Volume One of "The Biography of Su Dongpo" talks about Su Dongpo's childhood and youth, introducing us to his outstanding talents and the formation of his great personality.
Su Dongpo grew up in a good family environment, and his parents were both literary, which influenced Su Dongpo and his younger brother Su Che. His father, Su Xun, had "unique talents, rigorous temperament, independent thinking, and eccentric personality." At the age of twenty-seven, he worked hard to study and became famous for his literary works. His literary fame was not overshadowed by his talented son's literary name. This is extremely unusual. However, he failed many imperial examinations. The author believes that his weakness most likely lies in his poetry. "The examination of poetry requires a certain degree of artistic elegance and a certain degree of sophistication and stability in wording, while Su Xun mainly focused on ideas." In the end, he lost his name and returned home. However, Su Xun did not completely give up on fame, so he taught his son pure and elegant literary style, and taught him how to study history books, govern politics, and even the prosperity and decline of a country. Fortunately, Su Xun always insisted on the simple style of his articles and tried to avoid the gorgeous and gorgeous habits that were popular at the time, which made Su Dongpo stand out in the exam.
Su Dongpo's outstanding talent is not only due to his family's education, but also his hard work. When he was eleven years old, he entered a secondary school and prepared seriously for the imperial examination. In order to prepare for the exam, students must read classics, epics, and ancient classics so well that they can recite them. Not only the content, but also wording, sources, and punctuation must not be ignored. It is really hard and laborious work. Su Dongpo copied the classics and official history word for word, and after thinking about it a little, it was definitely not comparable to just reading it many times. It is precisely because of his efforts that he was able to write the articles that have been passed down through the ages.
What is the coincidence in Su Dongpo’s article? "His emotions are ingenious and can be expressed truly and accurately. The charm and unique beauty emerge spontaneously, and are not external things attached to the text." His articles are concise, natural, light and elegant, "with these characteristics , then it will not be boring, and we will not be afraid of not having good articles to read. "Making readers happy is indeed a characteristic of Su Dongpo's works. He once wrote to a friend and said: "The greatest joy in my life is when I write and write. My pen can express all the complicated emotions in my heart. I say that the joy in life has never exceeded this." Just like the author. It is said that the power of the articles themselves in Su Dongpo's writing to make people feel happy is the reward of literature itself.
No wonder, one of Su Dongpo's students once said that Su Xun was more talented, but as a son, Su Dongpo was more knowledgeable than his father in academic thinking. The author also said in the first chapter: "With all due respect, my preferred poet is Su Dongpo."
I dare not say outright whether it is a good book, but I am willing to continue reading and look forward to it. To understand the life of Su Dongpo.
Ke Congxin