Writer Observation | Wang Jianzhao: In the future, words can continue to live for me

Editor's note: Since the 21st century, the global economy, science and technology have developed rapidly, culture and art have interacted closely, the time and space distance between people has suddenly shortened, and people's communication methods, social and cultural forms have all carried the unique characteristics of this era. In this regard, focusing on science, art, psychology, medicine, ethics, environment and other related topics, the New Hainan Client Culture Channel and the Hainan International Communication Center invite well-known writers, poets and scholars from the mainland to jointly launch a series of interviews with "Writers Observation", so please pay attention to it.

The timing alternates and everything is renewed. Looking back on 2021, I have experienced confusion, laughter and pride, and brilliant achievements, full of indelible memories and eternal nostalgia. Looking forward to 2022, standing on the threshold of the New Year, we not only feel the warmth and hope of the New Year, but also feel the dreams and expectations of the future.

In the past year, writers and scholars have, as always, used their affectionate brushstrokes to depict the changes of the times, and wrote the grandeur of the world with Han Mo Danqing. The years are hurried, the page of 2021 has turned over, in the new year, what are the expectations and prospects of writers and scholars?

In this issue, the New Hainan Client Culture Channel and the Hainan International Communication Center interviewed the famous writer Wang Jianzhao and brought his views.

Interview guest: Wang Jianzhao, born in October 1963 in Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province. He is currently a professor and doctoral supervisor at Beijing University of Foreign Chinese. He has published monographs such as "The Intersection of Chinese and Russian Characters", "Modernist Poetry in Twentieth Century China", "The Crow Age of Poetry", "Akhmatova's Biography", "Twenty-Four Lectures on Modern Russian Poetry", "One Second More Than Ever", "Selected Poems of Wang Jianzhao", translated "Selected Poems of the Russian Golden Age", "Selected Poems of the Russian Silver Age", "Gold Dance in the Sky - The Complete Poems of Manjeshtam", "The Poetry collection of Tsvetaeva", "The Sound of Memory - Selected Poems of Akhmatova", and dozens of others.

1. Looking back on 2021, what did you gain from writing?

Wang Jianzhao: I wrote more than ten poems. If you want to talk about the harvest, it is that the words are more and more in awe, and at the same time, they are more and more afraid to write, so that they owe a lot of "literary debts". Because considering that one day I am gone, the words can continue to live for themselves, I hope that they can be stronger, and the cycle of life can be correspondingly longer.

2. In 2021, one thing that makes you feel more deeply, can you talk to us?

Wang Jianzhao: This year, people are still under the threat of the sword of Damocles of the epidemic, and relatives and friends who usually seem harmonious will also be divided by different values and life goals. There are many things that arouse feelings, but there is more sadness than joy, not to mention.

3. How many books did you read in 2021? Are there any books worth noting?

Wang Jianzhao: I have read about ten books. Now the speed of reading is very slow, on the one hand, it is related to their own energy, on the other hand, the seriousness of reading is also higher than before. Circle and point, still need to take time, allow me to steal a lazy.

4. Which cities did you go to in 2021? Which city do you have a unique feel for?

Wang Jianzhao: In May, I went to Wuhan and Chengdu. In June, I went to Xiamen. The one that I felt the most was Wuhan, a city that was hit hard by the coronavirus in 2020, and I studied for a PhD at Wuhan University in the early 1990s. During my stay in Wuhan, under the arrangement of my sister Xiao Ying, I gathered with my sister and my wife and a group of people. During the conversation, I can still feel the damage caused by this epidemic to Wuhan.

5. How would you rate your 2021 and can you talk about your writing plans for 2022?

Wang Jianzhao: My 2021? I don't know how to evaluate, but I just feel that time can't be grasped. People often say that fifty know the Mandate of Heaven, I know, the Mandate of Heaven definitely exists, but what kind of Destiny, the answer is still floating in the wind. At present, I am on the way to the sixth, but it seems that I can hardly reach the "ear shun", and I seem to be angry, I don't know if this situation shows whether I am "young" or "naïve". When it comes to 2022, I'm not a very planned person myself, and besides, poetry writing doesn't seem to be able to "plan", the only thing I know is that I will definitely write, and I don't think much about whether they "will" or "can" be published.

6. The Spring Festival is a traditional festival in the mainland, but with the development of the times, the way people celebrate is quietly changing, what changes do you feel about this?

Wang Jianzhao: Festivals exist to remind people of something, and it is related to memory. There is definitely change, and people may now pay more attention to its spiritual aspect.

7. Regarding the Spring Festival, what unforgettable stories do you remember to this day?

Wang Jianzhao: There seems to be no story. I've had two solo New Year's experiences, both in the early nineties. Once on the train, the other time is more impressive, the Chinese cabbage on the first day of the New Year sold for 2 yuan a catty (usually about 1 cent), but I think it is reasonable to be expensive, after all, people are sacrificing their rest time. In addition, I seemed to be quite comfortable being alone, without the loneliness that people usually think of.

8. Where is your hometown? Are there any special Spring Festival customs?

Wang Jianzhao: My hometown is Huzhou, Zhejiang, and I can't remember any special customs. In childhood, eating and visiting relatives were the most important, that is, an era of material scarcity, and the interaction between relatives was also linked to rich and poor.

9. The epidemic has left many people isolated from their hometowns during the Spring Festival and unable to reunite with their families. What has been the biggest impact of the pandemic on you?

Wang Jianzhao: For people like me who mainly work from home, the actual impact on life and work is not big, the big impact is on mood.

10. What is the thing you are willing to spend the longest time doing during the holidays?

Wang Jianzhao: Reading. Reading allows me to transcend time and space, experience various lives, and have conversations with all kinds of people.

11. Now many people are afraid of the New Year, because they will always be "bombarded" by various problems of relatives and friends at home, have you ever encountered such a situation? How to deal with it?

Wang Jianzhao: That's a young man's business, and now it's my turn to ask others and "bomb" others. However, if I don't do what I don't want, I generally don't "bomb" others.

12. What have you not done in the past year? Any expectations for the coming year?

Wang Jianzhao: There are too many unfinished things, and I can only hope that there will be fewer regrets this time next year.

13. Do you remember the New Year when you were a child? What places have become different during the Spring Festival now?

Wang Jianzhao: When I was a child, the gap between rich and poor was not so large, and it was relatively easier to satisfy desires. Now, the gap between people is very large, so everyone's holiday is also different.

14. Everyone says that the taste of the Year is light, but what is the "Taste of the Year"? Do we need to "save" Nian Wei?

Wang Jianzhao: People often say that the taste of the New Year is actually grand and lively. The taste of the year is light, indicating that life is good. In addition, Nian Wei does not need to be saved, not to mention that if you want to save, you may not be able to save it. How to do it, just like the passage of time, who can stop it?

New Hainan Client, Nanhai Net, Nanguo Metropolis Daily reporters Liu Xinting, Cai Qianlan, Hu Yalan