Chapter 71 Letters to Today's Teens

Dear Contemporary Teenagers: Comrades from the Second Editorial Office of Contemporary Literature of People's Literature Publishing House, I want to write you a letter.I always feel that it is not easy to speak to you teenagers in the 1980s as my "peer of the century".First of all, your knowledge is wider than mine, and your ideals are bigger than mine.All I can say is inspired by the letters I receive from children every day.These letters came from all over the country to the west: Some read my articles in textbooks, and some saw my works in newspapers. They regarded me as a close friend and poured out everything in their hearts to me.

Your love and trust in me make me feel happy from the bottom of my heart!But because of the relationship between time and energy, I can't reply one by one.I have donated these precious letters to the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature in Beijing, which was jointly established by Grandpa Ba Jin and the Chinese Writers Association, please keep them forever. I just want to answer one of the most common questions you get in your letters, which is: "I want to be a writer when I grow up, but what's the 'secret'?" Writers are forced to write. He or she must be full of irrepressible opinions and emotions about the things he or she comes into contact with in life. When he has to vent, he or she picks up the pen and uses the language he or she is familiar with to express his or her true feelings until the written result Only when your writing can gain the general sympathy and sympathy of readers, will people recognize you as a writer.

I remember Grandpa Ba Jin once said: "A good work leads my thoughts to a higher realm; the charm of art lifts my spirits;...until death, people need light and heat." I think that a piece of work can lead people's thoughts to a higher level because the author has the light and heat of "love". He must love the motherland and the people. The things that instill self-esteem and a sense of justice... As for the "artistic charm" that can "lift the spirits" of readers, it is to make your true feelings vivid and vivid, which requires you to read more books.Thank you for our long cultural history in China.For thousands of years, our writers have written from "Nine Songs" to Han Fu, Tang Poetry, Song Ci, and Yuan Qu; novels in Ming and Qing Dynasties such as,,,, and modern literary works are even more vast, and these can be used as references. learn from.You may have seen more than me, so I don't need to list them.

In addition, in addition to "reading thousands of books", it is best to "travel thousands of miles". In our country of 9.6 million square kilometers, how many famous mountains and rivers are available for admiration and appreciation? There is nothing to write about.It would be even better if you have read one or two foreign literatures and traveled to several overseas places.When I was a teenager, there were no radios and televisions, but you in the 1980s can use these "modern conveniences" to expand your knowledge.I envy you, because you are full of energy and thirst for knowledge, and you are born in an era where the door of knowledge is open to you everywhere.Make full use of it, this is my childlike "century peer" blessing to you!Your warm and loyal friend Bing Xin on the sunny morning of February 18, 1986