This article is from the B04-B05 edition of the Beijing News Book Review Weekly's September 2 feature "Alvaro Mutis: The Hidden Captain".
"Theme" B01 丨 Alvaro Mutis
"Theme" B02-B03 丨 Mutis: Life's Omnivores
Theme B04-B05 | "The Adventures and Misfortunes of Macrolore": The Accident and Defeat of Life
"History" B06-B07 | "The Long Rest of Life": a Northern Wei palace girl and her ups and downs
"Literature" B08 | In a Crisis of Civilization: A Tribute to Elliot
Acclaimed seven-part piece
"Every good novel is a mystery about the world."
It is estimated that when Márquez wrote this sentence, he would not have thought that the poet Mutis, the lifelong friend who had benefited him a lot in literature and the long-term reader of his works, would "read "Remembrance of the Watery Years" every few days from beginning to end" or "too kind old and good people" who "wandered in balzac's wonderful forest of words" would really devote himself to writing after retirement, just like a pilot who would settle down without a parachute. He would not have imagined that this old man, who had been a legend all his life, was in his sixties, and that it took only six years to write the "Great Miracle in the History of Literature": "The Adventures and Misfortunes of Macrolore". Later, in the article congratulating Mutis on his seventieth birthday, Márquez gave the highest praise to his old friend and the legendary "Watchman Mark Lore" he created, and proved that he was indeed the person who knew Mutis best:
"His book, pick one at random, read the first page, and you will understand that the whole work of Alvaro Mutis, together with his whole life, is conveying with certainty a message: the lost paradise can never be recovered again. Mark loll is not alone, it is obvious. We are all Mark Lore. ”
Anyone who has read "The Adventures and Misfortunes of Macrolore" knows that these praises are by no means excessive. Márquez knew very well that among them, only Mutis could write such a great book of "mysteries about the world", creating an unclassifiable legend like Markroll and an incomparably vast world. He knew that, in addition to Macrollore's legendary experiences and the blows of doom, Mutis's greatest contribution was actually to create a "lost paradise", a strange world in which they could convince their old friends that they had also been in it—a masterpiece that could even make their already ended lives suddenly feel like a prologue restart.
The Adventures and Misfortunes of Markloor won Mutis the Cervantes Prize, the highest honor in Spanish literature in 2001, consisting of seven novels, "The Snow of Almirante", "Ilona Comes with the Rain", "The Death of Beauty", "The Last Stop of the Cargo Ship", "Amirbar", "Ship Dreamer Abdel Bashar", and "Trilogy of Land and Sea". The protagonist of this world is Mark lol, who is called the "lookout" by his friends, and the biggest feature of his life is that "no matter where he lives, no matter how he lives, he is always an exile."
Alvaro Mutis.
Life is for the sake of defeat after defeat
Despite his countless legendary experiences, Macrolore is not a "hero" - because he never pursues any "success", and every time he sets out, he has no plan in advance, no goal, and is left to fate to leave everything to chance. All he wants is to wander between land and sea, rather than stay somewhere for too long, so he can do anything: to run to the rainforest for the wood business that may not really exist, to endure the harsh environment, to run a bar in the cold mountains, to open a secret brothel in a port city, to participate in the business of smuggling arms, and even to try to find an old gold mine... And with these events, it was enough to destroy his bad luck every time, leaving him on the verge of extinction again and again, and even the ghost door closed.
Markroll was not a realist, but he was also not a nihilist. Perhaps for him, reality is essentially the same as nothingness, and it will make people fall into a solidified state. And it is precisely in order to get rid of the shackles of reality and avoid falling into the abyss of nothingness that he has set off again and again, without hesitation, throwing himself into an unknown world full of various risks. He knew that he was doomed to all kinds of tragic failures, but he could bear it all because he had long believed that "everything has failed helplessly before it is done... We are born with the gift of defeat. ”
In a sense, he is not like a "modern man." It could even be argued that it may have been Don Quixote who was more spiritually related than to the modern adventurers. It's just that his body is always shrouded in a strong sense of tragedy. Perhaps, it is precisely because there is no utilitarianism or practical purpose that his failure is complete, and at the same time he will never be defeated. In the words of his friend Sverre, who later committed suicide, as long as you are alive, you are immortal. This is an intriguing statement. Perhaps to him, Macrolore was like a mythical figure, such as Prometheus, bound to the cliffs of the Caucasus, and the pain of his misfortune, miraculous recovery and re-departure, was not like Prometheus being pecked at the liver by the vulture sent by Zeus every day and then healing at night? However, Prometheus is the god of immortality, and Macrolore will inevitably die after all.
