介绍:
61-year-old prize-winning writer Han Shaogong, like many other of his colleagues from that generation, witnessed the difficult time in the 1960s and '70s and the economic boom since the '80s. Also like them, he is enthusiastic at recording what he has been through over the past decades.
After more than a decade of silence, Han Shaogong's latest work "The Book of Day and Night" focuses on the fate and choices of Chinese born in the 1950s again.
The author says it is a story closely connected to what he has been through.
"All writings are based on and limited by a writer's experience. A writer is naturally good at depicting what he is familiar with, no matter what approach and techniques he uses. Even when he tries to write something he is not directly involved, the logic remains the same, which is based on his personal experiences."
After graduating from junior high school, 15-year-old Han Shaogong settled in the countryside as an "educated youth". That experience later became Han's most important source of writing.
Unlike his previous works which are centered on rural life, the new book mainly tells the stories of life in the cities.
Han Shaogong says the change of their life over years is particularly worth recording.
"Both the bright side and the dark side of human nature can be seen in this book. For the hundreds of millions of educated-youths, their fates are very different, and in fact they have different stories to tell about that time. People who often say they lived their youth without any regrets are normally those who later became successful. However, more are somehow the victims of that time."
Han Shaogong says most of the educated youths could not adapt well when they first moved to the countryside, and they got lost again when they moved back to cities.
The new book answers some questions on the spiritual level, mirrors the change of the society and shows the profundity of human nature. Some critics call it the spiritual history of educated youths.
Leung Man-tao is a renowned Hong Kong social commentator and TV critic. He says the book vividly depicts various images of people during that time.
"We may be familiar with many of the stories in this book, but Han Shaogong told it vividly. It seems more like he is telling his memories and feelings about that period of time. Many characters in the book are so typical, just like someone we know in our daily life."
In 1985, Han's essay "The root of literature" and novel "Pa Pa Pa" established him as a leader in the new literary movement called "root-seeking", which searched for the essence of Chinese civilization. His works since then have won several prizes both in China and abroad. His most renowned work is "A Dictionary of Maqiao". The full-length novel has been translated into more than 10 languages.
Han Shaogong says he believes young people today will also like his new book though life in that time is unfamiliar to them.
"I think people do not necessarily search for the content they are familiar with. There are two aesthetic needs, one looking for familiarity and the other one coming from curiosity."
Han says he believes readers always look for the common human aspects in literature. The most valuable things in human nature, including love and hope, will not change through time.
For Studio Plus, I'm Li Ningjing.
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