从平静走向辉煌
——在全国青年文学创作会上的发言
Calmness Helps Build Glory
--A Speech at the National Youth Conference of Literary Creation
我生活在黔北高原一个小县城 ,远离喧嚣的城市 ,也没有象征文明开放的钢铁运龙隆隆驰过 ,静极了 ,也偏僻极了。今年是我而立之年 ,在此之前 ,我似乎猥琐极了 ,还不出户地生活在那块狭窄的土地上 ,
I live in a small town in north Guizhou plateau, away from the bustle of the city, and the railage, a symbol of civilization and openness, do not be operated. It is extremely quiet and remote. I have just turned 30 this year. Prior to this, I seem to be very vulgar and live in that small town all the time.
作为一个青年作者 ,我也憧憬去北京、上海甚至全国各地遍游。按时下人们的话来说:开阔视野 ,加强当代意识。
As a young writer, I am also looking forward to traveling to Beijing, Shanghai and even all over the country. As people say, we should broaden our horizon and raise our contemporary consciousness.
但是 ,冥冥中却总仿佛有一种东西牵扯着 ,使人挪不动脚步。我们那里的文友说我 “山里人”。这很好 !守财奴有他的金子 ,诸侯有他的王国 ,我也有我的根基、我的土壤。 However, as if something is involved that makes me unable to leave. My literary friends in my hometown said I was a "mountain man". That's good. Just as the miser keeps his gold; the vassal protects his kingdom; I could also not bear to leave my hometown.
只要不是精神主体上的闭目塞听和故步自封 ,我自信自己沿着时代的节拍在前进。从前“秀才不出门知天下”,何况现代大众传播媒介高度发达的今天。
But I am confident that I am advancing along the rhythm of the times on condition that I am not closed-minded and complacent. In ancient times, a scholar can know what was going on in the world through reading many books, not to mention the highly developed modern mass media on nowadays.
当然,我喜欢电视新闻 ,喜欢文摘知识 ,喜欢打电话。实在孤独难受 ,我就坐两天车到省城和人聊天。几年来 ,我经营出了五十余万字 ,其中二十五万字还出书成集了。
Certainly, I like watching TV news, reading digest books and giving a call. Being lonely, I will take a two-day bus to the provincial capital talking a lot with friends. Over the past few years, I have written more than half a million words, of which two hundred and fifty thousand have been published.
当代意识其实是一种心理势态 ,很难说清的 ,不是和历史意识截然割裂,更不是互相排斥。昨天是今天的前奏 ,明天又是今天的延续。
In fact, contemporary consciousness is actually a kind of psychological situation, which is difficult to explain. It is not totally separated from historical consciousness, and nor is it less mutually exclusive. Yesterday is the prelude to today, and tomorrow is the continuation.
拿今天发生在中国大地的改革来说 ,它也不是从天而降的 ,也不是某个人某个集团意志的产物 ,而是历史的产物 ,社会的产物 ,具有一种不可逆转的必然性,有过去 ,也有将来。Take the reform that is taking place in China today as an example, it is decided by the history and society, not by a certain person’s or group’s will, even not by God. The reform is caused by the past and will develop right along in the future, with irreversible inevitability.
作为文学创作 ,可以写它的爆发 ,但也可以写它的积聚和酝酿。从这个点出发 ,我更愿意把目光转向过去 ,伸入人们内心世界,探索变革的历史原因 ,
In the course of literary creation, we can write about its outburst or its accumulation and brewing. From this point of view, I would prefer to write about its past, to reach the inner heart of people, exploring its historical reasons.
以及变革对人们情绪和心理状态的渗透 ,表现眼前这一场社会运动的呼应和一脉相承。. As well as discovering how it influence people's emotional and their attitude, to show the echo and continuity of the reform.
粉碎 “四人帮”十年来 ,文学从一种长期压抑的状态中陡然解放 ,经历了愤怒、反思的时期 ,着眼于社会的拯救 ,现在沉静了。
Since the crushing of the Gang of Four for ten years (an ambitious political Clique is made up of four people who tried to seize political power), literature has been liberated abruptly under a state of long-term repression, experienced a period of anger and reflection and then focused on the salvation of society.
