"Zhang Wei's Commentary": Showing the magnificent literary world of an outstanding writer

"Zhang Wei's Commentary": Showing the magnificent literary world of an outstanding writer

Li Yiran

"Commentary on Zhang Wei" is a commentary on contemporary Chinese writers written by Zhang Qipeng and Qi Fengzhen at the request of Henan Literature and Art Publishing House. Zhang Wei began to write literature in 1973 and began to publish works in 1975, writing 21 novels, as well as a large number of poems, essays, essays, short stories and essays, accumulating more than 20 million words. In 2019, the "Collected Works of Zhang Wei" published by Lijiang Publishing House has as many as 50 volumes. His works have been translated into dozens of languages such as English, Japanese, French, Korean, German, Russian, Italian, etc., and have won awards such as the Mao Dun Literature Award, the China Publishing Government Award, the 100 Excellent Chinese Literature Books in a Hundred Years, and the Chinese Good Books, which have written a strong and colorful stroke for contemporary Chinese literature and have become a cultural and spiritual symbol of an era. At the same time, he also actively participates in cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, faces the world with an open and inclusive mind, and is a writer with high international influence. Writing a commentary for such a writer has a special significance.

The two authors of the commentary have been in contact with Zhang Wei's works since the early 1980s, and have been reading, collecting and researching Zhang Wei's works for more than 40 years. In 2018, they completed and published more than 600,000 words of "Zhang Wei Research Data Long Edition (1956-2017)"; later, in the accumulation of a large number of materials and field visits, they completed this 470,000-word "Commentary on Zhang Wei" in three years, which cost you can imagine.

The commentary consists of 10 chapters and 34 sections, which traces Zhang Wei's literary roots, creative background and ideological evolution trajectory, evaluates Zhang Wei's creative thoughts and literary feelings, truly reflects Zhang Wei's difficult process of starting from the seaside jungle and stepping towards the spiritual plateau, and presents an outstanding writer and the magnificent beauty of his literary world.

The author has a unique opportunity to express Zhang Wei's creative ideas and values of "adhering to the spiritual background and not being moved by the trend"

Mr. Cao Yu once said: "Writing works is actually building a bridge between history and literature." For the author of "Zhang Wei's Commentary", he does have the unique ingenuity of "bridge engineer". Through this 470,000-word masterpiece, it can be seen that the authors uphold the principle of "mutual integration of authenticity and literature", and on the basis of "respecting objective facts and maintaining the seriousness of the work", they properly display their literary expression talents. First of all, the commentary is full of righteousness and soft brushwork, such as the spring rain in April moisturizing the soul, forming a flexible and vivid and vibrant creative style. At the end of the chapters and sections, most of the commentaries are brilliantly commented on, and some are sandwiched between the lines, making unique evaluations of Zhang Wei and his creations over a certain period of time. For example, in the opening chapter "Past Events in the Past", the author has a wonderful comment: "Zhang Wei's literary works are full of high vigilance and reflection on the materialism and consumerism in the world today, which has a lot to do with Zhang Wei growing up in such a land and hearing and witnessing the vicissitudes of this land." Because this land not only provides him with writing resources, but also gives him a spiritual background, that is, to love nature, to protect the earth, to take root in the people, that is, to be very vigilant against the huge destructive power caused by materialism to nature, society, and people's hearts, and to express his determination to resist firmly with words." Secondly, talking eloquently, step by step, strong feelings, and vertical and horizontal gestures, not only organically integrates the past, present and future, but also organically connects Zhang Wei's heart with the reader and the world, so that the vertical "Zhang Wei" is presented together with the horizontal reader and the world. When writing about the relationship between Zhang Wei's literary creation after graduating from university and the literary trend of the times, the author made the following comment: "In the more than four years after graduation, Zhang Wei completed the transformation from a 'literary youth' to a 'young writer' with a certain influence in the province and the whole country. In the years that followed, he even transcended the tide, looked down on the tide, and thought about our times and the future direction of mankind, which is Zhang Wei's unique ideological, spiritual and cultural qualities, and also the unique value of his works in the history of contemporary Chinese literature."

