Lu Xun buys books.
In today's life, Lu Xun spent about 520,000 yuan on books. This is still a conservative ratio, and some economists have provided higher values than this.
Throughout the 24-year book account of Lu Xun's Diary, more than 9,600 books and 6,900 rubbings of ancient cultural relics purchased and preserved in his life are recorded in detail, totaling * * * 65,438+65,000 books.
The year before last, I published a series of articles on Lu Xun's economic life in Pen Club, which aroused great interest and response from readers at home and abroad. But those articles have a defect, that is, they only investigate and discuss Lu Xun's living income, food, clothing, housing and transportation, while ignoring Lu Xun's spiritual and cultural consumption. In fact, Lu Xun's Concise Diary records his books in detail every year, which shows that he attaches importance to "buying books".
Lu Xun always takes every opportunity to search for a large number of books. Books, in Lu Xun's view, are simply more valuable than eating. Wang, a helper who has served Lu Xun's mother for many years, recalled: once, her mother advised Lu Xun to buy a few acres of paddy fields for his family to eat white rice, so as to save buying rice from the grain store every month. Lu Xun said with a smile: "Tian is useless, I don't want it!" " Then he said loudly, "It is better to buy more books if you have money!" "
Lu Xun's Japanese friend Masuda was in Shanghai from March 193 1 to February 1. In order to introduce a brief history of China's novels to Japan, he often talks with Lu Xun. According to Lu Xun's conversation in these ten months, Masuda's article describes Lu Xun's income and expenditure at that time as follows-
"His income depends on the royalties of previous books-mainly Scream and Wandering. Royalty is 25% (publisher: 25%) ... It is said that his monthly expenses need 400 yuan, which was the sixth year of Showa (according to: 193 1 year) ... Living expenses in 200 yuan, books 100 yuan, and fucking living expenses 100 yuan. He said that Zhou Zuoren was in Beijing and did not take care of his mother. So I have to send money. His mother lives with his ex-wife, and he pays for living expenses for no reason ... Lu Xun is an oppressed, searched and arrested person, and he continues to struggle with a pen. " (Quoted from the Research Materials of Lu Xun's Thought, Volume II, page 456) I carefully consulted and checked the relevant historical materials. 1930, Lu Xun's * * * income was 15 128.895 silver dollars, while the cost of buying books was 2404.50 silver dollars, accounting for 15.9 of the total income. 193 1 year, Lu Xun earned 8,909.30 silver dollars, of which 1447.30 silver dollars was used to buy books, accounting for16.2% of the total income; It can be seen that Masuda's retelling of Lu Xun's conversation at that time not only did not exaggerate, but even narrowed the data. In fact, Lu Xun spent an average of 200 silver dollars on books in 1930, and 193 1 year!
Of course, Lu Xun settled in Shanghai in his later years, and his economic life was relatively affluent. What about the early years? According to the statistics of Lu Xun's diary year by year, during these 24 years, Lu Xun's total income was more than 6,543,800+200,000 silver dollars, which is about 4.8 million yuan today. Among them, it cost more than 65438+3000 silver dollars to buy more than 1000 books, which is worth about 520 thousand yuan today; In other words, an average of more than 5,000 silver dollars (about 20,000 yuan today) are spent on books, not counting books donated by others. The number of books used in the last decade is more than that in the previous period. (Author's Note: 19 12 The actual purchasing power of a silver dollar is probably around 50 yuan today; 1926 a silver dollar is more than 40 yuan today; 1936 A silver dollar is above 35 yuan today. This is still a relatively conservative ratio. Some economists give a higher value than this. This paper uses a silver dollar to estimate the average value of RMB 40 yuan. )
As can be seen from this statistical table, from1965438+early May 2002 (when Lu Xun was 3 1 year old) to 1936 (when Lu Xun was 55 years old) when he died in Shanghai, Lu Xun's average income was 165438. It can be seen that reading, buying books, writing books and teaching are the strongest and most lasting hobbies of Lu Xun's life.
From1965438+May 2002 to1965438+October 20091October, that is, during the seven and a half years that Lu Xun lived in Shaoxing County Pavilion (formerly known as Shanhuiyi Pavilion) in the south half of Hutong outside Xuanwu Gate in Beijing, Lu Xun lived alone in a room. He worked in the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China for many years, and his monthly salary was quite stable. In addition to saving money to buy real estate (going to the big quadrangle to pick up his mother's family to live in Beijing), he often uses about one-tenth of his income to buy books in Liulichang and other places.
However, from 1920 to 1926 in the summer, that is, during Lu Xun's residence in Badaowan 1 1, Zhuanta Hutong 6 1 and Gongmenkou Xisantiao 2 1 (before leaving Beijing for the south), the economic situation was somewhat improved. Due to the long-term arrears of education funds by the Beiyang warlord government, Lu Xun's income has decreased by about 30% compared with the level of 19 19 in these seven years, while Zhou Zuoren and his wife who share a "big house" live in luxury. As the eldest brother, Lu Xun's financial burden increased and he was short of money, so he could only buy books with about 5% of his income. Among them, in the worst case of 1920, only 5 1.80 silver dollars were purchased, accounting for 2% of the income; 1924 only bought 99.24 silver dollars, accounting for 3.8% of the income; These years are the struggling stages of Lu Xun's life, thought and health.
1in the summer of 926, Lu Xun went south from Beijing to Xiamen and transferred to Guangzhou six months later. 1in the middle of 927, Lu Xun took Xu Guangping and settled in Shanghai. Since then, as a freelance writer, he made a living by "climbing the grid" royalties and remuneration, and his economy was independent and his life was guaranteed.
Lu Xun spent a relatively comfortable old age in Shanghai. 1926- 1936 in the past ten years, he lived frugally, but he was able to ensure that one tenth or even one sixth of his income was spent on books.
Books are Lu Xun's most cherished spiritual wealth and material wealth. His immortal works, such as A Brief History of Chinese Fiction and Outline of China Literature History, refer to a surprising number of ancient books, most of which are from his careful collection. He also edited ancient novels, Tang and Song legends, old stories of novels and so on by collecting books and borrowing books. In order to translate some foreign literary works, he bought a large number of reference books in advance, and even entrusted friends to buy original foreign languages from Europe and Japan ... Looking through the book account of Lu Xun Diary for 24 years, he recorded in detail more than 9,600 books and more than 6,900 rubbings of ancient cultural relics purchased and preserved in his life, * * *16,500 copies. In Lu Xun's diary, it is carefully recorded, like a few treasures.