolutionary realism. You have worked tirelessly for many years and read many famous works by foreign writers. You pretend to feel that traditional realism is not enough, and you want to use something like "stream of consciousness" to I don't think it's bad, it's good.Artistic creation and artistic innovation based and premised on life and the people should be encouraged and resolutely not allowed to interfere. Revolutionary realism is like a stream of good, revolutionary realism is evergreen, and it is not yet the time for revolutionary realism to die.Realism should compete with modernism, using theory and creation. I am getting too far, please give me a hint: how do you write and understand so as not to digress? I just came back from a meeting in other places, so I am humbled by the delay.Wuhan is too hot, Zhuo County is cool, Baoding suffers from heatstroke, Beijing is hot and sometimes good, how about Xi'an? Shake your hand! Yan Gang