It is indeed difficult to understand The Logic of Macrolore's behavior from the perspective of modern people, because most of his behavior is outside the conventional logic. He accepted the accident unconditionally. He is not a fatalist, but still sees these incidental triggers as some kind of revelation of fate. There was nothing he could not accept, not even death itself. There was nothing he couldn't let go of, not even the feelings that moved him the most.
Illustration of the novel The Adventures and Doom of Markroll.
A lost paradise in time
In the long seven-part series, countless stories come like a tidal wave, but no matter which paragraph you have reached, there is a vague feeling that all the stories are always turbulent nearby, and they are constantly generating a sea-like existence.
The novel has a strange and ambiguous sense of time. In Macrolore's world, time is not linear, the time of each event is circular, and the beginning and end of each ring of time coincide with Markroll. When we are immersed in the sea of his stories, feeling this circular time like a ripple, dissolving in the continuous swing, and naturally unfolding in the new swing, in fact, we often forget the existence of time, as if Markroll's world is outside of time, and has nothing to do with real time in any sense.
Perhaps for Mutis, Markol's world, along with Homer, Aeneid, One Thousand and One Nights, and Don Quixote, belonged to the same world of boundaries and ends, a world full of wonders that would allow real time to completely dissolve. At a time when Macrolöl continues to restart the wandering path, the modern world is also completing a high degree of social governance in the name of civilization - the possibility of Macrolöl being able to wander at will, the unrealistic imagination space, will be swallowed up by this incomparably powerful system. As a result, time has never been as clearly linear as it is in modern society. Thus mutiss's world of Macrolöll, a sea of stories full of ambiguous circular time, must be the "lost paradise" of the unfortunate blind people who are accustomed to all the rules of the real world, and who will not think about it until they die.
Perhaps Mutis did not want to be a writer of any era, for what he really cared about was the final "myth" of the free existence of man in an increasingly mechanized and systematic modern world—the life and soul of a man who would forever refuse to be placed in any place and as an identity person, as Macrolone's life showed, and would not become any socialized person who could be classified except to be himself.
"I'm interested in how to explore a world that's foreign to me. That kind of challenge is what keeps me alive and keeps me from going to die. The ocean always brought it to me, sometimes even horribly generously. So, when I come to land, I feel a kind of anxiety, and the restrictions make me depressed, even suffocated, and every time I climb the ladder, the feeling disappears, because it means that I have to go with the boat for some shocking trip. ”
In this confession, it is not difficult to see The indifference and calmness of Macrolöll that is between rationality and irrationality. For those who are accidentally intertwined with the trajectory of their lives, his world is completely open, as if every encounter is providence; But for those who are full of realist survival needs, his world is closed, they simply cannot imagine, and there may be such a world full of uncertainty, accidental coincidence, and vague sense of morality and order.
Mutis (left) with Márquez.
In the constant adventures, the closest relationship with Markol is Abdul Bashur. Although this person often ventured like Mark loll, he was always tied to family and origin. Unlike Markroll, who believed that everything was inherently a failure, Abdul "believed that anything was possible, that those who became losers were others, stupid people who were conservative in their thinking and eroded the world with their own sophistry and whitewashed ancestral genetic weaknesses." "He has an obsession with having a perfect cargo ship. In the process of reading this novel, whether he appears or not, you will feel that he is like a shadow everywhere, but it does not seem to be really there. He was very different from Markroll's breath, but mentally so compatible, like a twin.
They remind me of Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund. But Hesse wrote fables and fairy tales, imagined compromises for the reconciliation of spirit and flesh, Narciss was obsessed with spiritual enlightenment in religious belief, and Goldmund enjoyed the beauty of life and art in his wanderings, and finally it seemed that the two ended up together. In Mutiss, the brutal modern world simply does not leave any room for this innocence. Thus, what Macrollor and Abdul chose, "they wandered outside the mainstream of our age of folly and darkness." "In fact, it is never captured by this modern social system, always walking through the gaps or the edges, no fixed identity, no home, always only aimless departure... Neither seeking spiritual enlightenment nor indulging in the love of life, but without concern, this is a complete self-exile.
