Recently, harvest literary magazine released the 2021 (sixth) harvest literature list.
The Harvest Literature List is known as the most professional and authoritative literary ranking in China. The latest 2021 (sixth) Harvest Literature List was discussed and judged by 14 judges, and finally 5 works in the long fiction list, 5 works in the non-fiction list, 10 works in the novella list, and 10 works in the short story list were finally selected. Among them, Yu Hua's "Wencheng", Chen Fumin's "Forty Degrees North Latitude", Sun Pin's "In the Name of Birds and Beasts", and Zhong Qiushi's "Sky on the Ground" ranked first in each of the lists.
What are the selection criteria for the Harvest Literature List?
What are the difficulties of the judging process?
What regrets were left in the selection?
After the publication of Yu Hua's "Wencheng" last year, there were mixed reviews and finally topped the literary list of "Harvest", was this influenced by its fame?
……
With a series of questions, the Red Star News reporter interviewed the final jury of this year's Harvest Literature List to see their answers.
【Review of 2021 Literary Creation】
Judge Wang Chunlin: The creation of Chinese literature in 2021 has achieved a bumper harvest
Wang Chunlin is a critic, the editor-in-chief of Novel Review, and a judge in the novel group of this year's Harvest Literature List.
He said that the selection process of the 2021 Harvest Literature List is also a comprehensive review, review and summary of the original Chinese literature in 2021. Wang Chunlin believes that the overall achievements in Chinese literary creation in 2021 have achieved quite outstanding results, and this list reflects the current situation of literary creation more completely. "I think the achievements in all aspects of novels, long non-fiction, and short and medium stories are very prominent. When we discuss the literary creation of an annual year, we are always accustomed to using the term 'big year' or 'small year' to describe its harvest and achievements, and the achievements are high, we call it 'big year', and the more flat one, we call it 'small year'. ”
The literary creation of the past year is not something that can be summarized and refined in three words, and Wang Chunlin mainly expressed some views on the situation of novel creation that he is more familiar with. He believes that the characteristics of novel creation in 2021 are mainly reflected in two aspects: "First, there are many creative performances in the use of language, and second, the performance in the diversification of novel genres is also very eye-catching." ”
In Wang Chunlin's view, the more prominent in language are Lin Bai's "Beiliu", Yan Lianke's "Zhongyuan", and Sichuan writer Luo Weizhang's "Who Is Knocking on the Door", which impressed him in the use of local dialects. In terms of stylistic creation, the main works worth noting are Lin Bai's "Beiliu", Yu Hua's "Wencheng", Li Rui's "Prisoner", and Dongxi's "Echo". Lin Bai's clever use of means of expression such as "note", "sparse" and "note" in Lin Bai's "Beiliu", the legendary writing of Yu Hua's "Wencheng", the ideological self-refutation body of Li Rui's "Prisoner", and the psychological and spiritual exploration body of "Echo" of the East and West have all left a deep impression on him. Therefore, overall, the original Chinese literature in 2021 has achieved relatively rich results, which can be said to be a "big year" of literary creation.
Huang Dehai, deputy editor of Sinan Literary Anthology, is a judge of the short story group this time, and he believes that a large number of literary works have been published and published in 2021, and they have only seen some of them. In this part of what he saw, he felt that there were very literary large-scale works such as "North Stream" and "Who Knocked on the Door" at length, which were worth reading and thinking about seriously. The short and medium stories continue the momentum of previous years, with rich themes, diverse styles, and the personality of the writer in different works.
【 Selection Criteria 】
With the artistry and aesthetic quality of literary works as the core
What criteria do the judges follow in the judging process? Huang Dehai said: "My main personal criterion is the combination of artistry and importance. The so-called artistry is actually the skill displayed by the work, which is the basic part of literature, but it is also an extremely important measure. The so-called importance is to see whether the problems that the author cares about have great adaptability and can cover the major issues of the times. ”
The evaluation criteria of each judge are different, Wang Chunlin's standard is first of all to be loyal to his own reading experience, and to judge the good or bad from his own real reading experience. And what are his personal reading experiences embodied in? He said that he attaches great importance to the artistry of literary works, first examines the artistic quality and aesthetic value of the works, and only considers its ideological connotation under the premise of ensuring artistry and aesthetic quality, whether there is profound ideological insight, whether there is unique ideological discovery, and then considers the characteristics of the times, considering the impact of the work on society after publication and publication.
【 Selection Process 】
What was the most intense discussion among the judges? Yu Hua and Lin Zhuo became the focus of heated discussions
"What I found most interesting in the judging process was the different aesthetic trends of the judges, and the most discussed was also aesthetic issues. The difficulty and entanglement are mainly in the ranking of works, because to distinguish between different styles of novels, it is necessary to carefully consider many details. When it comes to the impressive part of the judging process, Huang Dehai said.
