Yao Emei's novel "Leeward Place", published in the 4th issue of "Contemporary" in 2021, has been selected by the "Novel Selection" In the 9th issue of 2021, the 9th issue of the "Novel Monthly" in 2021, and the 5th issue of the "Novella Selection" in 2021, and has been well received. This work is also included in the author's novel collection "Family Life" (titled "Skeleton in the Cabinet") after the book was launched by the People's Literature Publishing House, after the readers' word of mouth fermentation, two consecutive reprints, and was selected as the Douban Book List's top ten domestic original novels in 2021. Today I would like to share with you an interview with Yao Emei, the editor-in-charge of Family Life, to present the artistic thinking of a novel and the daily life outside of reading, writing and text.
Q: Stone Pages (Responsible Editor of Family Life)
Answer: Yao Emei (Author of "Family Life")
1. I would like to ask you to talk about your educational life experience first, it seems that you have been a bank clerk and a literary editor, can you introduce yourself to the reader?
Yao Emei: My biggest regret is that I did not enter the university to receive a formal Chinese education, after graduating from high school, I only read a provincial secondary school, studying finance and accounting, for which I was almost depressed for two years, fortunately I have been obsessed with reading, reading saved me, but also opened a door for me. In the two years of secondary school, I had average professional grades, but I borrowed almost all the foreign literature in the school library. Later, I thought, in fact, I don't have to worry about whether I have received a formal Chinese education, for writing, it may be more important to maintain literary vigilance, literary thinking, and perseverance in life, rather than mastering the literary knowledge of those lesson plans. In addition, I think my family atmosphere has also played a role in my embarkation on the road of writing, my two older brothers are from the Chinese department, the eldest brother Yao Yongbiao, began to write poetry in the 1980s, once very active in the Hubei poetry circle. The second brother is an all-round cultural worker and a comedian of our family. Our brothers and sisters have always been very close, and any communication and joke seems to me to be a complete Chinese background. When we were all young, we got together on holidays, and every time there was an all-night chat that left our neighbors puzzled. I don't remember exactly what we talked about, the only thing that's certain is that we're definitely not talking about concrete lives. Yes, that's all I can think of, and the frenzied reading, coupled with the thrill of crazy small talk, sent me on the path of writing.
2. When did you start writing?
Yao Emei: I have a table that records the works I have published over the years, and from this table, it began in 1997, but the first time I started writing seems to be earlier, I remember that it seems to be in '90 or '91, I wrote a very, very young novel, but after that, until 1997, for some reason, not a word was left, maybe I turned my writing into a thought that weighed on my heart, maybe life made me tired and had no time to take care of him.
I think writing still needs some conditions, some experience, there is food to eat, a little leisure time... Without these, writing is not easy to stick to. Of course, the premise is sincerity, sincere face to write, sincere face to life, if a person in life careless, a sweep, with no one to communicate with the heart, then he can not detect other people's world, can only wander in their own world repeatedly.
"Family Life" is actually taken
3. "Family Life" is a novel that involves a wide range of classes, backgrounds, and environments, I don't know how you pay attention to different groups of people, and your life experience is related? I'm curious about how you sourced your materials?
Yao Emei: Most people who write have a strong ability to deduce, and through a specific image, such as looks and wear, some specific feelings, such as face-to-face chat, can roughly capture some of the most basic things. We walk on the earth, communicate with people all the time, even if it is just watching a stranger walk, we can get a lot of information.
I will not write about people I am completely unfamiliar with, nor about people and stories that do not impress me, and since it can move me, it must be on the basis that I have enough material about it.
Regarding the material, we may wish to take the example of making spinach curry. No one directly throws spinach into the pot, it must be prepared a lot, all kinds of ingredients must be prepared, chopped, blanched, beaten into a paste, sautéed with accessories, and then cooked, and then laid out on the table. In the face of a plate of delicious green curry, you could say it's made from spinach, but it's long gone.
4. What do you think is the reason why the novel "Family Life" has caused an echo among many readers?
Yao Emei: Just yesterday, a friend of mine watched "Family Life" and sent me WeChat, and I quoted him as saying: How can you write such a uncomfortable story. After reading the first one, I have to slow down. It was really uncomfortable. When I watched "Alive" many years ago, there was a little bit of this feeling in the middle.
This friend's feelings may be used to explain why this small collection is actually loved by so many readers, and only when the story continues to convey strong emotions to the outside world will it infect the reader and arouse the reader's empathy.
In fact, whether the text contains strong emotions, the author can feel it, which also reminds me that if I don't feel some strong emotions, then don't think it can impress the reader.