A narrative that shifts and shifts
Mutis's narrative skills can be said to be used to the extreme in this Seven Macrolores. He has given the art of narrative an unprecedented change and richness, which can not only be quietly transformed between vision, feeling, intuition and association, but also allow the scenery, details and human breath of those different places to continuously surge and merge. You don't even feel like you're listening to a story, but you're following Markroll into the mountains, the storms of the sea, and the men and women who are always very strange, and in addition to lamenting the incredible adventures and devastating doomsdays, you will be infected and even fascinated by the infinity of Macrolore's world, and even really believe that he will not die.
Yes, under Mutis's guidance, you will even accept that Markloll is his friend in reality, and Márquez and many other friends also know him. However, in Markroll's magnificent and wonderful picture of life generated by the failure of adventures and misfortunes, it will not be until the end that Mutis will let you suddenly see the loosening of The Door of Markloor's heart. After Abdul's plane crash, his illegitimate son, five-year-old Jamel, was cared for a year by Mark lore like his father. Then, unexpected changes occurred:
"Living with Jamil gave me many inspirations, and the absurd wanderings of the past were gradually blurred, and it was difficult to establish a connection between the two. In any case, the truth is that I have reached a state of apathetic acceptance of everything, simply because this child has entered this dark labyrinth—people have built it up, only to finally walk into the tiny grave of phyla butter and dust, and we have, as always, simplified it in a regrettable way, calling it life. I don't know what the future holds for Jameel. But I knew that his year-long companionship had a rediscentive connotation to me, and that if it didn't turn me into another person, at least it made me a reclusive spectator, silently watching our struggle against darkness, and its only source of dignity was trying to preserve the child we were. ”
Hidden in this passage is the most important secret about Mark lore, as the priest's friend Mawson Ferran revealed: "I think you have always been that child." It's just that you didn't know it before, but you know it now. The child in your body is the one who will understand and love Jamil, and it is he who saved you. ”
However, Mawson did not expect that even so, it would still not be able to prevent Marklore from setting off again. And this time, he threw himself into the arms of the god of death.
Attached: The Adventures and Misfortunes of Markrolle is a seven-part series
1 Snow of Almirante
The main part is a diary written by Mark lore on a journey through the rainforest in search of a lumber mill. The diary records the people and events he met on the way, the scenery he saw, and his thoughts about life, life, and especially his thoughts about the rout.
Markroll was recuperating at an inn called "The Snow of Almirante" because of illness, during which he had a close relationship with the innkeeper Flor, but accidentally heard that it was profitable to go to the timber factory upstream of the rainforest to do the business of transporting timber, and the idea of going up the river came up, Flor questioned the reliability of the business, but still gave the savings to Macrollor for his use on the road.
It wasn't until Mark loll arrived that he realized that the factory had long since been abandoned. He parted ways with the crew and went to look for Flor, only to find that the "Snow of Almirante" was in ruins and Flor was nowhere to be found. The rest of the crew went down the river and sank the ship at Angel Pass, but the body was not found.
2 "Ilona Arrives with the Rain"
With no money, Macrolore was stranded in Panama, unable to find a job and in debt to the room. I met Ilona by chance when the rainy season came. To help MarkOl out of her predicament, she thought of the carnal business of "Stewardess". Business is constantly flowing, and small crises that arise from time to time are also resolved one by one. The two, who didn't like stability, decided to make enough money and left. But at this time, he met the enigmatic Larissa who had come to be a prostitute. Larissa lives on a scrapped boat by the sea. She came to Panama on this ship. Before boarding the ship, she refused the captain's request to have sex and lived alone in a cramped, dilapidated cabin.
Larissa begs Macrolone to persuade Ilona to stay and not abandon her, but Macrolore refuses, leaving her to find Ilona herself. Ilona decided to go to the abandoned ship the day before leaving Panama to find Out with Larissa. As a result, the gas pipe exploded, and both were burned into coke. Firefighters thought Laliza had opened the air valve.
