Because of the pain, so amorous - reading Mr. Huang Fulin's book "Amorous Land" is a shame to say, and I have not seriously read the entire new book for many years. The new books mentioned here refer not only to contemporary newly published books, but also to all books that have not been touched before, regardless of ancient and modern works. Half because of laziness, and half because I have never encountered a work that can really touch the heart. It's like an old man who has gone through all the vicissitudes, half squinting at the tired old eyes, lazily reclining on the beach by the sea, letting countless boundless spring colors flow from his side, but only knowing to murmur dreams, only to spend time in the past that was once familiar. Obviously, it cannot be said that there are no good books in the books I have not read, but for my own reasons. This was soon confirmed. Renbiao sent Mr. Huang Fulin's "Amorous Land" from the shore of the West Lake thousands of miles away, and the sending was accompanied by Renbiao's warm recommendation and hope. When I opened it, who knew that it was out of control, and I couldn't stop it, and I read the whole book in one breath. Thanks to Renbiao, I finally experienced the joy of reading again. The Amorous Land is a collection of essays on the themes of childhood and hometown. However, it is obviously superficial to regard it only as a work of the author's record of childhood and a reflection on the old sorrows. It is true that most of the narratives in the book are the author's affectionate long-distance looks at the vague and clear distant mountain villages on the shores of Poyang Lake. However, if you savor the author's seemingly hand-picked, scaly and western claw imagery, you will faintly feel a faint and long layer of worry wrapped in calm. Closing the scroll, I seemed to hear once again the writer of the poem more than two thousand years ago, who was slowly walking among the millets, singing: "Those who know me say that I am worried, and those who do not know me say what I want." The Six Patriarchs say in the Sutra: "I want to see the Buddha, but I know all sentient beings." "Beings are not Buddhas themselves, but Buddha-nature is among all beings. Only by knowing all sentient beings can one attain Buddha-nature. "The Amorous Land" describes many "sentient beings" such as people, things, and things in the heavens of the world. Although these images have their own faces and emotions in the author's pen, each has its own vividness and implications, as long as we pay a little attention, we will find that behind each image, the hidden road signs all point to the rich and persistent hole in the author's heart. Dostoevsky said, "I can't be myself without others." I should find myself in others, and find others in me. The depiction of others in literary works is actually the process of the author's own search for himself. From grandma's cooking stove, mother's oil lamp, to the whistle of the old captain, the whistle of Fushun, even the eagle circling in the sky, the jackal running in the wilderness, and the crows in the forest, these things narrated by the author are not only "others" related to the author's childhood and hometown, but also the author's mental refraction of an era. In these people and events, through the author's deep feelings of nostalgia, or sighing, or admiration, or regret, we feel the author's deep reflection on history, the pursuit of life, and the exploration of human nature. For example, in the chapter "Who Quits the Circle of Friends in the Village", the author writes: "It seems that pheasants are still pheasants in the end, and their nature is unrestrained, they are not used to feeding, and they do not need chicken coops." The description of the pheasant in this one points to a question and reflection that has haunted mankind for thousands of years. From the nature of all things, refined to the nature of human beings, and then focused on the nature of the self. Seemingly careless, but jumping pain, it initiates the reader's thinking. Let us can't help but think of Tao Yuanming's immortal famous sentence that has crossed the millennium: "Birds love the old forest, and pond fish think of the old abyss". Yes, the cozy cage will never be able to imprison the wings of freedom. The roaring torch of the spiritual homeland shines throughout the ages, always giving people inspiration, giving people warmth, and giving people the strength not to sink. This was true during the Tao Ling period a thousand years ago, and it is also true today, a thousand years later. Hometown is the childhood of experience, and childhood is the hometown of thought. Lao Tzu said, "Changde is not separated from the baby." Mencius said, "He who is an adult does not lose his heart of a child." "The remarks of the two