23 years, 230,000 words, a novel from scratch, breaking into a butterfly. But 230,000 is just the number that is finally fixed on the copyright page, and in the process, it has been reversed and reinvented countless times, and countless deletions and modifications have made this number possible to double that of 230,000.
Recently, the novel "Autumn Madness" was published by the Writers Publishing House, and the launch ceremony and publication seminar of the novel were held in the Friendship Hall of the Shanghai Exhibition Center a few days ago. Wu Yiqin, deputy secretary of the party group and vice chairman of the China Writers Association, Ma Wenyun, secretary of the party committee of the Shanghai Writers Association, Cui Qinglei, executive editor of contemporary Chinese literature, Liu Haigui, professor of the School of Journalism of Fudan University, Liu Xuguang, dean of the School of Literature of Shanghai University, Gao Yuanbao, professor of the Department of Chinese of Fudan University, Zhou Limin, executive deputy director of Ba Jin's former residence, and other experts attended the seminar.
Regarding the slightly strange title of "Autumn Madness", the author of the novel, Su Hong, gave his own explanation: "In addition to the madness and madness we are familiar with, 'madness' actually has a variety of explanations such as 'frivolity', 'unrestrained play', 'crops grow vigorously but do not bear fruit'. From the autumn of 2001 when I thought of this title to the present book, the writing ideas and content have changed greatly compared with the beginning, and even changed beyond recognition, but the title of the book has still been retained. If it was originally thought of it was based on the real autumn, expressing the complex feelings in the face of the difficulties of reality, and the reminiscence and a little envy of the frivolous years and watery years when I was young, then, after more than 20 years, it is now written in the autumn of life, and more conveys my observations and thoughts on the life of 'growing vigorously but not bearing fruit'. This book has been written for more than 20 years without giving up, on the one hand, because of his love for literature, and on the other hand, he has also witnessed his own cherishing and recording of life and life. ”
The "growth samples" of the five characters in "Autumn Madness" are the life trajectories of countless individuals in life: the story begins with the carnival night before the graduation of five young people in the millennium, and continues from the confusing fall of a big man fifteen years later...... Zhou Yu, Liu Chunfu, Qian Jialiang, Sha Gang, and Han Ziji are master's students, and their family backgrounds are very different, and they have taken different jobs after graduation. Zhou Yu was made a "big secretary" by the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee who was about to retire by chance, and he experienced a rollercoaster career experience; Liu Chunfu went from a reporter to the director of the research office of the organization department of the provincial party committee, and finally to the mayor, and the accidental events during this period made him go from the trough of his life to the peak of his life, and then from the peak of his life to the bottom, and the process was embarrassing; behind Qian Jialiang's sword and the success of his business wizard, he reflected all kinds of contradictions and dilemmas between society, law, and morality; Sha Gang and Han Ziji were both children of high-ranking cadres, and their different career choices were reflected. Different value pursuits play different symphonies of destiny......
Wu Yiqin believes that this is not a pure officialdom novel, but the author's understanding and grasp of officialdom is very accurate, and the revelation of the psychological problems of people in officialdom is very profound. This novel provides a good experience for writers on how to write about the times today, and how to track and express them. On the one hand, the author has the ambition of creating a biography for the times, he records the pace of the entire era from the 1980s to the present, and writes the spiritual history and spiritual trajectory of a generation. Elements such as officialdom, workplace, and family are all projections of the entire era, and the changes of this era are actually reflected differently in every workplace life, officialdom life, and family. A big era, cast on each individual, its refraction is different, the author grasped such a ray of light, for this era to leave a very wonderful, colorful record.
Gao Yuanbao pointed out a common problem with today's novels, that is, they are tired of reading: "What is this tiredness? Is it because our writer really has profound thoughts and reflects complex social problems? Is it because his literary penmanship is so superb that he feels tired as a reader, or even a professional reader?" Some people are reluctant to let go after grasping a certain detail, they have to spread it out, expand and write, I have met many people who encounter this problem, maybe the life experience is not so rich, and they cherish it very much when they catch a point, and he wants to dig it from all directions, and write it roundly. However, for "Autumn Madness", he feels that it is very easy to read, and the reason is two words - moderation.
Gao Yuanbao believes that this "moderation" has a variety of meanings, and some authors do not have enough pen power, so they simply wave it or provide big clues to the reader, without polishing the details. But Su Hong's moderation and sense of proportion are well mastered, he is a life-oriented writer, and he has literary accumulation, so he is not as showy as a professional writer, and his works advance quickly and are very readable.