3 "The Death of Beauty"
During his stay in Silver Harbor, Markol met a merchant and became involved in the business of transporting goods to the mountains. On the way back they met an officer who told the truth about the cargo, which was actually weapons and ammunition delivered to the anarchist army. Markroll completed the transport as instructed by the officer. Return to the hotel amid the sounds of the warring sides. Ampalo's cousin came to tell them that on the way to escape, he was caught firing by both sides, leaving him alone in the entire coffee garden, and both the owner of the manor and Ampalo died under the gunfire. With the help of the innkeeper, Markol bought a boat to leave Silver Harbor at night, but was captured by government forces and imprisoned. The officer who had promised to help him was dead, and no one knew the truth. After several interrogations, Markolol was finally released and left Silver harbor. Before leaving, the innkeeper told him that she knew Flor, who had been worried about Markloll, fearing that markroll would think that she had abandoned him.
4 "The Last Stop of the Cargo Ship"
On a business trip, I became friends with the hired captain Ituri, and the two sides were amazed at how much they had in common. After a few chats, I learned that the captain was the captain of the "Divine Kingfisher". He meets Markolol and Bashur in Antwerp, and Bashur's sister Waltan wants to travel to Europe and hires Ituri as the captain of her ship to help her with her business. Ituri was deeply attracted to Valtan, and after a few brief meetings, Valtan was also emotional to him. Both of them know that their relationship is destined to be separated, and when the old ship "Kingfisher" can't hold on, their relationship will end. They still met when the ship was still parked, and Valtan decided to return to Lebanon, and the two agreed to meet at the next stop. Just as Valtan returned to Lebanon, the Kingfisher crashed, and the two never saw each other again. Valtan returns to his previous life with a void that can no longer be filled by Ituri's absence.
5 Amir Barr
In an inn in San Miguel, Markol meets the waitress Dora, whose brother is very good at the ore veins, and takes Markloor through several experiments to find a hole where it is possible to dig a gold mine. When the two were staying outside the mine, they heard the wind echoing in the mine, issuing the cry of "Amir Barr", so they named the mine. Markol and Dora's brother return to the mine to start a gold panning, which sells the gold they have mined, but in the process of a sale, he is arrested for a misunderstanding and is seriously injured and unable to move when released. Macrolöll remained alone in the mine, in a state of sluggishness. Dora asks a distant relative, Antonia, to help. Antonia knew that Macrolore was a wanderer who could not settle down, but she was increasingly afraid of separation, and Dora warned and counseled her, but to little use. On one night when the two went to the river to pan for gold, Antonia poured kerosene on Him when Markloll was asleep and tried to burn him to death. Mark lol escaped and decided to go out to sea from the harbor.
6 "Ship Dreamer Abdel Bashur"
I happened to meet Abdul's sister at the airport. At that time, Bashur had died, and after this encounter, she sent me all the photos and letters about Bashur at hand. I wrote down these memories of Bashur. Bashur was bent on owning a dream ship, but each time either he could not go unsatisfactory, or the ship was sent for repair. After a series of adventures with best friend Mark lol, Bashur gradually undergoes irreversible changes after the death of the two's closest female friend, Ilona. Finally, one day, Markol found a ship and realized that this was what Bashur had dreamed of, and he paid a deposit for Bashur to see. Bashur also realized that this time his dream would come true. However, on the way there, the plane crashed, and Bashur fell with the plane and died. Among the materials sent by Bashur's sister, the earliest is a photograph of Bashur standing in front of the wreckage of a crashed plane as a child.
7 "Sea and Land Trilogy"
This section tells three important things in Macrolöl's life, as well as his relationship with three people.
The first story is the fisherman Jensen. Before he committed suicide, he said that he had always known that one day he would decide not to put up with it anymore, and he just waited for this day to come. In fact, Mark Lore is also doing the same thing as Jensen with navigation.
The second story is the painter Alejandro Obregon. Obregun accidentally saves Markol, who was beaten, and has forged a deep friendship ever since. He felt that what Obregorn wanted to paint was life itself, not the daily life of people day after day.
The third story is Bashur's son. Markrol took care of the boy for a year and developed a deep friendship with him, a attachment he had never experienced in his life, and after the boy was picked up by his mother, Marklor fell into depression.
Text/Zhao Song
Editor/Miyako Liu Yaguang
Proofreading/Xue Jingning