"Unintentional planting of willows creates shade" - a kind of inaction creates a poet
Reporter: It is said that your family fled to Xiangxi during the Anti-Japanese War. May I ask what your childhood had to do with your later literature? What impact does creation and research have? When did your love for literature begin?
Li Yuanluo: I probably started in elementary school (I like literature). Because my father is a calligrapher and a poet who writes very good old-style poems. But when we were young, my father never cared about us. He let us grow up on our own. Because he writes old-style poetry himself, there are many versions of Tang poetry and Song lyrics before liberation in his drawer or on his desk. He didn't teach me, but I looked at it myself, and of course I didn't understand it at all. So I had more or less understanding of people like Li Qingzhao, Li Houzhu, Lu You, Xin Qiji, etc. at that time. An article I wrote for my father a few years ago used Du Fu's poem and called it "moistening things silently", as if the spring rain nourished me, but he "unintentionally planted willows to create shade". It was probably around this time that I began to like literature from my early childhood.
Reporter: When you were a sophomore at Beijing Normal University, you set an ambitious goal: to write ten books on poetry theory in your life. Why did you make such a wild statement at that time? Do you still remember the state of mind in which you said it?
Li Yuanluo: When I went to Beijing Normal University, the teachers in the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University were among the best in the country, comparable to those at Peking University. For example, Mr. Qi Gong, whom everyone knows now, was Still an associate professor, he taught me "Dream of Red Mansions", and of course there were many famous teachers. Because I had been influenced by Chinese classical poetry since I was a child, I determined to become a poetry critic. I started working hard and published my first college work in the "Poetry Journal" when I was in my third year of college. At that time, the editor of "Poetry Magazine" thought I was a teacher, so he sent the letter to the Chinese Department, which then forwarded the letter to me. The other article was published in "Literary Monthly" (now "Shanghai Literature"), which were the first two articles published when I was a student. Since then, due to political and other reasons, I went to Qinghai after graduating from university, that is, from 1960 to 1962. During those difficult years, when I was hungry all day long and the weather was extremely cold, the only thing that supported me was literature, writing. Under those difficult conditions, I also wrote many articles, which were published in "Liberation Literature and Art", "Hunan Literature", "Sichuan Literature" and other publications at that time.
Reporter: I have heard you mention Mr. Yu Guangzhong many times in your lectures. I know that you have an extraordinary relationship with him. You also like his prose very much. So what do you think about Mr. Yu Guangzhong in terms of prose creation? What impact did it have on you?
Li Yuanluo: The first time I read "Nostalgia" by Mr. Yu Guangzhong was in 1980, when I attended a seminar given by the poet Shu Ting in Fujian. I read Mr. Yu Guangzhong's "Nostalgia" in a tabloid in Quanzhou. and "Four Rhymes of Nostalgia." I was shocked at the time, because I had never come across such a work before, and it was so well written. I was very excited at the time. Later I wrote an article called "The Love Song of Overseas Wanderers - Reading Taiwanese Poetry Yu Guangzhong's "Nostalgia" and "Four Rhymes of Nostalgia", which was published in Shanxi's "Appreciation of Masterpieces" in 1982. This is probably what Mr. Yu Guangzhong mentioned in the article. One of the two earliest works introduced to him in mainland China was Liusha River in Sichuan. The other was me, so I started corresponding with him. The first time we met was at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1985. He was leaving the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he had taught for 11 years, to return to Taiwan, so I rushed to Hong Kong to meet him on the eve of his departure. From then on, we maintained a long-term literary relationship. friendship.
Of course I like his prose very much. I think his prose is the best in contemporary China. I myself am also influenced by him. One of the great features of his prose is its "poetry". He himself said that he was a poet, but part of his poetry was in his prose and part of it was in his commentary. I myself also like classical poetry and new poetry, so when I write prose, I also hope that my prose can be poetic. In addition, Mr. Yu’s prose is also a combination of prose and poetry. From this perspective, I am deeply influenced by him. influence.
"I get aesthetic pleasure from creation" - experience along the way and get a happiness
Reporter: How did your transition from poetry theoretical research to prose creation affect you? What was the biggest factor in the shift?
