In recent years, I have often read Zhang Xiaolin's short stories in the form of notes, and groups of works entitled Calligraphy Bodhi have appeared in some newspapers, which is refreshing after reading them. Zhang Xiaolin has a creative plan, which is to write 10 volumes of calligraphy bodhi and short stories in the form of notebooks. Zhang Xiaolin wrote the history of Song Dynasty with short stories in the form of notebooks, the theoretical basis of which is to respect historical facts. The characters, events, times and historical classics in his works are all recorded, which can be used for investigation and textual research. They are not fictional, playful and romantic, but just excavated in the space of human nature. He believes that China's thousands of years of history, despite the different dynasties, personnel changes, vicissitudes of life, but ancient and modern human nature is the same, or the same and similar. This is precisely a vast space for a writer to gallop, and how far a writer can go in this space determines his creative achievements. We do notice that China's historical records are vague and ignorant about historical events and figures, but without exception, they all ignore the concern and exploration of historical figures' humanity, and historians have given this task to writers. This is the writer's luck, but also a challenge to the writer, because we see that many historical novels are either ashamed to tell history, or completely abandon history and joke at will, which deviates from the true meaning of historical novels. Zhang Xiaolin's History of the Song Dynasty deliberately avoided the above two situations. He used the writing method of note novels to capture a certain point or a certain horizontal plane of history, firmly grasp "human nature", write deeply, carefully and carefully, and restore the life and freshness of history. Therefore, his creation is rigorous in material selection and unconventional in writing.
Zhang Xiaolin thinks that note novels should pay attention to "literary taste" and "literary taste". To put it bluntly, it is cultural. Notebook novels should be the notes from ancient China. Notebook is the most native style in China and one of the oldest and most traditional styles in China. After a long time, it is bound to inject elements of national spirit and culture into this style. The creators of this style are mostly literati of past dynasties, such as Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi and Lu You in Song Dynasty, and a large number of notes have been handed down from generation to generation. Therefore, the creation of note novels needs the author's own cultural literacy. Zhang Xiaolin has profound cultural accumulation and accomplishment in this respect. First of all, he is an excellent calligraphy theorist, and his calligraphy thesis won the second prize of the Eighth National Calligraphy Symposium, the second literary theory prize of Qinghai Province and the third calligraphy theory Prize. His calligraphy masters, such as Mi Fei and the "Two Kings" in the Northern Song Dynasty, are elegant in writing and have participated in calligraphy exchange activities at home and abroad for many times. Zhang Xiaolin's Calligraphy Bodhi exudes a strong cultural atmosphere with professional calligraphy literacy and a writer's perspective. With vivid narration, it vividly shows the calligraphy culture and the living habits of this special group of calligraphers, which can be read as history, calligraphy culture and novels. China's most traditional style is used to express the essence of China's calligraphy culture, and the calligraphy bodhi has achieved a perfect combination. Lack of taste is single, lack of gas is stiff. Zhang Xiaolin's note novels, whether writing calligraphy seal cutting, painting poems, or writing the most inconspicuous smoking pot and clay pot for raising cricket, should convey the national culture and aesthetic spirit contained in them.
Zhang Xiaolin's note novels have developed and innovated the traditional genre of note novels, which can be seen from his series of note novels. Ancient notes experienced Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Song and Yuan Dynasties, and gradually matured into note novels in Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio series and Yuewei Caotang Notes series. No matter which collection of note novels, the title is independent, there is no necessary connection between articles, and the content and structure are irrelevant. Although the series of note novels "Calligraphy Bodhi" adopts the writing method of traditional note novels, the contents are interrelated and the characters are interspersed with each other. The characters are calligraphers and politicians in the Northern Song Dynasty, and there are also some strange people in the secular world. The relationship between them crosses, circulates and reappears. The stage is a big stage, and the Northern Song Dynasty book circle is a big stage. Life, poetry, purity, ugliness, and * * * played a cultural drama together. Some periodicals publish his novels, and a single one is a short story, three or five are short stories, more than ten are novellas, and a little longer is a novel.
Zhang Xiaolin worked in western Henan in his early years and in Kaifeng Federation of Literary and Art Circles in recent years. He plunged into the landscape of the ancient capital Bianliang and became interested in the rise and fall of the Northern Song Dynasty and historical figures. All emperors, generals, literati, three religions and nine streams are brought into view. He once said with a little conceit: I will try my best to revive this silent history.