不是沉闷 ,是沉 静,带着一些迷茫 ,青年文学的创作 ,在愤怒、反思时期 ,表现得不是那么强烈。振聋发聩之作 ,常出自于饱尝了苦难过来的中年作家。
Now it becomes calm with a little confusion, which is not taciturn. The performance of youth literary creation is not so outstanding in the course of the period of anger and reflection. The excellent literature usually wrote by middle-aged writers who have suffered a lot.
现在 ,宽松和谐的社会氛围已经形成 ,愤怒、反思的潮头已经过去 ,文学在开始寻找自己真正的面目 ,尤其青年作家躁动的生命 ,更是不甘寂寞 ,急切寻求自己眼前的位置 ,寻求自己通向将来的道路。
Now with the tide of anger and reflection passed, it has formed a relaxed and harmonious social atmosphere. People are beginning to find the true nature of literature. Especially young writers who are unwilling lonely, are eager to seek their writing position and their own path to the future.
有些没有找到 ,迷茫和苦恼着。有些找到了 ,而一瞬间又发生了位移。很多东西来不及沉淀 ,刚刚咀嚼一点兴味 ,发现一丝意境 ,一缕情绪 ,就把它们表现出来。内容缺乏厚重,就在形式上翻花样 ,甚至文章可以不要标点 ,可以不分段落。
Someone felt confused and distressed when they did not find it. Someone found it, but it changed in a flash. Many literary works are expressed with a little concept without thought deeply. The article is lac of deep point, just changing the pattern of the form, even no punctuation and regardless of paragraph.
青年文学创作有一股标新立异之风在猛烈地吹动。从文学发展的多样式上 ,从审美级别的升华上 ,这是无可厚非的。
A new and innovative writing style is beginning to flourish in the youth literary creation, which can make literature develop in various ways and improve the aesthetic level of the article.
但是客观上 ,青年文学创作仍旧处于一种难堪的局面 ,作品和生活闹着别扭 ,彼此间表现出一种明显的不适应。这一点 ,出版业的大萧条和刊物订数的急剧下跌可以证明。
But objectively speaking, this writing style is not adapted to readers' real life, so that the youth literary creation is still in an awkward situation. It can be evidenced by the depressive publishing industry and the sharp decline in subscriptions.
时代的车轮已经到了一个转弯的地方 ,既沉重又缓慢 ,过去的东西必然地不见了,面目全新的东西出现了。生活如此 ,文学如此 ,青年创作尤其如此。
The wheel of the times has reached a turning place, heavy and slow. The past things will inevitably disappear, and new things appear. It is not only in the case of life and literature, especially in youth literary creation.
可是 ,由于思想的长期禁锢 ,文化的长期专制 ,很多读者习惯用一种方法思维 ,用一把尺度判断 ,审美被逼向一个非常狭窄的角落。
However, due to the long-term ideological shackles and cultural tyranny, quite a few readers had been used to thinking in a way, judging by one standard and their taste were almost gone, which shaped gap between the reader and the author.
这种作者和读者的差距 ,不是纵向上的 ,而是横向上的 ,换言之 ,不是我们比读者要深刻多少 ,而是我们从截然不同的角度出发的结果。
It is not vertical but horizontal, in other words, is not because the article we write deeply that the reader cannot understand but the perspective that we wrote is different from what the reader appreciates.
随着时间的推移 ,作家们会自动调节生活与创作的距离 ,读者们会自动调节审美标准与文学作品的距离 ,创作者和欣赏者最终会因为不满足而握手言欢 ,从混乱走向有序,走向协调 ,青年文学创作的高峰也就来临了。
With the march of the time, writers will automatically adjust the distance between life and literary creation; readers will automatically adjust the distance between taste and literary works; creators and admirers eventually will shake hands for discontent, from different to harmony. The peak of youth literary creation will be imminent.
