I remember old Balzac

Author: Ye Zhaoyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: In the long river of history and culture, numerous great works have accumulated, nourishing future generations. What do successful writers and novelists read? The soulful and vivid descriptions by the novelist Ye Zhaoyan guide us closer to the masters! "Remembering the Old Balzac" is only one chapter of the book, not the entirety of it. The book consists of two parts: Part One, "Clicking on the Masters," provides a detailed discussion of the authors and works the author admires; Part Two, "Very Notable Points," briefly introduces the author's favorite bedside reading. The reason for choosing this as the book's title is mainly because Balzac holds a particularly important place in the author's literary career: "It was a fascination with Balzac that led me to start writing novels, already in the late 1970s. I transitioned from an ignorant literary youth to a genuine literary young man." Balzac's influence on the author was immense, almost making him one of the most important spiritual mentors in his dedication to literary creation. "For me, Balzac's significance lies not only in creating a rich literary world but also in his way of working as a writer." ("Remembering the Old Balzac") He therefore speaks specifically of and admires Balzac's "working method." This primarily refers to Balzac's wholehearted dedication to literary creation, his superhuman will, and his warrior-like courage and confidence. However, in that era of, Balzac, as an outstanding writer with great aspirations, was not recognized by his time and "drank the cup of suffering for a long time." The author's true intent is that a great writer of an era may sometimes be lonely, but a true writer should not abandon the noble pursuit of literary creation. Balzac's "working method" holds universal exemplary significance for writers with genuine aspirations, and it is undoubtedly a noble model for our current literary creation. The author carefully reflects on the classics of literary masters, but in this book, he does not merely discuss their literary techniques in general. Instead, he often addresses the shortcomings of contemporary literary creation, revealing his strong "sense of the contemporary" regarding the development of Chinese literature. It is not that literary techniques should not be valued, but he is disdainful and deeply concerned about an excessive emphasis on "literary techniques": "Twentieth-century literature gained technique but lost the vitality of the nineteenth century. There is no sign of improvement in the prospects of twenty-first-century literature. Society is advancing, and bookstores are filled with books every day, yet both reading and writing seem to face serious obstacles in terms of original impulse. Technological progress cannot solve all problems. Sometimes, progress can become a burden, turning into decay and weakness, just as a theory of gourmet cuisine cannot solve a lack of appetite. The more advanced the technology, the farther it moves away from the essence of literature. As a highly accomplished contemporary writer, Ye Zhaoyan often has his own unique insights when reading the works of masters. For example, he believes that the greatness of Don Quixote lies in "through a series of failures and hardships, expressing the awkward circumstances of humanity in pursuing ideals, and recreating the universal situation we find ourselves in," rather than being a ridiculous character: "What is laughable is that we foolishly think Don Quixote is ridiculous." ("Mr. Cervantes or the Knight of the Quixote") He also has a new understanding of Gorky, no longer merely "the swallow": "Like the Soviet writers who were purged and died tragically, he too was a victim, a tragic figure in the long scroll of the century" ("Revolutionary Literary Giant Gorky"). And so on. The author often breaks free from conventional views and presents fresh perspectives. Whether readers agree with these opinions or not, the author's analysis certainly offers profound insights. Getting closer to the masters, we gain not only literary improvement but, more importantly, a sense of humanistic sentiment, wisdom, and new reflections on life and society. The charm of masters lies in their freshness with every reading. Reading the reading notes of literary masters is one way to get closer to them; if masters are a forest, this could be said to be a beautiful "Forest Path" that guides us into the forest.