China News Service Client, Beijing, June 23 (Reporter Shangguanyun) Contemporary Chinese essayist and dramatist... These are the titles given to the famous writer Wang Zengqi by others. Many of his works have a genre-like mood, fresh and intimate.

  Writing food and writing local customs, Wang Zengqi is always on hand, and the writing field is quite broad. He understands life and knows how to live. Many of the foods he writes seem ordinary, but they are always appetizing.

  Regardless of food or American literature, readers like Wang Zengqi, and the root may be the positive attitude towards life.

Wang Zengqi, taken in the early 1990s. Photo courtesy of interviewees

  He has written a poem, one of which is "writing is quite diligent, send Wen on earth". Many details in the world that are beautiful but trivial enough to be overlooked are still alive in his article.

  This year is the 100th anniversary of Wang Zengqi’s birthday. A few days ago, the first eight volumes of "Wang Zengqi's Collection" edited by his son Wang Lang took the lead. In an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News, Wang Lang restored his father Wang Zengqi's writing and life from the side.

Chinanews.com: Mr. Wang Zengqi's writing field is quite broad, including fiction, prose, poetry, and drama. As the editor-in-chief of "Wang Zengqi's Collection", how do you think about the stylistic arrangement?

  Wang Lang: My editor-in-chief is named, and does nothing. This set of books, from creativity to design framework to selected text to text editing to cover binding, is a few editors in practice. Most of these people belong to the Mesozoic era and have a very high level. They are very familiar with Wang Zengqi's works and have their own views. Many people have edited the old man's collection of works, so it can be said that it is easy to choose and edit this set of "Don't Collection".

  But they were very humble and did not want to lead as editor-in-chief, so they asked me to be a signboard, just because they were surnamed Wang, and they looked a bit like Wang Zengqi, proving that they were not mistaken when they were brought home from the hospital. That's all. So they didn't let me do too many specific things, but forced me to write a general order, which was quite laborious. However, I still know a little bit about the editing process of the "Bie Ji" and the editorial board. I would like to say a few more words here.

  There are 20 books planned for this set, with a total word count of approximately 2 million words. The eight books in the first batch are novels, the remaining twelve books have eleven essays and a drama. Some articles on literary creation are classified as essays, and some articles such as letters and prefaces are placed in the text of each collection. In front, there is no separate book.

"Wang Zengqi Farewell Collection" first published the first eight volumes. Photo courtesy of the publisher

  This kind of arrangement draws on the "Shen Congwen Collection" to some extent. Mr. Shen's set of books also has some "fragments" in front of the text, so that readers can understand the author from a broader perspective. It’s also interesting to say, the “Don’t Collection” in “Shen Congwen Collection” was prepared by the old man for his teacher Mr. Shen. Now it is used in his collection of works. .

  The titles of each book in "Bie Ji" have been pondered over and over again. You cannot use the name of the old man's self-edited anthology, nor can you randomly create one. To be somewhat related to his works and literary claims, you must also take care of the book. Content, so it's quite tricky. The title of the drama collection has been changed several times, and there are still several plans until the end. The editorial board of the book has selected one, which is the "Bumping Wall Collection".

  This is based on a passage from the old man. He once said that he wanted to make trouble with Peking Opera by writing a script, injecting modern elements into the drama, and improving the literary quality of Peking Opera, but without success, it was like a punch. The city wall. So the name of the drama volume of "Bie Ji" became "Bump Wall". This also shows that everyone is more relaxed and wants to make the old man more natural, closer to the reader, and not to be high.

  Readers of this set of books, I think they have read some old man's works, and hope to have a deeper understanding of him.

China News Service: Reading Mr. Wang Zengqi's essays is always very kind and refreshing. "Wang Zengqi's Collection" has 11 volumes of essay collections. What do you think of Mr. Wang Zengqi's kind and fresh style?

  Wang Lang: This is related to his knowledge of prose. He never thought that the prose must show any major themes, must dig out the philosophy of life from daily trivial matters, and must express his ambitions and ambitions. He thought this style of writing was abhorrent.

In 1991, Wang Zengqi was on the canal of his hometown Gaoyou. Photo courtesy of interviewees

  Therefore, he only writes articles based on his own interests and hobbies, Xin Ma You rein, what to say, not to follow the trend, not to be pretentious, so it seems easier. Of course, he also had to find a layout for writing prose, and he had to draw on the expression methods of his predecessors, but he just turned these things into his own articles, which were not so stiff.

China News: Which one of the works you read by Mr. Wang Zengqi is most impressive to you?