Wang Chunlin introduced that the judging process of the Harvest Literature List is to carry out a fair and fair debate, and all the judges present can freely express their views on the shortlisted literary works from the perspective of personal reading experience. Then, after a full discussion, everyone voted to finally decide on the list of works on the list. "The discussion was very intense, because the level of works that could enter the top ten and become finalists was already very high, and they were all excellent literary works in the field of Chinese literature of the year, and they were the result of choosing one in a thousand, but although these ten works were very excellent, according to the selection rules of the literary list, the final list of works could only be five each, so the competition was very fierce."
It is normal for the judges to have heated discussions among the judges in the judging scene. So what is the most discussed? Wang Chunlin gave an example: "For example, the focus of discussion in the long fiction group is whether the post-80s writer Lin Zhao's "Tide Map" should be on the list? After being on the list, what position should it be more appropriate? Around this issue, the judges had a heated discussion. Another, is about Yu Hua's "Wencheng", Yu Hua is undoubtedly a heavyweight writer of contemporary Chinese writing, absolutely a first-class writer of the god level, because of the importance of Yu Hua's status, so his novel "Wencheng" after its publication, in fact, caused a strong controversy, mixed praise, some people say good, some people say bad, and the overall feeling seems as if the negative evaluation is obviously more than the positive evaluation. That is to say, in a sense, Yu Hua's "Wencheng" is a novel that has encountered serious misunderstandings. So, can Yu Hua's "Wencheng" be on the list, and what position is more appropriate after being listed? The judges also had an in-depth discussion. In the final voting result, Yu Hua's "Wencheng" became the leading work of the first long novel, which was also a result fully discussed by the judges.
【Comments of the Jury】
"The biggest jewel in the field of novels, Luo Weizhang's "Who Is Knocking on the Door" is not on the list"
Of course, there will be difficulty and entanglement, Wang Chunlin believes that the biggest difficulty is because the shortlisted works are very excellent, it is difficult to distinguish between them, but the final list is limited, the difficulty and entanglement are reflected in the face of the same excellent two works, which one to choose, this is the judge's most hesitant, the most tangled place, for example, in the novel Luo Weizhang's "Who is Knocking" in the end can not be on the list: "Because I personally think that this is a long novel that cannot be bypassed in 2021 no matter what, Then I will support Luo Weizhang's novel, and the other judges may also have other works that he prefers relatively, and then he will make a balance and choice between Luo Weizhang and other writers. Anyway, the result of the vote was Luo Weizhang's regret that he had fallen off the list. In fact, any selection may have the regret of a pearl. In my opinion, the biggest regret in the field of novels in this ranking is Luo Weizhang's "Who Knocks on the Door", which was not on the list. ”
According to the Red Star News reporter, judging from the vote ranking, Luo Weizhang's "Who Knocks on the Door" score is quite high. However, the list was ultimately ranked from high to low according to the total voting score, forming the top five.
In addition, Wang Chunlin also said that the biggest regret in the field of long-form non-fiction is Jiang Yun's "Northern Kitchen", so an excellent non-fiction literary work with daily narrative quality, it is regrettable that it has not been able to make the list. Of course, the same situation is also found in short and medium stories. The failure of a good novel to make the list is the most difficult part for the judges.
【Highlights of the Harvest Literature List】
The documentary works of the famous film actor Chen Chong made it onto the non-fiction list
Looking back at the four lists seriously, long novels, novellas, short stories, and long non-fiction, Wang Chunlin feels that there are two highlights worth noting: the first highlight is the top work of the four lists, which can be said to be worthy of the name. Yu Hua's "Wencheng", Chen Fumin's "Forty Degrees North Latitude", Sun Pin's "In the Name of Birds and Beasts", and Zhong Qiushi's "Sky on the Ground" Are really all very good and quite convincing; second, the list of literary newcomers and young writers this time is eye-catching. For example, Lin Zhao in the long novel list, Huang Liyu and Bai Lin in the novella, Bai Lin is the first time to publish works in "Harvest", Ye Xinyun in the short story is a student of Beijing Normal University, "Peacock" is her debut work, they can be on the annual list of "Harvest", it is not easy.
Wang Chunlin said that the biggest highlight in the non-fiction list is Chen Chong. The famous film actor Chen Chong's documentary work "What Should I Say When It's My Turn" was serialized in Shanghai Literature and then luckily landed on the charts.
[Talking about Yu Hua's "Wencheng"】
Is the selection process also influenced by Yu Hua's fame or literary status?
Wencheng, which topped the best-selling lists of major books last year, is Yu Hua's sixth novel.
Zhang Li, a judge of this ranking and a professor at Beijing Normal University, commented: Yu Hua told the fate and encounter between Lin Xiangfu, a young man in the north, and Ji Xiaomei, a woman in the south, in the turbulent years of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty. The righteousness of the rivers and lakes and the kindness of men and women in the chaotic world are the simple texture of the novel, and the compassion is infiltrated between the words and lines of the work. Between mother and son, father and daughter, mother and daughter, husband and wife, lovers, masters and servants, and people who meet in Pingshui, there is an indescribable love... This is a "sentient" call, which summons the unceasing folk feelings of our land, the benevolence and virtue that arise within our national traditions. Yu Hua wrote a long, long, and vast sense of destiny, and wrote about the permanence of blood chaos away from the world. Those seemingly ruthless but tender, both stoic and strong, humble and noble survival patterns are mixed inside the novel, forming a novel tone that belongs to Yu Hua alone, which is a "continuous maturity" of the outstanding novelists of our time.