5) You don't seem to have written in a genre other than fiction, why?
Yao Emei: I think I am an extremely simple person, simple to the point of stupidity, just like Forrest Gump in "Forrest Gump", one tendon, not to mention doing several things at the same time, even if I concentrate on doing one thing, I have been doing it for many years to barely make a little result. In fact, in addition to novels, I also like poetry very, very much, in my collection, there are a large number of poetry collections, before writing novels, I also tried to write a few, but it turns out that I should still write novels well.
"Family Life" is actually taken
6. Can you talk about the origin of the creation of four novels, and how did you think of writing these stories?
Yao Emei: About "The Secret of Genes": I have been concerned about the field of family for a long time, in my opinion, home is the most gentle place, but also the wildest place, home is the most inclusive and simple, but also the most selfish and naked, home is the harbor, but also the center of the huge storm, home makes us return to the heart like an arrow, and we have dreamed of escaping all our lives.
I would like to focus on two characters in this novel. One is the younger brother. At first I did not design this character, and I soon discovered that this is not in line with the truth, in general, every family has one or two of the most intelligent people, they represent the peak of the family's intelligence, are the darling of the family, and are also the glory of the family, such a child in society, often has a sense of personal dignity that is different from that of ordinary people, which is given to him by his family. Sometimes, in order for this child to maximize the release of his cleverness, the whole family must live a life of moderation, this kind of blatant pampering, unthinkingly suppressed, involuntary dedication, how natural, and how cruel. In fact, no one has ever said that it is cruel, that the weak become the strong, that they serve the strong, and that such a law prevails in most families. Sometimes the strong man is not able to return the weak, and even if he "gets" the "Tao", the chicken dog in the family is still the chicken dog on the ground. His brother was like that, he was lucky and hardworking, and all of this led him straight to a state of unsociable solitary, and eventually he died in an accident, a hasty, sloppy, worthless death. He died, and the heart of his father, who had pinned his hopes for the revitalization of his family on him, also died, and his father wanted to commit suicide on the iron fence at the gate of his brother's unit, but he did not succeed. The flame of genius only crossed from the door of the house, extinguished in an instant, the light of a portal was extinguished, a family fell into darkness, from the next fire to light up, I don't know how many years to wait, I don't know if there is a next time, the family has since lost its way, in inertia to pass the day.
Another character I want to say is the father, my biggest regret is to take the father's suicide attempt with me, I underestimated the harm of the father's move to the whole family, he only had his brother in his eyes, before his brother was born, he spoiled his brother alone, after his brother died, he ignored the love and respect of many children and grandchildren in the family, resolutely chose to go with his brother, he was not afraid to expose his indifference and snobbery, selfishness and hypocrisy, can not make him raise his eyebrows, there is no sense of existence in his place. He was simply unaware of the harm his family law of the jungle had done to other family members. Home, what kind of place is it, maybe I can't finish it in my life.
About "Grandma is coming": What Grandma did was suspected of being a baby trafficker, but she did not have the intention of profit, and she even boasted that she was "doing good deeds" and "accumulating virtue". Originally, I could let a more strong, more skilled figure to take on this role, but before I wrote, I temporarily changed my mind and decided to use my grandmother to take on this heavy responsibility, there is a little selfishness of mine, I have never seen my grandmother, when my mother was three years old, my grandmother died, seriously speaking, my grandmother is also a war sacrifice population, when the Japanese entered Yichang, the people hid in the mountains, and my grandmother died of typhoid fever recurrence and excessive fright not long after entering the mountain, it is said that when my grandmother died, Desperately grabbing one of my mother's legs, it took a lot of effort to take her stiff fingers off my mother's legs. Because of this second-hand memory, my grandmother, who had never met before, had always had a place in my heart, and now I finally had a chance to keep talking about my grandmother.
In the middle of writing, I suddenly felt that it was undoubtedly the right thing to use My grandmother to take that role, not only me, but I am afraid that in everyone's mind, Grandma is a jelly bean-like existence, and it is often unbelievable to say that she has done something not so good, and this is exactly the effect I am after.
About "Skeleton in the Cupboard": Usually we all think that the third party in the marriage is reprehensible, and the wife is the victim, the invaded, and the party worthy of sympathy, but what if this little three is actually just a conspiracy of the wife, a seductive dessert to secretly keep the husband, a small means of rejuvenating the family? Who is the wrong party at this time? Wife? But she also has her tears and pain, tolerance and pay, in another way, she also had to make this decision, and her sacrifice is not worthless, at least she clumsily and painstakingly maintained the relatively stable growth environment required by a unit, a family, and a minor.
