The Paper's reporter Xu Xiao
Sun Li is a famous contemporary literary figure in China and a representative figure of the "Lotus Dian School". His literary creation spanned his entire life and achieved remarkable achievements. A few days ago, his "Complete Compilation of Books and Clothing Records" was published by the Hundred Flowers Literary and Art Publishing House.
Sun Li has been a lover of books and cherishes books all his life, and once said, "I love and protect books to the point: the dirty ones are pure, the folders are flat, the hands are mu before reading, the placement after reading, and the wen gong cherishes books, but it is like si." From an early age, he developed the habit of giving school bags and book covers, calling them "book clothes" to prevent pollution and damage. Even after reading it several times, the book is still as good as new.
In the early 1970s, Sun Li's body was "liberated", but his creation and publication were still restricted. At home, he sorted out the old books that had been returned after raiding the house. He collected waste kraft paper everywhere, such as asking for it from his newspaper colleagues: "Six more photographic envelopes from Ma Yingsuo to wrap books"; over time, everyone knew his hobbies, "Those who used to put paper baskets into the paper basket, now they all stuffed me in drawers", simply stuffed them into the drawers of his office; and even "suitable for the Spring Festival Condolences of the Propaganda Department of the Municipal Party Committee, carrying a package of fruits", he immediately poured out the fruits, cut paper and wrapped books, and he himself felt that "wrapping books has become a habit, and this devil is also afraid.".
During this period, packaging old books, Sun Li said, was completely "to kill time and discharge depression." Therefore, when reviewing and trimming these books, they often read and think as they please, and casually record their thoughts and feelings on the clothes, which is the "book and clothes".
Sun Li did not initially think of publishing it publicly, nor did he want to hide it in the famous mountains, but at the beginning of reform and opening up, "during the period of ideological emancipation, the literary road was widely opened, beyond the great river, and did not abandon the trickle." When newspaper editors asked him for manuscripts, he "sorted it out a little, collected it for publication in the context of books."
According to the research of Liu Zongwu, an expert in Sun Li's research and former secretary general of the Tianjin Sun Li Research Association, the earliest of the "books and clothing records" collected now was written in 1956 and 1965, and only a few were written. A large number of them were written from 1972 to 1976, and then fell ill again in 1995. The most written in 1975 was more than a hundred.
Since the 1980s, from content to form, the "Book and Clothing Records" have gone far beyond the scope of "killing time and discharging accumulation", and have developed a style of reading, discussing the world, and expressing spiritual feelings.
On the whole, Sun Li's "Book and Clothing Records" is contrary to the traditional way of writing the inscriptions of the collection of books, and the content is vivid and lively, not only Sun Li's evaluation of the content and editions of the books he collects, but also the daily thoughts, thoughts, and what he sees and hears under his hands; his writing form is not sloppy, the length can be long or short, both book words and casual feelings, and can also be regarded as a diary; its writing is simple and unpretentious, peaceful and indifferent, there is no sharp edge, and a few words are into the wood and cut to the point. It also reveals a little bit of pity and helplessness of a generation of literary masters in special times and special circumstances, so it is also a true monologue of Sun Li's personal inner world.
For example, when he was in an extraordinary period and could only do "the song of the cicada of the cold tree, the insect of the autumn grass", on the cover of the "Journey to the West", after writing down the version and history, he wrote a "book proverb": indifferent to the old age, no competition and no dispute. Hold on to the cripple and keep the deficiencies, in order to be at peace. I am very protective of books: the dirty ones are pure, the folded ones are flat, the hands are bathed before reading, the placement after reading, and the books are warm and cherished, but they are like si. Don't be a bookworm, don't be a bookworm. Don't be rigid, don't believe it. The world is changeable, cloudy and sunny. Mountaineering wading, rain and wind. Things are concentrated and dispersed, and the damage increases when it is lost. Not tired, is a high level. In just ninety-six words, it not only expresses the heart of loving books, but also has the transparency after the wind and rain.
On May 1, 1974, he wrote in "Erya Yishu": "This broken book was purchased from the ghost market, and I wanted to throw it away, but I went back and forth with the books." The rich lose, the useless survive. As a last resort, on this holiday, dress up for it, and follow the natural laws of things. "Those who want to stay can't stay, and those who want to throw back, Sun Li thinks that the world is like this, let nature take its course."
Of course, there are new discoveries. The "Rizhilu" was much idle by Sun Li, and when he finished it on September 19, 1981, he wrote: "Today, I suddenly wrapped this book to breathe my brain. Occasionally reading one or two articles, then its arguments are practical and refined, and there are many people who are in line with today's situation, and the theories of great Confucianism are worthy of the name. ”
In addition to the content related to reading, the book and clothing records have many home and country feelings and trivialities of life, showing Sun Li's life state and mental journey in his later years. There are feelings in the context of the times, such as writing in the book "Cao Zi Jianji" on February 14, 1977: "It is also the twilight of the year. Recall that within a year, the individual country, the natural affairs and personnel affairs, are very important. The mood is full of feelings, although the name of the hall is evening shu, but I don't know whether I can get comfort or not. However, we should still encourage self-respect, abstain from floating easily, read quietly, do not hurt ourselves in the past, and do not give up on ourselves in the present. Guilty about his family, in February 1995, he wrote in the "Preliminary Compilation of My Academic Records": "I went out on a journey for eight years and returned to bury my father; I was sick in Qingdao, and my old mother died and did not return; during the 'Cultural Revolution', I buried my wife and did not send her." Yu Li is not thoughtful, and the hatred is also for life. "It's a touching read.