  Wang Lang: The old man's things are generally pretty. If you want to find one or two with a deep impression, I prefer "Bing Yi" in the novel and "Grape Moon Order" in the prose. He wrote the subject of "Yi Bing" three times, the earliest called "Under the Lamp", which was written when he was in college in 1941, and then wrote it again in 1947, and the name was "Yi Bing". I wrote it again, and it was actually written earlier than "Justice", but it was published later than "Justice".

  It is best to combine the three versions of this novel to see the old man’s growth in literary creation, his compassion for those living at the bottom of the society, and also experience at the end of the article As for the "bad water" hidden in the article by the old man, many of his meanings are deeply buried in the text and need to be slowly excavated.

  "The Grape Moon Order" is not long, and there is no lyrical description, but after reading the first sentence, you can calm your heart. "It's snowing in January. The snow is quiet. The orchard is white. No sound can be heard. The grapes are sleeping in a cellar covered with snow."

  This essay was written based on his experience in Zhangjiakou's labor reform, when he worked in the orchard for more than a year, and there were many grapes in the orchard. Agricultural labor is actually very tiring, but he can write the labor process so beautifully and hardly. This is not a matter of literary skill, but from his true love for life. I skipped the line in the countryside, and I feel personally about this.

In 1978, Wang Zengqi participated in the Iowa International Writing Program in the United States. Photo courtesy of interviewees

China News Service: What writing habits does Mr. Wang Zengqi have at home? Will you talk about writing with your children or family? For example, will it guide children's writing?

  Wang Lang: In the 1980s, after the old man re-wrote the novel, there was a section that told him in advance the topics he wanted to write, like what "Dao Nao Jiu" and "Chicken Feather" all said. But not every article says, like "Shou Ji" and "Yi Bing", it seems to me that he wrote it by himself. Because some novels have no plot, it is difficult to narrate.

  In addition, the old man's eloquence is not as good as his written skills. Some things are not very appealing to say, but they are beautiful to write. Later, when he wrote something, he was basically sitting in a daze holding a cup of tea first, and the mortal ignored it and wrote it when he thought about it. Wait until the things are written and show them to the family.

  He seldom guides his children in writing, and feels that we are not talented in this respect. It is not the "worm" of the tree of literature. It is useless to teach. We also have self-knowledge. We have never communicated with him in writing and writing, otherwise, the life of this family would be impossible.

  Literary talents are hard to pass on. There are two generations of officials, two generations of wealth, two generations of art in society. How many second generations of literature have you seen? Engaging in literature does not start with a point relationship. Therefore, several of our children did not eat literary meals, no such skill.

Chinanews.com: Mr. Wang Zengqi is humorous and informal, and his family called him an old man. He accepted it happily, but outsiders occasionally feel a little incomprehensible when they hear it. Do you remember when Wang Lao called "Old Man" started? How do you have such a title?

  Wang Lang: Our three brothers and sisters wrote a book "Old Man Wang Zengqi-Father in Our Eyes". These questions mentioned: The old man is Wang Zengqi's "nickname" at home. Mom calls it, our three children call it, even his little granddaughter. Sometimes outsiders come, and we often come out of the "old man" between words and conversations, which makes people wonder. How is this family? so rude.

Wang Zengqi's family was taken in Beijing Zhongshan Park in 1961. Photo courtesy of interviewees

  Not big or small, my dad asked for it. He has always advocated that parents and children should get along with each other, and never pay attention to the dignity of fatherhood. He even wrote an article "Father and Son Be Brothers for Many Years", saying "I think a modern, humane family must first be'no big, no small'. Parents are awesome, children's straight lines" 'The least interesting." There is such a dad who doesn't call "Old Man" really a bit sorry for him.

Chinanews.com: Mr. Wang Zengqi is versatile, engraved with seals, playing the violin... It seems to be anything. Does his infatuation with traditional culture have been consistent in writing and life?

  Wang Lang: He seldom engraved seals for many years, and once learned in elementary school. His father, La Huqin, just played with him and then gave up. Our family has never bought a Huqin, but there are two flutes. He plays flutes at a level.

  The old man was not only obsessed with traditional culture. When he went to college, he read many Western modernist literary works. What he wrote at that time was very foreign. In addition, he is also very interested in Chinese folk literature. When he compiled "Folk Literature", he claimed to have seen tens of thousands of folk songs and folk songs.

  Therefore, he was very unhappy that others would classify him as a traditional literati or a local writer, thinking that it meant conservatism and closure. He believes that he is a writer with modern consciousness, of course, the expression of literature is sometimes "traditional". (Finish)