sages of different schools in Different Schools at different times in China are so consistent here, and they should not be reversed. What is the Heart of the Naked Son? In fact, it is as pure and flawless as a baby, a kind of holiness that cannot be polluted, and a pure land of spiritual refuge. "Amorous Land" looks back at the hometown of childhood, and in the final analysis, it is a call to human authenticity. The characters in the author's pen have no achievements and fame, no sad songs and generosity, but most of them have lost their kindness and innocence. Although ordinary or even mediocre, it is by no means trivial and despicable. In the midst of the chaos and hustle and bustle of the world, the soul is never completely destroyed. It will always make humanity shine and paint the world with a bright color. It is precisely because of such countless bright colors that human history will not be too sad and bleak, and people's narrative of history will not be too boring and heavy. In the "Fushun" chapter, when love is broken by the crushing of the times, and Fushun will walk into the end of life, the author writes: "In the face of the helplessness and powerlessness of fate, Fushun's sister entrusted people to quietly find Xiuhua. As the sun set, Fushun grabbed Xiuhua's hand, unable to say a word, and tears flowed down his cheeks. That night, a trace of wandering soul disappeared into the human world like the sound of a broken string. Here, although Xiuhua humbly withdrew in love for political reasons, when Fushun was dying, she stood up under tremendous pressure. Xiuhua is not noble, but she does not lose her last conscience; not brave, but she remains sincerely strong. At the end of Fushun's life, Xiuhua gives Fushun one last reassurance to his heart. It makes people sigh and can't help but shed tears of sympathy. Although the author writes as many characters as Xiuhua, although the gender is different, the age difference, the personality is very different, and the profession is different, the kindness in the heart, although it is either obvious or weak, strong or weak, or continuous or broken, it will never be extinguished. Balzac said, "Literature is the reproduction of facts and souls." I believe that through the "facts" of the series in the book, readers will appreciate the true "soul" of the author.
"Amorous Land" is like this through the narration of many people and events, burning the beacon of the spiritual homeland, and exalting the pursuit of authenticity. There was no sensational rendering, no deliberate tailoring, no profound preaching. The author only uses real materials, accompanied by the true feelings in the depths of his heart, straight and sincere, light and gentle, and the words are rich, smooth, frank, magnificent and sensitive. The neighborhood songs, relatives and friends, even birds and animals, utensils, plants and trees, etc., filled his memory of the old River Family Mountain, childhood and youth. And your inner affection for the world, the perception of life, and the philosophy of the spirit of sex are also like the gentle wind and rain, lurking in every description of the text - you clearly feel its humidity and temperature, but you don't know when and where it comes from. Literature is the art of language. Speaking of language, I am reminded of the threefold realm of Zen proposed by the Song Dynasty Zen master Qingyuan Xingsi: At the beginning of Zen meditation, looking at mountains is mountains and seeing water is water; when Zen has enlightenment, looking at mountains is not mountains, seeing water is not water; zen enlightenment, seeing mountains is still mountains, seeing water is still water. Here I do not intend to make a clever exposition of the profound doctrine of Zen Buddhism, but only to introduce the language expressed in the appendix "The Land of AmorousNess". The simplicity and nature of language have always been the highest realm pursued by literary scholars. However, without prosperity, there is no way to be simple. Obviously, the naturalness, tranquility, and peace expressed in the author's language are the natural, quiet, and peaceful after experiencing elegance, beauty, and abundance. This is because the author's language is like a beautiful and touching love pursuit story. Every seemingly inadvertent coincidence actually comes from the suitor's elaborate design. The author's language is natural and relaxed, but he can convey his feelings very well, precisely because of his deep ingenuity. This is the reason why the book "Amorous Land" has an extraordinary linguistic charm. Very good, very good. Read a good book, as if you were seeing the deceased.
*About author:Wang Songnian, President of Pojiang Academy, Editor-in-Chief of Poyang Lake Cultural Research, Member of Jiangxi Writers Association.