The Reader's Reader - Reading "Zhang Wei's Commentary"

□ Liu Yonghui

A few days ago, I received a book entitled "Commentary on Zhang Wei", and the title page had the signatures of Mr. Zhang Wei, vice chairman of the China Writers Association, and the authors Zhang Qipeng and Qi Fengzhen. This is a book that has been waiting for a long time, and after reading it, it is difficult to calm down.

I met Mr. Zhang Zhipeng and Qi Fengzhen through Mr. Zhang Wei's introduction; this time, I further "got to know" Mr. Zhang Wei through their writings.

What's going on?

In October 2019, when my self-written annual work "Forty-and-a-Half Books of Life" was about to be printed, I contacted Mr. Zhang Wei, whom I respected in my heart, and wanted to ask him to write a preface. Because when my poetry collection was published by the China Federation of Literature and Literature Publishing House a few years ago, he wrote a sincere recommendation: "Reading Yonghui's short poems is kind, long, clear, and heartwarming." This is the reflection in the journey of human growth, it is gratitude and touching, and it is a youth note left to the future. ”

After sending the message, I quickly received a reply from Mr. Zhang Wei: "Yonghui, because I am busy lecturing in January and trivia in other places, can I ask Zhang Zhipeng to write the preface to the big work?" Later, after Mr. Zhang Wei contacted and introduced him, Mr. Zhi Peng wrote a wonderful preface for me to add color to the book, and it can be seen that he is indeed an expert in the compilation of chronology.

In January 2020, he met Mr. Zhi Peng and Ms. Feng Zhen in Jinan and was presented with their masterpiece "Long Compilation of Zhang Wei Research Materials (1956-2017)". The first translation of admiration, the peruse of shock. This book is too rich in information, and it also laid a solid foundation for the writing of "Zhang Wei's Commentary".

Speaking of the biggest feeling of reading "Zhang Wei's Commentary", if it is summed up in one sentence, it is "the reader of the reader's pen". In this way, there is also the title of this post-reading feeling.

Mr. Zhang Wei is a very pure "reader", a very pure "reading" person. This is obvious to all among contemporary Chinese writers and among the readers of today's society. As Liang Xiaosheng said: "Don't you really think this era is too noisy?" The hustle and bustle was so overwhelming that we had nowhere to escape. I sometimes read books, and it is I who want to escape into the books..." In my opinion, Mr. Zhang Wei is such a character who "escaped" into the books. He reads and writes purely, unwilling to be disturbed by trivialities, unwilling to be trapped in meaningless things. What a name, in his opinion, is the least worthy of a person to chase.

I remember that in April 2019, I bought a copy of Zhang Wei and Zhu Youke's dialogue "The Labyrinth of Walkers". The shock of my heart when I flipped through that book is still fresh in my memory. In a subsequent message to him, I wrote: "On April 9, I bought a copy of you and Mr. Zhu Youke's Labyrinth of Walkers at the Xidan Book Building, and I was reading it on my way to work these days. To be honest, it hurt a little bit to read, a little bit painful. I drew lines and wrote about experiences on almost every page. You're talking about literature, and you're talking about literature. Among them, topics such as education, local (urbanization), faith, etc., are so insightful, thoughtful and affectionate. Your words are the truth, the conscience of the writer, but they are rare and difficult to hear. Others may understand but do not speak, or they may not understand at all. And these questions should not only be considered by writers. People often say that the depth of love is the reason for the responsibility, and I think you are such a feeling, because you love this land too deeply! So, hats off to you! This book, that's great! The gentleman's reply was the following line: "Yonghui Brother, yes! Times of heartache..."

Reading "Zhang Wei's Commentary", you can also feel the great love and affection of the master. He loved the land where he lived, loved his unrepentant choices, and loved his literary career. Even after graduating from university, he was assigned to the Archives Compilation and Research Office of the General Office of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee, and he loved this job that seemed boring to others. Because there's literature and there's history. Because of love, so immersed in it and enjoy it; because of love, so willing to sit on the cold bench to endure loneliness; because of love, so do a line of drilling a line of willing to do "stupid" kung fu... With love, there is a basis for accomplishing things. So we see that he is obsessed with his hobbies and careers, loves the fiction of literature and the reality under his feet, and goes higher and higher, farther and farther. Another point that cannot be said is that he is particularly "sober" about many issues, which also makes his works have their own and different "lives". A writer who is able and willing to think independently must have depth in his work. Such a work will also have a particularly long vitality and can withstand the test of time. Because the reader is not stupid, he can distinguish between good and bad.

