Blade in Clear Water: Selected Readings from Lu Xun's Award-Winning Novels

Author: Ye Guangjin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: Young readers, the series of books you see here have been selected and edited from the novels of two. People often feel a sense of reverence when they hear the name Lu Xun; the literary award named after him is solemn and resonant; and the novels that have won this award must surely be profound and substantial. They carry the weight of an adult world that is unfathomable, perhaps one that excludes the entry of young people. In reality, this is often an underestimation of the understanding of young readers. Perhaps because of this underestimation, young people may have missed out on these novels. I remember my youth in the early 1970s, a time of cultural poverty. Apart from the hollow textbooks, we had no books to read. Fortunately, my family had a few outdated literary classics left, which brought me the joy of reading secretly. Those literatures were not prepared for children, the content of which was far removed from the life I could perceive, and I did not fully understand the profound meaning of the characters and stories. Yet I was immersed in them, savoring an indescribable happiness. Among them, the novel Jean-Christophe by French writer Roman Rolland was particularly unforgettable. To this day, when someone asks me about the book that had the deepest impact on me during my youth, I would not hesitate to place this four-volume novel at the top. Although most of the plot has faded from my memory, I can still recite the two sentences from the preface: "True light is not the absence of darkness, but the fact that it is never extinguished by darkness; true heroes are not those who never feel low, but those who are never subdued by low emotions." These words shook a young and narrow heart, making me clearly yearn for a noble and beautiful soul, for the desire to make a difference in this world. Although I did not know what I could do for the world at that time, I believe this is the charm of literature. It quietly opens your mind beyond the classroom, enriches your personal life, expands your horizons, deepens your understanding of the vast world, and nurtures your aesthetic taste. I believe that the healthy growth of a person's soul should be accompanied by truly outstanding works of literature. This series of Selected Novels of Lu Xun Literature Prize undoubtedly possesses these literary qualities. The novels and stories here are all different, and the way the authors tell their stories is also diverse. If novels are the art of narration, then you will see how, through different narratives, these novels become unique and engaging in the hands of the authors. At the same time, a group of characters, some close to you or far away, will also enter your heart. These characters include those who grow up in cities, those who are active in the countryside; the father in a son's heart, soldiers at border posts, female heroes in wars, a town head who is hard to sum up in words, a mother in lactation, a woman with hidden schemes in a grand courtyard, a pure and innocent girl, a sensitive and thoughtful youth under the "August Fog Bull Pen," and a description of a "life without language," reflections on "before and after the years," the heartfelt memory of a pair of homemade cloth shoes stitched with thousands of needles, and the intoxication of two men "talking big" on a fertile grassland. How does an old house, in the simple words of an author, radiate a divine warmth? How does a river get soaked by rain? Does the heart age before the body sometimes? What secrets lie within the "Pisces Constellation" that we do not know? And how can a basin of clear water and a knife lying in it be described so dramatically? The act of carrying tea leaves to Beijing itself is not as poetic as the title of the novel suggests, and the events that happened or did not happen in the kitchen also make one think of a "war" between men and women, though hidden, that has always existed. "Dreams have never reached Xie Bridge," yes, the childhood dreams there are truly a mix of joy and sorrow, wit and melancholy. That is a child's discovery of her father, and in this discovery, the child also finds her lifelong difficult wish: to gain true human affection. Although this is difficult, it ultimately exists. After we "wash away the dust" with clear water, a new year has truly arrived, and our hearts, having been cleansed by such novels, should also be as clear and bright as a starry night without wind in winter. These novels, while diverse in theme and style, share an undeniable commonality: they all focus on reality, care for the human heart, and do not shy away from the difficulties of life. Regardless of the path they take, they ultimately express a genuine understanding of life, a keen grasp of reality, a sincere hope for goodness, an endless exploration of the vast human heart, and a certain guidance for the healthy development of the human spirit. Additionally, this series also selects photographs of each author from different periods of their lives, along with relevant reviews and interviews, allowing you to get to know the author from multiple perspectives while reading a novel. When you gaze at their youth photos, you might even wonder: when exactly did they start dreaming of becoming writers? The "Introduction" texts attached to the works are written by the female author He Yuru. Her words are profound yet accessible, calm and orderly, lively and delicate, yet measured. This "Introduction" is a literary evaluation of one author by another, and a sincere dialogue between the works of two authors. I am willing to believe that all of this is beautiful.