Comrade Zhong Zhenzhen's "Seeing Famous Artists Up Close" was published. The book contains wonderful stories of her interactions with famous artists, and it is a book that truly belongs to her. I had long hoped for this book, and I am glad that it has been implemented at this time.
Some of the celebrities she wrote about are familiar to me, so it is natural to read them with a more intimate sense of "writing like their people". Her articles have also been praised by many famous writers, among which the author of "No Thieves in the World" and the famous writer Zhao Benfu commented quite representatively: "It is indeed well written! You can continue to do it." Use your perspective to rediscover and rediscover the work of the writer. The literary world is also a river and lake, and it has been a long time since they coaxed each other to warm up. You have a clear spring flowing through the literary world, which is very precious. ”
It is a success for a writer to be recognized by the famous artist himself, and to be recognized by the reader is a greater success. Many of the articles included in this book are selected from her recent "Look at Famous Scholars" column in newspapers and magazines, and some have been reprinted by "Writer's Digest", "Newspaper Digest", Xinhuanet, Global People Network and other media, and several articles have produced good social repercussions after being published in "Today's Headlines". In just a few weeks after the articles were published, they received thousands of comments from readers, many of which were quite pertinent, and I couldn't agree more. Here are a few examples:
"The article is both vivid and rigorous, and it is even more rare to have no exaggeration. ”
"The senior editor's writing is so beautiful!"
"High-level editors and high-level writers, emotional blending, decent reviews, amazing!"
"Character interviews are rare to be able to communicate with the characters. ”
It is not difficult for careful readers to find from these articles that Zhong Zhenzhen has a unique observation and grasp of some details when interacting with famous artists in his writing. It is through such vivid and real descriptions that she brings famous artists to readers.
I was reminded of my first meeting with Zhong Zhenzhen in my office in 2005 when I was discussing the publication of my first book manuscript, Explaining China to the World. Meticulous, profound, and methodical was my initial impression of her. I remember it was in that year that she was awarded the title of editor. As everyone knows, the Press and Publication Administration has always been strict in selecting senior professional titles, and she has received such high recognition when she first reached the age of 41, which shows her outstanding professional ability.
It has been said that "the editor is the author's nanny", and to some extent it is. The entire process of a book from the author's delivery to the printing and publication often takes several months, and some even years. The endurance of the responsible editor puts a lot of effort into this. This process is more appropriate to describe as "such as cutting, such as learning, such as grinding". "Explaining China to the World" is a good example. This book is based on a large number of lectures and conversations I received while working in Shanghai's Pudong New Area and the State Council Information Office. As the editor-in-charge, Zhong Zhenzhen has multiple considerations when selecting and compiling from many original records: it is necessary to have the characteristics of the times, but also to maintain the conciseness and fluency of the spoken language, to match the interests of most readers, and to avoid original passages with similar content, and at the same time to make readers feel like they are on the scene; furthermore, it is necessary to understand the cultural backgrounds of both sides of the dialogue across cultures, taking into account the political leaders, entrepreneurs, and The linguistic characteristics of interlocutors of different identities, such as journalists and even religious leaders, and the titles of the nearly 60 articles she helped to develop are the finishing touches that keep readers hooked at first glance.
A veteran publisher before the book was published was worried that the content was not popular enough, and thought that the number of printed copies in the hundreds was appropriate, but Zhong Zhenzhen, who already had an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the content of the manuscript, clearly said: "This book will have a wide range of readers, especially for those who often participate in foreign exchange activities, and it will also be helpful to journalists, and it is entirely possible to achieve breakthrough results in circulation." This won the support of the editor-in-chief Zhang Haiou at that time. Sure enough, after the publication of this book, the social response was good, and the first printing of 5,000 copies quickly exceeded demand, and in the case of repeated reprints, it also led to the editing and publication of the "sequel" of "Explaining China to the World". The two books have been reprinted more than a dozen times, and even again in September this year. The compilation of such "miscellaneous" manuscripts when edited is not done well will be like a tasteless "platter", and when it is done well, it will be like being carefully cut by a good tailor, so that the content of the manuscript will shine brightly, and even if it is a night walk, it can be widely welcomed everywhere.
The publication of "Riverside Dialogue", a transcript of my conversation with the famous American theologian Louis Parlow, shows Chung's ability to fight tough battles in the form of a countdown. She single-handedly served as the editor in charge of both Chinese and English editions. Because she planned to launch the book at the Beijing International Book Fair that year, she was only left with just two months. In order to make the book perfect in terms of form and content, she edited the manuscript and refined the text, and at the same time carefully selected suitable images for illustration from the vast image libraries of major websites. But she has long been accustomed to undertaking such urgent, difficult, and heavy work. Zhou Kuijie, the former editor-in-chief of New World Publishing House, once said: Zhong Zhenzhen is my most trusted editor. She has indeed never failed to live up to this trust, and the publishing tasks assigned to her have always been completed with high quality and efficiency, so to speak, "without raising the whip and working on her own". At the critical stage before the printing of this book, she was even more against the clock, running to the unit at 6 o'clock in the morning and resting after 12 o'clock in the evening. It was a real sigh of relief when she handed us two authors a sample book that had just come off the printing press and still smelled of ink. After its publication, the book had a wide impact around the world. It is worth mentioning that the major publishing houses use the layout and content (including all the illustrations) compiled by Zhong Zhenzhen. According to an expert specializing in overseas collections, the book is in the collections of libraries in more than 130 countries, including the English version in the Library of Congress.
I often tell some authors that if you can have Zhong Zhenzhen as the editor in charge of your book, you are blessed, and you will get a lot of help. From the adjustment of content, length and structure when writing, to the formulation of the title and headings of the book, the selection of pictures, the treatment of layout, etc., she will have thoughtful and proper arrangements. Being conscientious and responsible for the author and striving for excellence in the manuscript is a working attitude that she has always adhered to. The reason why the famous writers are willing to give her priority on the manuscripts that other publishers want to strive for is, of course, because of their trust in her editing ability.
Once, when I was in a meeting at the Foreign Languages Bureau, I stopped by her office for a short time. I was eager to see what an editor was doing on a day-to-day basis, so I tried to sit in the chair where she usually worked and observe it. In addition to the hundreds of "other people's wedding dresses" that she edited on the bookcase, the pile of manuscripts piled up on her desk was like a small mountain, leaving only a small space in the middle. I fear that she will be "lost" in the dense forest of manuscripts. She smiled and said, "No, there are markings on it." When I looked, it was. Several were revisions sent back by the authors of a series and proofs to be checked, and some were first drafts that she was working on. This can be said to be "miscellaneous and orderly". Seeing the "polishing" marks she left on the manuscripts of her books, I also deeply realized the true meaning of "a good editor is an author who is not a signed author".
Most readers pay attention to the author and publisher first when buying a book, and rarely pay attention to who is the editor in charge of the book. In fact, the responsible editor makes a significant contribution to how a book can be presented in the best possible condition from the first draft (sometimes even the "rough" draft) to the editing and how to present it in the best possible condition. They will also unconsciously pass on their mature experience and experience in dealing with all kinds of authors, including famous masters, so that you can benefit a lot. Perhaps Zhong Zhenzhen should also write a book "Editing Practice" from the perspective of the editorial business, sharing her more than 30 years of rich editing experience with everyone, which will definitely be of great benefit to young people who have just stepped out of school and into the publishing industry.
I look forward to her blooming and wish her even better!
(This article is the preface to the book "A Closer Look at Famous Artists")