This style of commentary makes the issues and viewpoints that the author wants to talk about more clear, makes the reader clear at a glance, makes it easy to grasp the main points, and highlights Zhang Wei's spiritual background in creation and personality. In a sense, literature is a spiritual medicine that nourishes the human heart. For Chinese, especially for a long period of time after the reform and opening up, in the atmosphere of the era of high materialism and weak spirit, "money is supreme, power is supreme", which greatly hinders the accumulation of ideology and culture, which is an indisputable fact. Therefore, our literature needs to build a yardstick and dimension in the sense of human spirit, and Zhang Wei's works are not only the expression and expression of personal hearts, but also represent the literary conscience and yardstick of a period, which is an important spiritual wealth of contemporary literature.

The author seeks truth from facts and writes about Zhang Wei's creative personality and style of "pursuing ideals and defending truth"

An excellent commentary requires the author to be good at excavating the historical facts of the "personalization and typicalization" of the owner under the premise of grasping the experience of the master, and make accurate and unique judgments. At the same time, there must also be a shining point in the mind, so as to stimulate the reader's ideological resonance and desire to read. In this regard, the author has the courage to show Zhang Wei's literary ideals and spiritual pursuits, and deeply interprets the extraordinary spiritual values and far-reaching significance of Zhang Wei's literary world.

Through this masterpiece, it can be seen that the two authors are not simply "take-ism", nor are they blindly beautifying or exaggerating their words, but quoting from the side, and their words must be based on evidence. According to rough statistics, the book cites more than 200 kinds of information, which shows their solid data skills. They followed the principle of serious and objective criticism, insisted on starting from specific works, focused on analyzing and judging some of Zhang Wei's representative works, scientifically analyzed, identified, and understood, and bravely came up with unique insights. For example, for some people who point out that "'' And class struggle is not only not the theme of the Communist Manifesto as understood by Sui Baopu, but also something he wants to reflect on, oppose and abandon. This understanding is obviously in the strange circle of ultra-left thinking, and it is simply incompatible with the thematic meaning of "Ancient Ships"."

The author further discusses this: First, "Ancient Ships" writes a history of family changes in a small town, a history of the town of Waki, a history of urban and rural changes, and a shrunken history of the Chinese national nation, with a grand and far-reaching historical space and "epic" character; second, the theme of "Ancient Ships" is "suffering", Sui Baopu is thinking about how the historical disaster of the Sui family for more than forty years was caused, and at the same time, he is also thinking about if the Sui family's "poor people" account cannot be calculated, even if Zhao Bing and Zhao Duoduo are subdued. What is the point of completing a family revenge? Therefore, he sat alone in the old mill house, read Qu Yuan's "Heavenly Questions", read the "Communist Manifesto", tried to find a good recipe for the salvation of the hearts of the people in society, and talked all night with his younger brother Sui Misu, who was eager to turn over and eager for revenge, to explore where the rationality of society and human existence really lay. Of course, it seems too heavy to put these major issues related to the future of the country and the nation on a rural intellectual, but judging from Sui Baopu's life experience, this must be borne and cannot be pushed away. Therefore, Sui Baopu's question is not only the soul question of a rural intellectual, but also the question of the state and the nation; the pain of Sui Baopu is not only the pain of a rural intellectual, but also the suffering of the state and the nation. Such a character, consciously piling up boundless suffering in his heart and carrying it on his shoulders, shows a great sense of tragedy, which is perhaps the most touching place of "Ancient Ships".

These questions and answers of the author are not only a positive discussion of some objections, but also deepen the reader's understanding of "Ancient Ships", so that the reader can't help but travel into the historical scene and feel Zhang Wei's deep and powerful inner feelings.