Su Hong is known as the "interloper of literature" because of his special life experience. He served as a soldier, worked as a cadre in a state-owned enterprise, and completed a master's and doctoral degree in the Department of Journalism at Fudan University. He has been writing current reviews, columns, reportage, and dramas, and has been writing tirelessly.
Because of this, Su Hong is classified as a lifestyle writer. However, Zhou Limin feels that there is not much need for the classification of writing identities, and now the identities of writers are generally diversified, such as online literature, and the identities of writers are varied, but they have brought impact, change, vitality, and challenges to traditional writing.
Zhou Limin believes that the story flow of "Autumn Madness" is smooth and perfect. There is a lot of ingenuity behind the author. The grasp of the characters is also in place. The emotional response with the reader is due to the close connection with contemporary life, and the novel touches on the pain points of the past two decades, and the confusion of the new era is revealed. The novel also leaves some room for the reader to associate and interpret for himself.
"He has experienced the green years of 'worrying about new words', and he has also experienced the hesitation and helplessness of people in middle age, 'but the weather is cool for a good autumn', 'life is like a reverse journey, and I am also a pedestrian'" This exclamation printed on the book cover is the epitome of countless people in and out of the book, and it is also the theme of this "alternative workplace novel" that Su Hong has witnessed and experienced in half of his life.
Puller
Like all middle-aged people, they often lament that time flies too quickly, and they often miss the green years of their college days.
Fifteen years ago.
That year coincided with the millennium.
The millennial narrative has its roots in Christian culture. At the end of the millennium, the devil was once again unleashed to deceive mankind. It is such a Christian concept that has nothing to do with the vast majority of Chinese, but it makes countless Chinese ecstatic, full of expectations and yearning, and also allows countless Chinese to extend the carnival and expectations that originally belonged to the Chinese New Year's Eve throughout the year, as if the whole year is overflowing with joy and auspiciousness.
Zhou Yu, Liu Chunfu, Qian Jialiang, Sha Gang, and Han Ziji can't get rid of the vulgar, when the graduation season meets the millennium, without a special sense of ceremony, it is simply a waste of time, a waste of time, and even a bit of "big rebellion".
Zhou Yu, Liu Chunfu, Qian Jialiang, and Sha Gang call themselves the "Four King Kongs" and are graduate students in the same dormitory.
Liu Chunfu is the oldest of them and married, and before entering the school, he was a well-known reporter for the newspaper of the municipal party committee of R City. The deepest impression he has on his classmates and teachers is that he is more mature and sophisticated, and everyone likes to call him "boss". Perhaps it is for this reason that although everyone feels a sense of distance from him, they are always willing to discuss with him once they encounter something.
Qian Jialiang is a native of eastern Zhejiang, and his family has been in business for generations, and soon after entering the university, he contracted the service club in the graduate dormitory area of the South College of the University in the name of someone else. Of course, this is what everyone learned later. Qian Jialiang told everyone more than once that he hoped to become a "business celebrity", and when others asked him why he didn't study at the School of Management, he asked rhetorically, how many of the world's business celebrities were trained by the School of Management?
Among the "Four King Kongs", Sha Gang's situation is the most special. He comes from the army, is 1.83 meters tall, although he usually wears civilian clothes, but occasionally wears a military uniform to participate in major activities in the class and school, which can always attract the attention of a large number of girls. It is said that his father was a high-ranking cadre in the army, but he never admitted it, only saying that he was a martial artist and had never studied at a local university, and that he was studying in graduate school to recharge himself.
Zhou Yu is the youngest, but he is a famous scholar, he has published the most articles, he has studied the "Tao Te Ching", and he has played a set of Tai Chi boxing, and he often goes to the playground to draw a few times in the morning and evening. He is also one of the few people in the class who is in the "ongoing" or "finishing" of love, and his "male and female duet" is Han Ziji from Beijing, who is beautiful, and it is said that the family also has a very good background, plus he can sing and dance, which is the goal pursued by many boys. In her second year of graduate school, she and Zhou Yu fell in love, and they talked about ups and downs, vows for a while, and didn't share the sky for a while, and they didn't know how many times they were separated and combined.
On this day, the school held a grand graduation ceremony, the moment I put on the master's hat, recalling the three years of hard study, looking forward to the future life without the constraints of the school, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, full of infinite reverie and expectation for the vast world outside the campus.