When the Red Star News reporter added that since Yu Hua's "Wencheng" has mixed reviews, why can it still climb to the top of the list? Was the selection process also influenced by his fame or literary status? If You strip away Yu Hua's identity and just look at the text, is "Wencheng" at the top of the list really deserved? Wang Chunlin replied that in fact, there are different reviews and criticisms of a work, it is a very normal phenomenon, the so-called benevolent people see benevolence, the wise see wisdom, the reason why this harvest ranking list is such a result, Yu Hua at the top of the list at least shows that these judges who have won the literary list are recognizing this work: "As for their recognition of this work, whether there is an influence on Yu Hua's personal identity, I am not easy to say. Personally, I judge it primarily from a textual point of view. ”
Regarding Yu Hua's "Wencheng" text, Wang Chunlin once wrote a long commentary, he believes that the excellence of "Wencheng" is manifested on the one hand as a legendary literary style, on the other hand, it is the writing of love and righteousness in suffering. We all know that Yu Hua is a master at writing the hardships of life, and his "Alive" and "Xu Sanguan Selling Blood" are representative works in this regard. But while "Wencheng" writes about suffering, it also has a very full writing of love and righteousness. This is his overall feeling and positioning of "Wencheng". "Of course, Yu Hua will have the influence of his status, and it is impossible to say that he is not affected by Yu Hua's fame, but on the other hand, I personally definitely use the text as the fundamental basis for selection." I think the other judges should look the same way. ”
〉〉Attached "2021 (Sixth) Harvest Literature List"
List of novels
1. "Wencheng" Yu Hua (Beijing October Literature and Art Publishing House, New Classic Culture, March 2021)
2. "Tide Chart" Lin Zhuo (Harvest, No. 5, 2021, Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, November 2021)
3. "North Stream" Lin Bai (October, 2021 Double Month Issue No. 3 and No. 4)
4. "Echoes" East and West (People's Literature, No. 3, 2021, People's Literature Publishing House, June 2021)
5. "The Sun Turns" Fan Wen (Contemporary, No. 5, 2021, People's Literature Publishing House, November 2021)
Long-form non-fiction list
1. "Forty Degrees North Latitude" Chen Fumin (Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, August 2021)
2. "What Should I Say When It's My Turn" Chen Chong (Shanghai Literature, No. 7-No. 11, 2021)
3. "WildLand Aura: The Days I Lived in a Mental Hospital" Li Lanni (People's Literature Publishing House, August 2021)
4. "To the North" Li Hongmei, Liu Yangdong (Jiangsu People's Publishing House, June 2021)
5. "Re-Walking: Finding the Southwest United Congress on Highways, Rivers and Postways", Yang Xiao (Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, May 2021)
List of novellas
1. "In the Name of Birds and Beasts" Sun Pin (Harvest, No. 2, 2021)
2. "The Luthier" Huang Liyu (Weeds, No. 6, 2021)
3. "Past" Ai Wei (Zhong Shan, No. 1, 2021)
4. "My Father's House of Whimsy", Han Songluo (Flower City, No. 2, 2021)
5. "Ghost Finger Root" Yin Xueyun (Harvest, No. 5, 2021)
6. "Rose on the Forehead" Bai Lin (Harvest, No. 5, 2021)
7. "Starlight" Wang Kai (October, 2021 Single Month Issue No. 3)
8. "Moon Hermit" Li Hongwei ("Hibiscus", No. 2, 2021)
9. "Look Up" Lin Nabei (Harvest, No. 6, 2021)
10. "Dream City" Silent Sound (Xiangjiang Literature and Art, No. 3, 2021)
Short Story List
1. "The Sky on the Ground" Zhong Qiushi (Harvest, No. 5, 2021)
2. "Waiting for snow" Zhao Song (Novel Circle, No. 1, 2021)
3. "The Messenger" Tie Ning (Beijing Literature, No. 6, 2021)
4. "Peacock" Ye Xinyun (Harvest, No. 4, 2021)
5. "Fruit Hard Candy" Wan Ma Tseden (Harvest, No. 3, 2021)
6. "Permafrost Observation Section" Dong Xia Qingqing (Harvest, No. 4, 2021)
7. "Late Spring", 33 (People's Literature, No. 7, 2021)
8. "Vaulting Horse" Lu Nei (Novel Circle, No. 4, 2021)
9. "Half a Face" Shi Yifeng (Weeds, No. 5, 2021)
10. "The Sound of Drinking Soup" Chi Zijian (Writer, No. 7, 2021)
Red Star News reporter | Chen Mou
Edited | Duan Xueying
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![Yanhe, 2022, Issue 1 Table of Contents and Cover[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)