总之 ,眼前的平静本身就包孕着一种生机。这种生机表现在对规范、对模式、对旧有一切东西的冲击上 ,冲击的结果是调整。有回归 ,也有突破,但不是崩溃。
In a word, the calm formed currently contains a kind of vitality which is manifested in the impact on norms, on patterns, on everything that are old, and the consequences of the impact are adjusted. It breaks through the old style with lots of new ideas but not means abandoning all the old things.
那时候 ,新的生活自然地召唤我们着力去表现 ,而对那些曾经写过的东西 ,我们又要重新来写。有如苏联的卫国战争题材 ,经过历史的沉淀 ,旁观者清 ,新一代人写起来更有滋味。
At that time, the new life naturally summons us to focus on writing, and for those materials we wrote in the past have to be rewritten. For example, after the precipitation of the history, when the theme of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union is written by the new generation who wrote as an outsider would be more brilliant.
我们的知青题材 ,若干年以后 ,也会沉淀 ,会更清楚 ,写起来也注定要升一格。愤怒、反思时期的文学 ,注重社会的疗救 ,而未来的文学 ,尤其青年文学 ,则着眼于人本身。
The theme of educated youths (specially refers to the young people that have received a secondary education and then went to the countryside to work between 1968 and 1978) will also precipitate and be thought clearer after several years, and it is doomed to be boosted through writing. Literature in the period of anger and reflection is concentrated on the healing of society, while the future literature, especially the youth literary is focus on the people itself.
我们这一代年轻人 (三十五岁以下 ),几乎与共和国同年龄 ,血与火 ,疯与傻 ,痛苦与悲哀 ,喜悦与亢奋 ,没有亲自身受也亲自眼见 ,阅历不多 , 阅世却深 ,头脑清醒 ,思想成熟 ,能够很快地将笔触探向人的心态 ,描写人的本质。美也罢 ,丑也罢 ,善也罢 ,恶也罢 ,都能充分发挥文学特有的功能。
Our generation of young people, under 35-year-old, is almost the same age as People’s Republic of China. Even if they did not personally experience blood and fire, crazy and silly, suffering and sorrow, joy and excitement, but personally see. They do not have much social experience but see the world deeply. Besides, their cool head and developed concept can help them quickly explore the stroke of the human mentally and describe the nature of the human. Beauty, ugliness, kindness or evil all ,can give full play to the unique function of literature.
新时期青年文学 ,当然首先是青年创作但绝不仅仅是写青年 ,也更不仅仅是写给青年看的。人类很多共通的物质 ,无论老、中、青、少决不厚此薄彼 ,不过有藏有露而已 ,更何况年龄也有出生年龄、心理年龄、健康年龄等的区别。
Youth literature in the New Age, certainly, is the youth creation primarily, but is not just writing about young people, and even not only writing for young people. There are a lot of commons among senility, adult, young and child, only some of them are hidden, some obvious. Just as the age it can be divided into different groups. Such as the birth age, the psychological age, the healthy age.
有人年轻 ,却显得老气 ,有人胡茬满腮 ,却不乏童心 ,敏锐而且朝气蓬勃。一个成功的形象 ,主要是依据人物的特质来塑造。展露了特质 ,人皆感慨。老一辈与年轻一代的差距会缩小 ,会沟通 ,会归顺。好的文学作品 ,常常能够跨越时间的限制 ,根源往往在此。
Some people are young but look old; some people full of stubble but maintain the childlike innocence, keen and vibrant. A successful character is mainly shaped by the characters' quality. Revealed the characteristics, people would have resonance. The gap between the older generation and the younger will be shortened. What’s more they will communicate and will stay in peace. That’s why a good literary work is always able to span the limits of time.
当前 ,我国正在进行四个现代化的建设和精神文明的建设。一是物质基础 ,一是意识形态。社会的现代化 ,其实主要是人的现代化。
Currently, China is carrying out the Four modernizations drive (including industrial modernization, agricultural modernization, modernization of national defense and the modernization of science and technology) and promoting cultural and ideological progress (including ideological and moral progress and education, scientific and cultural progress). The previous one is material basis; the latter is ideology.The fact of the modernization of society is the realization of modernization of people.
