For a while, I was preparing to write a few reading notes on foreign literature, and while choosing a bibliography, I found something very interesting.
Foreign literature refers to the literature of countries in the world except Chinese literature. Literally, this is obviously a good distinction, which is a collective term for literary works created by writers of foreign nationality.
However, the actual situation is very complicated.
In the process of reading, I found that there are many writers who have changed their nationality. They started living in China, but then emigrated abroad and changed their nationality.
In this way, from the perspective of blood, they are still Chinese, but according to nationality, they are obviously classified as foreigners.
These people are collectively referred to as Chinese, although they are well divided by nationality. But in literary works involving writers, the problem becomes complicated again.
Why?
When reading Chinese modern and contemporary literature, I found that there are some people who are very special.
For example, Yan Geling, Zhang Ailing, etc., they are all American nationals.
Whether it is Yan Geling's "Fanghua" or Zhang Ailing's "Love in the Fallen City", they are all excellent literary works that we are familiar with.
But in real terms, they have actually left the identity of "Chinese" and are a "foreigner" without compromise.
According to this international division, the literary works they create have actually been included in American literature.
Surprisingly, their works are still contained in China's modern and contemporary literature.
That is to say, as foreigners, the literary works they write are still divided into Chinese literature.
This surprised me.
In addition to his surprise, a nameless fire rose up in his heart.
Why do these writers immigrate? If you are an immigrant, why change your nationality? Isn't it bad to be a Chinese? Why do you want to develop in China after changing your nationality?
At that moment, my heart became a little extreme, and at one point I thought it was a sign of unpatrioticism, full of incomprehension and anger at their actions.
Slowly, the mood calmed down, and I discussed these issues with a few good friends.
There are still no results for the division of Chinese foreign literature, but for those writers who change their nationality, there is slowly more understanding.
We found that many Chinese writers immigrated abroad after the founding of New China.
Combined with the national conditions of that period, it seems that there are some reasons and justifications for the practice of changing nationality.
Especially during the ten years of the Cultural Revolution, the whole country had a huge impact on literary and artistic workers and intellectuals.
During this time, they were subjected to various persecutions and humiliations, forcing them to flee their homes and flee abroad.
Or because of marriage problems, it seems that it is okay to change the nationality for love.
Since it is impossible to define a person by nationality, it is better to shift your attention to time and use the node of time to make a simple division of such writers, which seems to have a good effect.
That is to say, before these immigrant writers changed their nationality, that is, when they still had Chinese nationality, their literary works obviously belonged to Chinese literature. After changing their nationality, the literary works they later created also belonged to foreign literature.
Dividing a writer's life into two segments becomes clearer.
In general, this division makes a lot of sense. However, from the bloodline, culture, law and many other factors, there are too many problems.
Writers with Chinese ancestry write about foreign cultures, how is this defined? The law stipulates the division of nationality, but the content of literary works is Chinese culture, so how to understand?
In short, the division between Chinese literature and foreign literature, in any way, placed on this group of writers who have changed their nationality, has become extremely complicated and difficult to make a real distinction.
It is better to put down this problem first, and then use your own cognition and your own views to judge when you are facing it.
Whether it is Chinese literature or foreign literature. This is the spiritual wealth that we and all of humanity share.
The benevolent see the benevolent, and the wise see the wise. Those things that need to be disputed, let go first.
The knowledge contained in literary works is what we need to absorb the most.
Although The frontier is heavy on the sea, the car book family.
Literature has no borders.
#诗文杂话 #