When Pearls at the Bottom first got in my hand, I was drawn to the colorful and harmonious cover art. What kind of "pearl" will the splendid but ethereal city, the Czech Republic, be bred?
With a mysterious anticipation, I opened the preface, and when I finished reading the first 100 words, I was conquered by the absurd but meaningful language art of the author.
"When my wife was dragging her steps around the house, awake as stones, making a mess of things, I was worshipping the sun in the garden tavern, I was indulging in the moonlight reflected on the wet sidewalk, I was striding with my head held high, explaining in a comical way how Heraclitus's 'All Things Flow' crossed my esophagus, and in every tavern on earth was a herd of deer with antlers bound by each other's conversations. ”
Reading the whole book, I have a deeper understanding of the romance, uninhibited, black humor, self-deprecation, optimism, and even a little frustration, pessimism, self-abandonment of the Czech people in the author's writing... Although there is a slight gray layer, it does not detract from the light of the "pearl".
I was most impressed by "Babidal."
"Babidal" tells that in a dusty place, "I" originally wanted to find a friend Jacka, accidentally hit and bumped into his father, who accidentally inserted the scythe in his hand because he was waving the wasp, so "I" went home with him. Back home, Jacka sees her father and reminisces with her mother about the "funny" troubles her father has done, and the whole family laughs together, as if she has never taken what is in front of her to heart. My mother always complained about "these bastards" with a good temper and called the dust "fresh air", but she did not allow outsiders to criticize them in the slightest.
I felt strongly the family's optimistic attitude towards life, and despite living in a particularly harsh environment, they were still optimistic about things, and the troubles that were enough to make people cry foul seemed to them to be nothing more than a seasoning to add to the fun of life. Even the dust and noise brought by grenade explosions from Monday to Saturday were in their eyes an indispensable sound in life.
"Only Monday to Saturday, ten o'clock in the morning to three o'clock in the afternoon. Sunday is really boring. It was so quiet, so quiet that it was very noisy. So we listened quietly all day to the radio, jacka playing his bass trumpet, and we just wanted to go to bed early, because we knew that when we woke up early tomorrow morning, we would soon be able to hear our soldiers again. ”
In addition, there are strong patriotic feelings, whether it is the country, school, or place, you can say whatever you want, but outsiders can't say a word.
Although this story is short, it resonates with me very strongly. Why are we getting unhappier? Anyway, things have already happened, complaining is not helpful, why should we treat life with a sad face?
The current reality is difficult enough, and the most necessary thing for us is to choose our attitude.
This is what the shining light of the "pearl" of the Czech people at the bottom has taught me.