就如未来学家们曾经说过的那样 :无论哪个国家 ,只要它的人民从心理、态度和行为 (现代人格、现代品质 )上,都能与现代形式的经济发展同步前进 ,相互配合 ,这个国家的现代化才真正能够得以实现。
As futurists once said, no matter which country, as long as its people can keep adapting to the modern form of economic development and cooperate with each other from psychological, attitude and behavior (modern personality, modern quality), the modernization of the country can be really achieved.
文学的对象是人 ,虽然作家自己往往也是一个平常人 ,但现代人与传统人的根本区别不是在各自的规范上 ,而是在各自的心理势态上 ,即是否乐意接受新文化、新观念、新的方法论上。
The object of literature is people, though the writer himself is an ordinary person. But the fundamental difference between traditional and modern people is not in their own norms but in their respective psychological situation which means whether they are willing to accept the new cultures, the new concepts, and the new methodology or not.
当代青年思想活跃 ,勇于创新 ,是四化建设和精神文明建设的生力军 ,这已经为社会实践所证明了。
The contemporary youth, who active in thinking and innovation, is the main force in the Four modernizations drive and promoting cultural and ideological progress, which has been evidenced by social practice.
当代青年作家素质好 ,框子少,精力旺 ,青年文学 ,尤其是写青年的青年文学 ,在对现代青年人格和品质的影响上 ,有着不可低估的作用。
The contemporary young writers have good quality, less restraint, and full of energy. The youth literature, especially those who write about young people, makes an inestimable effect on the influence of personality and quality of modern youth.
或许 ,文学本身就是极平凡的 ,不过使人愉悦 ,发泄瞬间 ,如打一杆子康乐球而已。但是 ,当我看见我妻子的一个员工 ,扔了书本走村串寨算八字去 ;当我见到我一个邻居 ——一个美丽的姑娘 ,一个国家工商行政干部 ,去赶香会吃斋 ,我就忍不住想端起文学的架子 ,想以此来陶人、启迪人、振奋人。
Perhaps, literature, extremely ordinary actually, pleases people and makes people relax, as people play a pole of billiard. But when I knew a student of my wife, gave up studying went to the village to calculate people's character; when I saw one of my neighbors, a beautiful girl and a national administration for industry and commerce cadre, went to incense fair and ate vegetarian dish. I cannot help to use literature to nourish, enlighten and encourage them.
菩萨、神灵 ,照理应当是使人的生活美好而充实 ,年轻的八字先生最后还是因迷茫无聊而回到了学堂,只是白白耽误了两年青春。美丽的姑娘最后灵魂超越了肉体 ,嫁给了一个比她大十多岁的八字先生。
Bodhisattva and gods should make people live in happiness and fulness, but the young fortune-teller, who wasted two years, came back to school at last with confusion and boredom; the beautiful girl, her mind transcended the natural human, married a fortune-teller who was older than her over ten years old.
社会的责任 ?可是社会是一个外延宽泛的名词。青年文学应当努力逼近当代青年的生活 ,挤进当代青年的生活 ,理直气壮地在当代青年的生活中占一席重要的地位。
Is it because social responsibility? But social is a denotative and wider noun. Youth literature should approach contemporary young people's life, squash into and occupy an important place confidently.
“四化”和精神文明是人的美好愿望的集结 ,不是抽象的乌托邦似的假想 ,是既现实又顺应历史潮流的。我们没有理由自谦和自卑。
"Four modernizations" and spiritual civilization which is not like the imagination of abstract Utopia, gather people's best wishes. They are realistic and conform to the historical trend. We have no reason to be self-deprecating and inferior.
尽管恒星太阳未来会消失 ,尽管下个世纪恐怖分子可能掌握原子弹 ,但重要的是生命本能地强烈渴求生存。
Although sun and stars will disappear in the future; terrorists may master the atom bomb in the next century, what is important is life instinctively desire to survive consumingly.