Li Yuanluo: I have said that I have determined to become a poetry critic since I was young. It seems that this goal has been achieved, because at that time I had published about 10 books on poetry theory. There are many reasons that prompted me to change, but the main reason is that the creation is completely my own, and I can get aesthetic pleasure from the creation, while half of the comments and theories are other people's. You just elaborate on other people's advantages and disadvantages, or Constructing some poetic theories from a rational perspective is boring and not entirely my own. In short, there are two advantages to writing your own prose. The first is that it is completely personal, and the second is that it brings the aesthetic pleasure of creation. This kind of pleasure is not available in criticism and theory.
Reporter: Nowadays, "artistic prose" is relatively neglected in the literary world. Most prose writers have switched to cultural prose, essays and the like. What do you think of this current situation? Which category is your personal preference?
Li Yuanluo: This is how I look at it. Artistic prose is a formulation that emphasizes artistic aesthetics, but all cultural prose, including essays, can also be called artistic prose if it is well written. Well-written cultural prose and good essays cannot be artistic. There are conceptual differences between the two, but they are still intrinsically connected. Of course, the prose I wrote like Tang poems, Song lyrics, and Yuan operas are still called cultural prose or poetic prose. Many people have commented on my works, but I still pursue an artistic realm and art. In terms of beauty, I don’t separate them completely. I think the better works I write can also be said to be artistic prose.
"Literature will never die" - a firm determination to guard a position
Reporter: I read "The Miluo Prize on the River Sacrifice" in your lecture last night In the article, I feel that you have deep sympathy and compassion for some ancient literati such as Du Fu. Do you still have such compassion for some social injustices, cannibalization of the weak and other phenomena that exist in real life today?
Li Yuanluo: According to my literary point of view, a writer should have a sense of social responsibility and a sense of contemporary times. Our current situation is still relatively well-off, but there are still many people in China lingering on the edge of poverty. We are still far from poverty. The biggest problem in our society is also the inequality between rich and poor, which is an important factor affecting social harmony and stability. A real writer should at least have a kind of sympathy, at least inherit the spirit of worrying about the country and the people since Qu Yuan, and inherit the spirit of worrying first and then rejoicing since Fan Zhongyan. I feel that if there is no such spirit, literature will be completely regarded as one's own. If it is a means or a profession for a person to make a name for himself and make a living, then I think this writer has a lot of moral shortcomings.
Reporter: Many young people nowadays don’t seem to be too keen on classical literature, poetry and prose. Does this mean that classical literature is in decline?
Li Yuanluo: Classical literature will never decline. As a classic, it is the pride of our Chinese nation and the essence of our national literature. It is immortal and eternal. Classical literature itself There is no problem of decline, but the current society is a commercial society. Various entertainments such as the Internet, TV, and movies can allow young people to express their sustenance and vent. This is not only young people, but also many young writers who are also interested in Chinese classical literature. Little is known, which affects the quality and height of their creations. As a Chinese writer, we must have a profound knowledge of classical literature, just like a big tree must be rooted in deep soil in order to have deep roots and luxuriant leaves and towering trees. If even our own soil is barren How to make a tree thrive? It's impossible.
Reporter: Hunan has produced influential writers such as Shen Congwen, Ding Ling, and Zhou Libo in the history of Chinese literature. In the new era, a large number of outstanding writers such as Gu Hua, Han Shaogong, and Can Xue have also emerged. There are different opinions on the current status of the Literary Hunan Army. How do you evaluate it? What do you think of the future development of Hunan literature?
Li Yuanluo: Our entire society is currently in a period of transformation. Literature has moved from the center of attention to a peripheral area, and has been replaced by politics and economy. In particular, economy is the central task of developing countries, so It is inevitable to say that literature retreats to the margins.
The Literary Hunan Army had a glorious period after overthrowing the Gang of Four. I think we can still look forward to the future development, which is relatively optimistic, because as long as there are human beings in the world and as long as there are people pursuing their spiritual home, literature will never decline. In this sense, Hunan's literature is worth looking forward to, not to mention that there are currently a large number of old, middle-aged and young writers in Hunan who have written many good works.
Postscript: Mr. Li Yuanluo once taught in the Chinese Department of Yueyang Normal College (the predecessor of Science and Engineering). After being transferred, he came to our college many times to communicate with teachers and students, and gave lectures for teachers and students of our college. . When a reporter asked him how he felt about coming to Yueyang, he said that this is his alma mater. We should not say that he came to Yueyang, but that he returned to Yueyang.