For another example, in response to some people's doubts about "The Fable of September", the author boldly proposes that the entire work is dominated by Zhang Wei's deep compassion and dazzling ideal brilliance, but Zhang Wei is not a "moral idealist" or "a builder of moral utopias", but a ardent pursuer and staunch defender of the avenue of the world and the lofty ideals of mankind. This commentary is sonorous and powerful, sublimating "September Fable" to a new philosophical height, and also giving people profound resonance and enlightenment.

Through the above two examples, it can be seen that the two authors were deeply infected by Zhang Wei's character and literary works in the writing process, showing great academic courage. This kind of courage to not be afraid of the truth and dare to explore is admirable. Throughout the book, we will find that in the process of literary creation, the most constant thing about Mr. Zhang Wei is his diligent pursuit of truth, he has never deviated from this theme, and he does not cater to and follow readers. As the wheel of history rolls forward, people's pursuits and choices are constantly changing, but there are always some things that cannot be changed, that is, the simplicity of the soil, the heart of the most good and the beautiful, and the lofty and lofty ambitions, which are our roots and hopes, our future and strength. Just as Zhang Wei advocated "poetry and simplicity", "bravery and perseverance", "childlike heart and holiness", "honesty and cleanliness", etc., in fact, all come from his defense and pursuit of the lofty ideals of mankind. And his depiction and concern for reality, his lashing and criticism of social evils, his worries and vigilance against darkness, and so on, all come from this.

The author is sincere and sincere, and expresses Zhang Wei's creative will and feelings of "self-improvement, love and hatred are clear"

"Zhou Yi Qian": "Tianxingjian, a gentleman who strives for self-improvement." Looking at this "Biography of Zhang Wei", it can be seen that Zhang Wei's literary life is self-improvement and never slackens. Through the lyrics of 10 chapters of "Children of the Earth and the Ocean", "From Youth to Youth", "On the University Campus", "From the 'Luqing River' Tell Me to the Anger of Autumn", "The Sorrow of the Earth", "The Fable of September", "In the Rapids of the Times", "You Are on the Plateau", "Starting Again", readers can see Zhang Wei starting from the jungle by the sea, and through unremitting efforts and dedication, he finally moves towards the spectacular picture of the literary plateau.

What particularly moves readers is that Zhang Wei's childhood and adolescence have had extraordinary encounters and tribulations. As a child, Zhang Wei suffered injustice in the turbulent years, working in a water conservancy site far from home for many years, and his mother working in a gardening field, he lived a difficult life with his grandmother and sister, spending all day with trees, wild animals and wasteland. The young Zhang Wei, always dangling in front of his eyes with a big character newspaper about his father, was always trembling in constant surveillance and criticism. In the midst of all the gazes, all kinds of arguments, and sudden insults, he even thought about how to pass away less painfully. But thankfully and relievedly, the teenager Zhang Wei finally walked out of the desperate darkness, and then began to grow and grow. Although it encountered one major test and setback after another during the period, it was ultimately unable to hinder its firm and powerful pace, and achieved "rebirth from the fire and phoenix nirvana" several times. In this regard, Mr. Zhang Wei is a writer with a strong will and persistent spirit. Those tribulations are superimposed to form a causal relationship that cannot be ignored in Zhang Wei's literary creation. From its natural, beautiful, and simple words, the reader can always read some special life experience, which not only confirms that "a person's experience has reached a certain stage, and the words of emotional eruption cannot be stopped", but also confirms Nietzsche's statement that "extreme pain is the final liberator of the spirit, and only this kind of pain forces us to achieve enlightenment.".