生命尽管也可恶 ,也惰性 ,而生活不止这就够了 ,这样 ,文学就应当显得有力量 ,使人类美好地生活下去。
Human life is abominable and inertia, while life is richer than it. So that literature would be showed to have more powerful, making a good life for human
生活的本身是丰富多彩的。文学作为一种艺术创造活动 ,虽然不可能囊括生活 ,但应该朝着与生活同步和对应这个方向去努力。
Life itself is abundant and colorful. Literature as an activity about the creation of art, though cannot include life, should be contrived to keep pace with life and along this direction.
我意识到自己所具有的那一份生活 ,地域色彩较为浓重 ,自然形成一种褊狭。在这种情形下面 ,要使自己的笔头不至于枯竭 ,作品的样式应尽量地开发得多一些 ,以增加对生活的覆盖面。
I realize that my life has formed a strong sense of geographical features which naturally make my life narrowness. In this case, in order to keep your writing from inexhaustible, your works should be written in different style as many as possible to extend the coverage of life.
当前 ,我们贵州青年创作也在平静之中 ,但平静之中也见忙碌。我们曾经羡慕山西突起的晋军 ,也羡慕湖南实力雄厚的湘军 ,但我们从来不悲观。
At present, our Guizhou young people’s creation is in calm but with busy in it. Once upon a time, we envied the rising Jin army (Jin, the abbreviation of Shanxi Province) from Shanxi province, and also envied the powerful Xiang army (Xiang, the abbreviation of Hunan Province) from Hunan province, but we were never pessimistic.
契诃夫说过 :大狗叫 ,小狗也要叫。我们不敢说走向全国 ,那太豪迈 ,也太轻易了。可是 ,随着新时期文学潮头的掀动 ,我们会带着我们所有的面貌 ,形成一种挤势 ,并且加强这种挤势 ,坚定地挤向全国。
Chekhov ever said, the big barking, puppy also barking. We cannot say walking towards nation for it’s too bold and easy. However, with the incitement of literary trend in the new era, we will form a force with our all aspects, and strengthen this force to squeeze into the whole nation unhesitatingly.
我们躁动 ,我们不安 ,我们也会衰老 ,但我们会胜利。就像经济振兴高潮必然会到来一样 ,一个辉煌的文学时代亦必然到来。
We are restless and we will be old, but we will win. It is doomed to reach the climax of economic recovery, the same as the glorious literature.
未来广阔激荡的世界是我们的 !
The expanse and surging world of the future is ours!
坚守在自己的小路上
——《民族文学》2008年第12期卷首语
Keeping Your Own Way
---National literature Foreword of Issue No.12, 2008
我上山下乡到山里当知青。如果要到五十多公里远的县城,我必须高一脚低一脚,先走上几公里的山路到镇上,才能赶那一天一趟从县城开出来的班车。
Once upon a time, I went to go to the mountains and rural areas to be an educated youth (specially refers to the young people that have received a secondary education and then went to the countryside to work between 1968 and 1978). If I wanted to go to the county that more than 50 kilometers away, I had to take several kilometers rough mountain road to the town first, and then took a bus started from the county. It was the only bus from the town the county every day.
许多年过去,我如今能够记起的,却是那一段磕磕碰碰的山路。用几根杉木搭在壕沟上的小桥,光滑玉滑的石级,村口一棵遮天蔽日的核桃树,山洼里一塘绿阴阴的水,风呼呼地吹着的山垭,一墩一墩大如房屋的石头摆开阵势占了一面坡,一眼能够用手撮着虾子的井,一个姓罗的骟匠门前时常卧着一只使人发的缩头狗……恍如昨日新鲜。
After many years, the only thing I can remember now is that rough mountain road. A bridge was built on the moat with several fir logs; stone steps are smooth like the jade; a walnut tree blot out the sky at the entrance of the village; a pond of green and shady water lays in the valley; the wind is whistling in the hills; a piece of rock big like houses occupy a slop; shrimps can be caught by hands directly from a well, and a creepy puss-head dog was often laying down in front of the door of castrating Luo. The whole thing as if it happened yesterday.