On January 11, 1967, in the "Sima Wen Metric", Sun Li wrote down the news of the death of Premier Zhou Enlai: World public opinion: A lamp in five continents has been extinguished. Zhou died. Endure tears and listen to the radio. Nantong News Agency said: China has no week, unimaginable, but has become an ironclad fact. Another outsider asserted that no one could replace him. Another outsider commented: Without him, the world would be different from when he was there. Kyodo News Agency said: Beijing citizens quietly restrained their grief and lined up to buy obituary. On the 13th, he wrote in the book "Essays on Painting the Zen Room": Tonight to the neighbors to watch TV: farewell to the body of the prime minister. I haven't watched movies for many years, and what I saw tonight, the older generation has frosted white hair, and I can't help but feel sad... Sun Lixiang has no diary, and this kind of calligraphy and clothing in fact constitutes Sun Li's diary, which reveals the truth and provides us with a rare "deep" perspective on modern and contemporary Chinese literature.
As an "original" form of writing of Sun Li, the "Book and Clothing Records" occupies a pivotal position in Sun Li's works, and has always been valued and loved by the research community, the publishing community and the majority of readers, and is one of the parts of Sun Li's works that can best show his academic accomplishment, ideological trajectory and living conditions.
"The writing style of the 'Wenlu' and the book clothes as the carrier are a path that Sun Li has opened up for himself in the thorny world, which can lead to a remote and recuperative path, and it is also a flat boat that he has built for himself to break the wind and waves, or a working platform full of cultural meaning that he has created in the turbid world." Yan Qingsheng, a research expert at Sun Li and a professor at Shaanxi Normal University, once commented.
Since the publication of the "Records of Books and Clothes" (edited by Liu Zongwu and Shandong Pictorial Publishing House) in 1998, readers have read the image of Sun Li, which is completely different from that in the language textbooks, and feels that it is sincere, vivid and interesting, and bluntly says that it is "like a lotus flower map unfolding in the grand sun", or even some people think that it can be regarded as "a microblog collection". As the writer Zhang Zongzi said, the moving place of "book and clothing" is not to comment on the books read, but to record the life of a book lover. Some small details, small stories, small discussions, small feelings, and feelings of the times are better than many grandiose articles.
In 2013, the centenary of Sun Li's birth, the Hundred Flowers Literary and Art Publishing House re-compiled and published the "Sun Li Anthology" (supplementary edition), for which a large-scale collection of Sun Li's scattered works was carried out. During this period, more than 300 manuscripts of "Books and Clothing Records" were found in Sun Li's family, and from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, the Hundred Flowers Literary and Art Publishing House sorted out these precious manuscripts, and in 2015, it edited and published the "Book and Clothing Records (Handwriting)", which caused a great sensation in the publishing industry at that time.
At that time, due to various reasons, some of Sun Li's bookcases could not be opened, and in these unopened bookcases there may also be "book and clothing" manuscripts, which became a major regret in the hearts of the editors who participated in the collection and sorting out of the "books and clothes" manuscripts. In 2019, with the strong support of Sun Li's family, the publishing house conducted a comprehensive review of Sun Li's collection of books, so that not a single one was missed, and a large number of unpublished manuscripts were found. These newly discovered manuscripts of "Book and Clothing" plus the more than three hundred articles previously discovered, as well as the "Book and Clothing Records" discovered by the academic community in recent years, the publishing house sees that the time is ripe for publishing the "complete edition".
According to reports, in order to facilitate readers to read, the "Complete Compilation of Books and Clothing Records" edited and published this time is presented in the form of manuscript photocopied with interpretations, and an appendix is also added. The appendix includes the "Records of The Book" that do not have a manuscript, as well as the Jia Shu Li Ji, the Continuation of the Li Shu, the Three Records of the Li Shu, the Four Records of the Li Shu, and the Inscription of the Cultivating Hall. In the process of editing, try to write the year and month according to the original inscription of the "Book and Clothing Record", and if it involves a set of books, it will be included in the catalog according to the time of the inscription of the first volume (volume). In addition, the interpretation is based on the original appearance of the manuscript as much as possible, and is not unified and standardized according to the current publishing standards.
(This article refers to Liu Zongwu's "Sun Li who Loves Books and His "Book-clothing Records"" and Ah Ying's "Sun Li and His <Shuyi Records>")
Editor-in-Charge: Chen Shihuai
Proofreader: Ding Xiao