In the "Commentary on Zhang Wei", he wrote about the course of his life, and also wrote about the twists and turns of the creation of his famous works and representative works. The more we look at it, the more we will find that when he creates each work, it is not easy. Yes, success is never so easy, especially the incubation and birth of good literature. This is a difficult trek, or it can be said to be a "long march on paper". Only those who are extremely strong in their hearts can continue to move forward and forward on this journey that cannot be seen, until they arrive--the idea in their minds is completed in the pen. In such a "heart-wrenching era", the most rare thing is perhaps this state of mind without distraction and silent cultivation! From this point alone, we should also pay tribute to Mr. Zhang Wei. I hope that I can think hard, read quietly, concentrate on writing, and live with peace of mind like he did.

The authors of this book, Zhang Qipeng and Qi Fengzhen, have paid attention to and paid attention to collecting Mr. Zhang Wei's information for more than 30 years, counting more than 10,000 kinds. Thirty years! How many thirty years can there be in life? How many people are willing to do this in reading, writing, and researching? In addition to the research on Mr. Zhang Wei, Zhang Zhipeng also published "Wu Boxian Book Photo", "Wang Yuquan Book Photo", "Lü Jianshu Photo", "Gao Mang Book Photo", they also jointly compiled "Li Xintian Chronicle", "Zhao Defa Literary Chronicle Preliminary Compilation", etc., and are currently compiling "Miao Deyu Annals", "Guo Qingqing Chronicles", "Fu Tianlin Chronicles", "Liu Yutang Chronicles" and "Shandong Contemporary Literature Chronicles". Not only that, Mr. Shi Peng also wrote "Ah, Laiwu...", "Faint Back", "Be a Real Reader", "Meiyou Diary" and other collections of essays. Among them, my eyes were deeply attracted by the title of the book "Be a Real Reader". As a well-known essayist, bibliophile and cultural scholar, Mr. Zhang Zhipeng can indeed be called a "real reader"! And the "Commentary on Zhang Wei", which he and his wife have accumulated for many years, is indeed a masterpiece of "readers" writing "readers".

The commentary is not easy to write, and Mr. Zhang Wei's commentary is particularly difficult to write. Because Mr. Zhang Wei has a wide range of hobbies and rich experience, he is also profound in his thinking and writings. At the same time, he is also very low-key, the kind of real low-key that comes from the heart, and is only willing to make friends with readers with his own works. Whether it is the "Ancient Ship" and "The Fable of September" of that year, or the later "You are in the Plateau", "The Lone Medicine Man", "The Secret History of Ayo Fort", "BanLanZhi", "The Book of Not Fulfilling the Covenant"... Each one is so solid, it is not written for the sake of writing, and it will not be artificially "hyped". "Commentary" is analysis and exposition, and it must be said in a matter-of-fact manner, and it is necessary to make statements; without broad knowledge, profound theory, and broad vision, it is difficult to write brilliantly. And "transmission" is the imprint of life, history, and the development of the times, and it is difficult to write characteristics without outstanding writing, solid historical materials, and far-reaching cognition. Writing "Zhang Wei's Commentary", Mr. Zhi Peng and Ms. Feng Zhen should be the best candidates, not only because they have many years of data collection, but also because they are the few readers who insist on their hearts in the noisy era, and naturally they can enter the inner world of the same true heart.

The greatest function of literature, in addition to recording the pace of the times, may be to make the heart of each reader richer and stronger. From this "Commentary on Zhang Wei", we can feel the charm of literature and writing, and feel how a writer should face the career he is engaged in. At the end of the book, the author writes the following passage: "Zhang Wei is a person who was born with a 'covenant' with literature, and is also a great covenanter. His reading and writing have abandoned all utilitarian purposes and entered a great realm... "Can't we also give such an evaluation to the author of this book?"

This is where this book, its owner, and its authors are so valuable and fascinating, and why I look forward to and love this book!