而从镇上到县城那五十多公里的车路,我却没有多少印象。其实,那一路风景也一样精彩。只是坐在车上,我们身不由己,先无奈,继而无聊,终于打起瞌睡来。
However, I have little impression of the road that I passed by bus. Actually, the scenery along that road is also wonderful. Just because we had to visit from the bus, could not experience personally, feeling helpless and then bored, dozing at last.
我后来才知道,人的精神包含着一种对事物的参与和融合,这种过程无论痛苦与欢乐,都会有一种沉淀,影响一个人生命的分量。很多时候,我们的精神被诸如汽车这样的文明打包,不可能有自信,也不可能有尊严,甚至连一个旁观者都算不上。我不知道这是不是一种精神的堕落,但绝对是愚昧和无知的开始。
Later, I learned that the human spirit contains a kind of participation and integration of things. This process, regardless of pain and joy, will have a precipitation that affects one’s life. Many times, we are encircled by the fast-food culture that we pay close attention to the speed, neglecting the scenery along the way. It’s impossible to have self-confidence, dignity, or even as a by stander. I don’t know if it’s a spiritual degradation, but it’s the beginning of ignorance and nescience definitely.
这一期的《民族文学》集中了一批较少数民族作家的作品。编者要我写几句话,我不自觉地就想到了这段曾经走过的山路。
A group of ethnic minority writers’ works have been issued in this period National Literature. Therefore, when the editor asked me to write the foreword, I could not help recalling the memory about the mountain road that I had traveled.
其实仔细想来,中国少数民族文学,甚至整个少数民族文化,也就有如这些穿越山野的小径,独具魅力,自由自在。尽管没有通天大道那样的气派与坦荡,却具有一样的尊严。
Actually, consider carefully, you will find that Chinese minority literature or even the minority literature from all over the world, is just like those mountain roads, attractive and free as the air. Although it has no such style and magnanimity as borne avenue, it has the same dignity.
而少数民族作家的作品,也许比这种情形更有意思,犹如荒山野岭的茅草路,唯其寂寞与冷僻,无限风光只有走这小径的人才能体 会。诚然 ,这小路走起来很艰难 ,但对于走在路上的民族作家们来说 ,这未必不是一种命运。
While the works of minority writers would be more interesting. As the road with weeds in the wildness mountains, its loneliness and splendid scenery only can be appreciated by the people who walked the path. Admittedly, it is a rough road. But it is not necessarily fate for those ethic writers who are walking the path.
小路是我们的历史 ,也是我们的未来。它承载的不仅是我们的情感 ,其实也包含了我们的理想。实在地说 ,整个中华民族文化的存在是离不开这些小路的。而路的存在 ,其实也是人的存在。从这个意义上讲 ,中国少数民族作家坚守的是一条自己的小路 ,肩负的是一种神圣的使命。
The path is our history and our future, carrying our emotion and dreams. Honestly speaking, these paths are the foundation to the Chinese national culture. The existence of these paths is the existence of human. In this sense, what Chinese minority ethic writers persevere is their own way, what they undertake is a holy mission.
文明是一条打包带 ,或者一个模具。技术总不断提升 ,力量总不断加强。很多文化单元已经失去了它们的差异性和独特性 ,它们被打包压缩 ,甚至被邮向一个没有地址的目的地 ,辗转在无休无止的虚无中。而中国少数民族作家也正经历这种撕扯和压榨。但愿我们能够扛过去 ,能够始终走在自己的小路上。
Civilization is like a packing belt or a mould. While the technology is improving constantly, the power is strengthening constantly. Many cultures have lost their difference and uniqueness for they are packaged, compressed like goods, and even mailed to an address-free destination, floundering in an endless land of nothingness. Chinese minority ethnic writers are also experiencing this kind of tearing and squeezing. I hope we can persevere and keep our own way to the end.
可以断言 ,什么时候这些山间小径消失了 ,一个高度模式化的社会也就到来了 ,而这也意味着 ,这个社会可以用机器生产人这个世界上最高级的动物了。
It can be asserted that the time when these mountain roads disappear is the time a highly patterned organization society arrives, which means that the society can produce human beings the most advanced animals in the world by using machines.