Maybe as far as the novel is concerned, there is no boundary between right and wrong, but in any case, I still have a feeling of offense, I have reversed the correct values of my wife and xiao san, and I don't say a word about men who are loved and protected by two women, maybe in the field of marriage and family, men are really too superior to want to do anything.
From this point of view, "Skeleton in the Cabinet" is a new novel in an old genre.
About "Playing with Ease": When I decided to write "Playing with Ease", my heart was a little tragic, we all know that "under the nest, there is no egg", in our tradition, generation after generation, year after year of effort, it seems to be to build a life that has been deeply rooted in more leafy and indestructible, rather than taking a life that was still quite decent, and personally throwing it to the sky.
I hope I am looking for a new way of life, to be honest, when I started writing, I was full of confidence, I think this way should be feasible, but the more I write down, the more bottomless, people really need to have a home animal, without these, too easy to wither.
"Family Life" is actually taken
7. When I read "Family Life", I feel a strong story thread, which will attract readers to keep reading, is the story important to you?
Yao Emei: Of course, the story is important, but as a story in the novel, in addition to the integrity and rationality of the story itself, it must also have its "sound outside the string", that is, the tension of the story we often say, if a story only explains the story itself, it is thin and superficial and meaningless. I think this is the difference between a novel and a story, and it is also the difficulty of a novel, which is not as simple as telling a story.
8. I think that Shi Libin, editor-in-chief of Beijing Literature, is very accurate in his evaluation: "Pay attention to storytelling and do not engage in narrative traps; follow the vine of human nature, sweep the tragic fate to the end, and cover the four wildernesses with black shadows; bury idealistic impulses and compassion deeply, and present the harshness of reality to the point of inhumanity", how do you view this evaluation?
Yao Emei: Teacher Shi Libin has compiled many of my novels, he has a lot of say in my novels, I feel like a coach standing on a high place, he can see my movements, my route, my past and present, he can even predict my future direction, but as an authority, I am in front of a fog, I can only grope forward by feeling, but I have a belief, try to move forward, and try to step on every foot in a stable place.
9. The entire collection of "Family Life" is infused with sadness, but the title seems to intentionally bury this sadness, and the title "Family Life" does not present a specific image or point of view, and even feels that it is very ordinary. How did you come up with the title? Is there any consideration in it?
Yao Emei: Most of my characters are small people in life, and for them, the family is the vast majority of life, they go out from home, work, study, play, before dark, they will definitely come home, even if some of them run out with a broken heart, when they go outside, they will still miss that home, they can't put down that home, and home is still an invisible rope, binding them.
In fact, the same is true of the big people, home is our starting point, is our badge, is our birthmark, who is not the child of a certain family? Who's to say that his life path is not influenced by his family? The home is small, but it is big and encompasses everything in the world. Everything that happens in the world, in the final analysis, is done by a child of a family. From this point of view, each of us lives as a family life.
10. Among them, "Skeleton in the Cabinet" was changed to "Leeward Place" when it was published in the magazine, why?
Yao Emei: This is the request of the magazine company, maybe the magazine company has their considerations, when my editor-in-charge called and said that it is best to change the title, I did not ask why, but read the novel again and redrafted a title. I think there is no problem, and "Leeward Place" is also very good.
"Family Life" is actually taken
11, this novel shows the lives of many women in the family, they need to constantly deal with the difficulties and crises caused by men, do you usually pay attention to feminism or women's consciousness related topics?
Yao Emei: I am not a feminist, nor am I a feminist, and I don't pay much attention to this area, of course, this may be related to my environment, I have not experienced repression and inequality. I think the so-called equality is not by proposing, shouting out, when you make something out, when your existence is needed, it is equality.
There are many female figures in "Family Life", that's because women's nature always makes them regard the family as their main battlefield, they love their families, worry about everyone in the family, someone is in trouble outside, she has to take them back at the first time, heal, comfort, recover and then send out, every woman, even if she is still a little girl, will instinctively erupt maternal nature when the family encounters a crisis. It is a respectable nature. There are such images of women in many literary works, especially in life.
12. What are your favorite writers? Who writers have influenced your work?
Yao Emei: There are many writers I like, and the writers I like will never become writers I don't like, so the list of my "favorite writers" will be very long, so I will not repeat them one by one. All I can say is that the writer I've been reading lately and who I really like very much is Anne Pull of america.
Which person influenced my creation, I have been thinking about this question for a long time, but I have not had an answer, I think it may be a comprehensive impact, like a person suddenly finds himself fat, but he can't be sure which meal he eats fat, and which kind of food eats fat.
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(This article was first published in the "New Yellow River Network")