The picture shows Geng Zhanchun flipping through the Du Fu Collection in the Shiyun Book Club. Kan Li photography
Kaifeng, China News Network, April 22 Title: Dialogue poetry critic Geng Zhanchun: Reading ancient poems is my momentary enjoyment
Written by Kan Li Chaoqing
After the lunch break, at the Shiyun Book Club at the east gate of Henan University, Geng Zhanchun held a cup of black tea and sat in the corner flipping through the "Du Fu Collection".
On the eve of World Book Day, he was invited to be interviewed by a reporter from China News Network. The place to meet is right here.
"Pour a few cups of tea."
"It's ready, or the tea you put here."
Geng Zhanchun's simple conversation with the owner of the book club, as well as several photos of him hanging in a prominent position in the book club, can be seen that this is where he is permanently stationed.
Geng Zhanchun, born in 1957, is a judge of the Lu Xun Literature Award, a professor at Henan University, and a researcher at the Institute of New Poetry of Peking University. Recently, he has lived in Henan University in the ancient capital of Kaifeng, teaching master's and doctoral students.
In the Chinese poetry world, he is a poet and a scholar of poetry theory, and has long been known for literary criticism. He is the author of "Metaphor" and "The Illusion of the Observer" and other representative works.
The first time I saw Geng Zhanchun was the 2014 Shennong Mountain Poetry Society. This time, he still has the white beard of many years ago. In his conversations with reporters, each of his answers was concise and full, and his words were simple and gentle.
On the eve of World Book Day, Geng Zhanchun (right) was interviewed by a reporter from China News Network. Photo by Li Chaoqing
In the poetry world, Du Fu is a name that must be said. The same is true of Geng Zhanchun.
"Du Fu was a poet who wrote poetry through history, and since the birth of modern poetry, this writing feature has become clearer and clearer." Geng Zhanchun said, "This is not only to express the emotions of a subject like other classical poetry, but also to express the world we live in." ”
Devoted to the study of modern literature, Geng Zhanchun often read classical literature, including Du Fu's poetry. In his view, today's life brings a lot of uneasiness and anxiety, and classical poetry is like the antidote to modern life, "able to resonate a lot with your heart." ”
"As soon as you read classical poetry, you will be enveloped by the momentum of 'the stars are hanging in the plains and the wilderness is wide, and the moon is gushing and the rivers are flowing.'" Geng Zhanchun's words made the reporter feel empathy.
He told reporters that after engaging in literary criticism and research, his main energy was focused on modern poetry, "classical poetry that has been precipitated for a long time basically does not require critics to make new judgments." ”
"You have no problem li bai, du fu, Wang Wei, Meng Haoran, their poetry is very remarkable, after the precipitation of time." In Geng Zhanchun's view, at present, so many modern poetry is a great challenge to the reader's judgment and cognition, "modern poetry may make you fall into a state of chaos and disorder."
Having said that, today's poetry readers can't avoid the times in which they live, and they need to understand modern poetry, as well as the emotions, mentalities, and mental states of modern poets. Geng Zhanchun smiled and said, "I take reading classical poetry as a moment for me to escape and enjoy. ”
He believes that usually poets write about themselves, but in recent years they have begun to pay attention to reality, and they can write what is happening in modern poetry, or create based on some events, which is a visible influence of Du Fu's poetry.
As he once said, many of Du Fu's verses have entered the blood of our language and become part of the Chinese language.
At the end of the interview, Geng Zhanchun, who has been paying attention to the Du Fu Poetry Festival for many years, sent a message to the "Eighth Du Fu International Poetry Week" that will be launched in the near future, not only to discuss Du Fu in the history of poetry, but also to put it in a more far-reaching history and a broader culture, to compare and study him, "I think we can do some expanded work around the Poetry Week." (End)