The power of literature stems from humanistic feelings, and only by knowing people can we discuss the world, and only by knowing people can we study papers. The author of the commentary particularly emphasized Zhang Wei's humanitarian stance and humanistic feelings. It is mainly manifested in the following aspects:

First of all, it reveals Zhang Wei's nature of "love and kindness". Although Zhang Wei and his relatives experienced great insults and unbearable darkness, they did not breed a despicable sense of revenge, "fighting evil with evil", and going to extremes, but always maintained the nature of love and goodness. Undoubtedly, this kind of "love and kindness" that transcends suffering constitutes the most shocking shining point in Zhang Wei's creative spirit and style. What the old writer Qiu Xun admires most is Zhang Wei's benevolence and tenacity for literature. He said that what stands out most in Zhang Wei is kindness and love. Once he and Zhang Wei went to the suburbs, just after it rained, Zhang Wei saw the dried sweet potatoes stalled on the side of the road, so he picked up a piece of moldy blackened and chewed it, saying that the bitter taste was not big, and he could eat it. Then he picked up a darker piece and chewed it, saying that this one could not be eaten. From this description, we can see Zhang Wei's concern for the suffering of the people. For another example, Zhang Wei was particularly concerned about the homeless people in those cities, often visiting them and sending them some food. In addition, Zhang Wei has a deep affection for animals and plants, once cleaning the feces of sick pigeons, writing a novella "The Endless Stream of Love" for domestic animals, and a novella "Rabbit Writer" for rabbits in the forest. In Zhang Wei's pen, this heartfelt love for the weak at the bottom and nature is completely consistent with his firm humanitarian stance, and also confirms the French writer Romain Rolland's statement that "love and kindness are happiness and truth, the only possible happiness and truth in the world."

Secondly, through the evaluation of "suffering and redemption", the basic foothold and starting point of Zhang Wei's humanitarian spirit are revealed. In a sense, the development of human history is based on suffering, and writers with conscience often present it to the world in literary form, always breathing with the masses of the people and sharing a common destiny, so that the works reflect the double light of "suffering and redemption" in suffering, which not only permeates Confucianism - the fraternal spirit of benevolent "lovers", the political ambition of helping the world, and has an inherent rational force. There is no doubt that Zhang Wei is one of them. In the chapter "The 'Ancient Ship' Is Coming", the author points out that Zhang Wei's basic foothold is to safeguard the basic rights of human beings and safeguard the beautiful things in human nature, which is actually a basic humanitarian spirit and humanitarian stance. Zhang Wei not only writes about the suffering of life, but also focuses on writing about the suffering of the soul and the suffering of the spirit. For example, "The Ancient Ship", "September Fable" and "Family", one of "You are in the Plateau", as well as "Book of Other Provinces", "Can Not Remember Hollyhocks", "Ugly Or Romantic", "Hedgehog Song", etc., all present the theme of "suffering and redemption". In the process of excavating and expressing the traditional humanistic spirit, Zhang Wei integrates the historical rationality embodied in the characters in the works with the humanistic spirit, so as to express his attention and reflection on the suffering of human existence and the suffering of the earth, which is a spirit that is unambiguous and uncompromising at all times.

Through the author's comprehensive evaluation, the most authentic, intuitive and empathetic image of Zhang Wei is effectively displayed in front of the reader's eyes, which further highlights Zhang Wei's broad and generous humanitarian spirit. Readers have reason to believe that the basic foothold and starting point of Zhang Wei's humanitarian spirit will not change with the passage of time. This is related to the various sufferings and setbacks he has suffered, and it is also closely related to his sense of responsibility and mission as a contemporary writer.

It is undeniable that Zhang Wei is also a practitioner who dares to expose and rebel against the ugliness of the world. In his eyes, the earth is filled with both the warmth of the human homeland and the evils of human society. For these crimes that occurred on the earth, Zhang Wei resolutely raised his passion for criticism, whether it was those "evil people" and "ugly" in "Autumn Anger", "Autumn Reflections", "Ancient Ships", and "September Fables", or those bandits in "You are on the Plateau", or the inhumane acts that happened around Zhang Wei in reality, or all the inhumane things that existed in the whole human race and the whole society, all within the scope of Zhang Wei's literature to expose and resist, just like that