That night, after the four of them had a big meal at a restaurant near the school, their youthful vigor and the hormones released in their bodies rose together with alcohol, and they had an endless urge but could not vent it at will. So, Qian Jialiang proposed to go to a song hall called "From Boys to Men" outside the school to shout a few voices:
"We're going our separate ways soon, we can't afford to live up to this last good time!"
His proposal was immediately echoed by the remaining three.
"That's a great idea! There are four of us, just two boys and two men. Sha Gang clapped his hands excitedly and said, then raised his eyebrows meaningfully at Zhou Yu and said, "Zhou Yu, whether your kid belongs to a boy or a man, it's a little unclear...... There are four of us, '2 boys 2 men' is right?"
"There's a lot you don't understand. Zhou Yu said with a smug smile.
"Makes sense. Zhou Yu, you can't be alone tonight, the school flower must participate!" Liu Chunfu is usually very calm, and after a few glasses of wine, he began to get excited, "Call your Han Ziji." ”
Qian Jialiang also coaxed: "Yes, call Han Ziji." ”
"Okay!" Zhou Yu happily dialed Han Ziji.
Qian Jialiang patted his pocket and said, "I'll pay for it tonight." ”
Liu Chunfu immediately responded: "It just so happens that I have been exploited by you. After speaking, he touched Qian Jialiang's pocket and asked, "Do you have any money with you?"
"Look down on people, don't you!" Qian Jialiang took out his wallet and shook it.
四个人说着已经来到“From Boys to Men”。
Han Ziji seemed to have drunk a lot of wine, and when he saw Zhou Yu coming over at the door, he first opened his arms exaggeratedly and gave him a kiss, and then hugged the other three people one by one.
When it was Qian Jialiang's turn, Han Ziji said: "Old Qian, why don't you let your girlfriend attend your graduation ceremony!"
Qian Jialiang was stunned for a moment and said, "No! Then he said solemnly, "She is here, and I will not be able to enjoy your fragrant kiss tonight." ”
"Hey, if you want to take advantage of me, you have to ask Zhou Yu if you agree. Han Ziji slapped Qian Jialiang with disgust.
"Why don't you take the initiative?" Qian Jialiang made a kiss.
Zhou Yu pretended to be jealous and said, "Jialiang, don't have bad intentions." ”
"Forget it. Qian Jialiang patted Han Ziji on the shoulder and teased Zhou Yu, "So stingy!"
The lights in the room were dim.
Several people sat down separately. Qian Jialiang waved his hand to the waitress: "Bring us a case of beer." ”
Sha Gang immediately stopped and said, "Don't! Don't!"
Qian Jialiang thought that Sha Gang didn't want to drink, so he said: "It's rare to get drunk." ”
Sha Gang pointed at Han Ziji and said, "With Han Da Beauty, why do you have to go up to the next level?"
"A bottle of red wine?" Qian Jialiang understood what Sha Gang meant, and was about to instruct the waiter, but immediately said, "Let's have a bottle of black square." ”
Sha Gang interrupted Qian Jialiang's words: "Why don't you have a bottle of Macallan!"
"Don't rip it off, let's get cheaper. Liu Chunfu started a round.
Zhou Yu didn't know what White and Black were, and looked at them a little blankly.
"I would like to dedicate an English song to you, When You Believe. Han Ziji picked up the microphone, "Everyone is going to go their separate ways, 'as long as you believe, a miracle will appear', I wish you all a bright future!"
Han Ziji's singing skills are good, and his pronunciation is also accurate. With her singing, the longing heart of the graduation season also soared:
Many nights we’ve prayed 许多夜晚我们曾恳切祈祷
with no proof anyone could hear 尽管不是任何人都能听到
In our hearts a hopeful song 在我们的心中，有一首充满希望的歌
We barely understood 我们几乎听不懂
Now we are not afraid 如今我们不再害怕
although we know there's much to fear 尽管我们知道仍然有很多事情令人畏惧
We were moving mountains long 翻山越岭后
before we knew we could... 才知道自己能做到
This is a very inspirational song, but Han Ziji's slightly hoarse treble makes people hear a bit of vicissitudes from it. Everyone sang along:
Who knows what miracles 谁能知道自己
You can achieve 会实现什么奇迹
When you believe somehow you will 只要你相信就会以某种形式成功
You will when you believe... 只要你相信奇迹就会出现
That night, everyone had a great time, and it lasted until more than one o'clock in the morning.
It was also on that night that the drunken Han Ziji pulled the drunk Zhou Yu to make a break. In a nearby hotel, she made Zhou Yu realize the transformation of "from boy to man", and also left Zhou Yu's heart with eternal pain......